--- JBrown72073 at cs.com wrote:
> Chris, I'm not sure what that means, "purely
> historical interest." I
> actually think an interested search for truth is
> more likely to bear fruit than a
> disinterested one. For one thing, getting the best
> theory one can *matters* more
> (you're more motivated to dig at it) if you percieve
> that the phenomenon
> you're investigating impinges on your own life in
> some way. For example (leaving
> aside feminism), the question of whether witch-hunts
> in general, and the
> witch-craze in particular, are driven by the
> convenience and powerlessness of the
> scapegoat, or have a more specific cause, applies to
> a lot of things.
>
> Jenny Brown
Well yes, you are right. I just prefer my investigations into history/whatever subject not to be surrounded by bile (I do not mean you BTW.)
Specifically with respect to the WC event, I know very little about it, specifically just what has been bandied about here and reading the Malleus Maleficaram itself. Based ENTIRELY ON THIS and my own common sense, I suspect that Justin is right.
It strains my suspension of disbelief to imagine that in a big city like Trier (what was the pop at that time? 100,000 or so?) the male population would stand idly by while 50,000 (say) of their grandmothers, mothers, wives (and potential future wives), aunts, sisters and daughters were burned to death and do nothing. I also can't imagine how the city would continue to exist with no women, unless they were to import some or engage in mass cloning. This isn't like a pogrom in a Jewish ghetto containing a separate and despised population -- this is half of the population, connected with the other half by family!
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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