Dichotomies

Webster dictionary defines the word "Dichotomy" as "a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities." After this weeks reading, I'm sitting here thinking about how an overindulgence in seeking out dichotomies played a role in the Salem Witch Hunt, but also how it still is playing a role in our society. By dividing society into good vs. bad, it seemed almost easy to accuse people of being apart of the "bad" of society and in a way condemn them to their death. The othering of a people group, in this case the "witches", makes it easy to dissociate and have an utter disregard for the nature of life itself. 

Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction did a good job of introducing this. Gaskill writes, "People prefer clear-cut definitions to blurred ones, order to chaos." I personally believe that as humans, in our deep-rooted nature, we're seeking understanding. There's so much evidence of this on earth. We go to school, we read, we watch, we consume, we converse, we discover more about ourselves and the world around us everyday. Our epistemology lies on self-discovery and answering our questions until we are simply no longer. Looking specifically into the witch hunts, it's easy to see a sociological desire to find an answer to the "witchings." Why were these girls acting this way? What was causing the disease? Who is responsible? 

People aren't comfortable with ambiguity. We want to know; we want to answer our questions. It doesn't feel safe to not have answers. Looking at the Puritan culture, I can see the underlying tone of fear rampant in their society. From the multiple societal attacks that we're described in The Salem Witch Hunt (ie. the attack on religion and the attack from the Native Americans) these Puritan's probably had their fight or flight triggered at most times. They were on the defense and on the attack all at once. Defending their side of the field and trying to score goals simultaneously. 

Once they had a problem that was coming from within their own society, they solved it the only way they knew how: by creating a dichotomy. Up until then, it was them vs. England, them vs. the Catholics, them vs. the Native Americans, them vs. the Quakers. They had a knack for opposing other people groups. To find an answer and satisfy their seeking mind, they had to create an "other." Now, it was them vs. the witches. To deep dive even further, they found the most "other" of their internal Puritan society and that who was deemed as the opposing team. The witch roster was stacked with the least worthy Puritans. It was now good vs. bad. 

It seems like a thing of the past, but I wonder if we still try to do that today in ways. Are we, as a society, creating dichotomies to ease our fears and answer questions that we are uncomfortable leaving ambiguous? Whether it's the religious vs. the unreligious, young generation vs. old generation, Republican vs. Democrat, the US vs. some other country, coffee drinkers vs. tea drinkers, I believe that sometimes we may just be creating divisions out of a personal (and in some circumstances selfish) desire to feel better. The dichotomy creates anthropological space between a me and a them. Who are we creating to be the witches in our minds, lives, and societies?