The Crucible: Play in Four Acts was a play by Arthur Miller which detailed the lives of Salem residents during the Salem trials. Salem was a city of Puritans. Jealousy and family disputes were other causes. Salem residents thought alike and did not deviate from the norm. This was the main cause of the witch trials. Since the rise of the mainstream media, it has become the norm in America to accept what others have said without questioning them. Most Americans are guilty of this. They listen to the news and don’t question it. Groupthink is dangerous because it encourages people to ignore their own opinions and blindly follow what the majority believes. Groupthink facilitated the Salem witch trial because the residents were not thinking independently. Outside motives could then manipulate the outcome of the trials by manipulating the collective thought. Groupthink lives on in America in the form the media and cancel culture.
In the United States, groupthink has been a subject that has destroyed careers and even led to death during the Salem Witch Trials. In the Salem witch trials, groupthink, which was a subtle dissolution of society, became a career-ending subject. In the modern world, this rot manifests itself in the cancellation culture. This is when someone’s reputation is destroyed for something they are proven to have done or said. This rot is what John Proctor did after his affair with Abigail Williams. Abigail developed a deep jealousy for Elizabeth, John’s wife. She lied in jealousy but the court would not accept her lies when John pointed them out. A group of people, driven by religious fervor as well as lies, decided that anyone accusing another person of witchcraft was undoubtedly telling the truth. Judge Danforth’s questioning of Abigail about her truthfulness is summed up as follows: Abigail, seeing that she was losing control over the court, faked being possessed. Judge Danforth’s trust in Abigail was restored after Abigail acted as though she were bewitched. Anyone who speaks out against absurdity is either silenced or made to deny what they believe. The blind trust that is shown by Americans today is a danger to society.
During Salem’s witch trials, it was easy to implement selfish plans and desires by poisoning group thoughts. Lies and tricks, false evidence, stories, unproven statements, and trickery could be used to manipulate peoples’ beliefs. The Salem witch trial has made American society more susceptible to the groupthink. Groupthink can be a very volatile and wide-ranging phenomenon. It has become more prevalent in recent years, especially after the Salem trials. Modern-day American society, like the courts that trusted Abigail’s words, is far too trusting of those who speak. Cancel Culture is the groupthink most similar to Salem. The idea of adopting the ideas of a small number of people and choosing their fate, which can sometimes lead to the death of innocents, is called groupthink. Groupthink still exists in America and around the world.
