When witchcraft is more than a label

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From University College London

Witchcraft labels are a mechanism to harm female competitors and profoundly affect the structure of social networks, according to new UCL-led research.
...

"Some anthropologists have suggested that witchcraft beliefs serve to promote cooperative behaviour but our results contradict this. Our findings suggest that while the origins of the witchcraft labels and accusations are unclear, they may reflect jealousy and spite towards competitors, who are predominantly women," added Professor Mace.

www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2018/jan/women-are-ostracised-unfounded-witchcraft-labels


Anthropolgists might want to rethink some of their preconceptions.



A University College London medicine expert was burnt alive by an angry mob after being accused of practising witchcraft.

An angry mob are said to have set upon the researcher as they said he was practising witchcraft and blamed him for having caused the death of a member of the community after he had given him some medicine.

In the shocking video, the victim can be seen running through a field covered in flames and onlookers watch and chase after him.

Governor of Peten, Luis Burgos, told local media that villagers had blocked police officers from attending to the scene to help Che.

www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/uk-university-medic-burnt-alive-22166450


Still burning witches today. Incredible.

[mouse]

and that is a very good example where the mob leads... from pulling down statues, to the point where only those who think like the mob matter.. no reasoning no nothing.. just unthinking brutality …...the French revolution is one of the best windows onto the long term action of the mob that is never satisfied... just like to day those running the mob will not worry about truth..when it comes to those they hate....they lie and exaggerate till even their supporters can see the lies as those at the mockery of Marie Antoinette.. but they still carry on and in turn they become the victims of their own teaching and they in turn are executed like Robspeare…. when a system can only exist on hate[real hate.. killing hate....then that system cannot function without it... even a daily diet of hate and blood grows stale

[toby1]

One of the last UK Witch Burnings was held in the extremely pretty little Village of Lavenham, a place where some of my Ancestors lived ,(as I found out from a Geneology site), Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled ,'Witchfinder General', did the business but as it was during the civil war when Law and Order had broken down there were many unscrupulous people who took advantage of the times.
The people of Lavenham are embarrassed about what happened and would prefer that nobody mentioned their superstitious ancestors and if you were to ask, 'when's the nest burning', ? be ready to either run or fight !

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People, sorry, heretics regularly get burned at the stake on social media these days.