The Official Nonsense Thread

[Caspin]

I had so many problems with Virginmedia. I could fill a page ranting about their ineptitude. It's a shame, because I really liked having cable, but that incident of the stolen connection was the final straw and I've used other providers ever since, with far greater success (although more expense).

(28-06-2014 01:06 PM)Minty Wrote:  At uni, the trend in academia at that time was to blame it on mass hysteria caused by hallucinations brought on by fungus spores on local crops. Personally I think the world was so mentally screwed up in that period in history it didn't need naturally produced LSD to make everyone mental

I suppose hallucinations caused by spores is a reasonable explanation. However one thing that the play made clear to me last week was that a bunch of adolescent girls can quite easily whip themselves up into mad frenzy with nothing more than spite, jealousy and hormones to fuel it. At a time when strict belief in God and the supernatural (or unnatural) forces were the norm, it's easy to see how things could escalate out of control fairly easily once people start flinging around accusations and fear builds up very quickly. I mean it still happens today with African/voodoo priests/shamans accusing little children of being possessed and doing all sorts of horrific things to exorcise them.

At the end of the trial the girls pretended they could see Mary Warren's spirit and they all started repeating everything Mary said as though possessed by her. I just thought about how all kids do that just to annoy you - keep repeating what you've said until it drives you crazy. Or when they just keep asking "why?" no matter how much you explain, not because they want to know more but because it tickles them to wind you up. Little buggers!

I think you should all call me Goody Caspin!

Edit: wowsers, it appears that internet failure is spreading as I am now being intermittently affected by this. Grrrrrr!

Edit part 2: spent this evening with one eye on the football and the other reading about Salem. One thing I had not appreciated while thinking about this earlier today is that a lot of the fear in the Puritan community at the time was exacerbated by the ongoing war with the Native American population. They praised their god for anything "good" happening (such as smallpox obliterating the Native Americans) and blamed the devil for anything bad (sick child, bad weather etc). The first peops who "confessed" to being witches said that they'd agreed to be in cahoots with the devil in exchange for protection from the natives. I am hooked on this now and have ordered a book to learn more. Also been reading a bit more on Arthur Miller and McCarthyism. Do you ever feel as though one lifetime is wholly inadequate to learn everything interesting? Sometimes I feel like it is a race against time.

I'll be off to York tomorrow morning. There is meant to be wifi but I don't know how good it will be. If I disappear for a few days, enjoy the tranquility and don't make too much mess!