Republican Fan Fiction

Breaking the Chains of MAGA Fever: Lessons from the Satanic Panic

Jason McClure

Let’s road trip to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Picture this: America is freaking out about satanic cults. Daycare workers were accused of crazy stuff, like ritual abuse. Teenagers were being called devil worshipers. It was like a nationwide game of telephone, but with way scarier rumors. And who was stirring the pot? Guys like Dale W. Griffis, a so-called “expert” with a fake degree from a made-up ‘Christian University.’ He was one of the main voices spreading fear and nonsense.

Griffis didn’t just talk—he actually helped send innocent people to prison. Take the West Memphis Three, for example. They were convicted based on bogus “satanic panic” evidence, and it took years to clear their names. This case is a perfect example of how fear and lies can mess up lives.

Sound familiar? Fast forward to today, and we’ve got MAGA fever. It’s like the Satanic Panic 2.0. Both are built on fear, groupthink, and a shared identity that values belonging over facts. They replace logic with wild stories that bind people together through fear. The big difference? The Satanic Panic eventually fell apart. MAGA fever? Not so much. It’s still going strong.

How the Satanic Panic Took Over

So, how did the Satanic Panic even start? It wasn’t random. It was a perfect storm of cultural changes, religious fears, and a whole lot of confusion. In the ’80s, heavy metal music, horror movies, and Stephen King novels were everywhere. To a lot of parents and religious folks, this stuff was terrifying. Songs with hidden messages, movies about demons, and books like It or Pet Sematary weren’t just entertainment—they were proof Satan was taking over.

Here’s the thing about people: when they don’t understand something, they make up stories to explain it. And during the Satanic Panic, those stories were wild. Secret satanic cults? Sacrificing kids? Corrupting society? Yep, people believed it. This wasn’t new, though. History is full of moral panics driven by fear, like the Salem witch trials in the 1690s. Back then, it was witches. In the ’80s, it was Satan. And in both cases, people trusted self-proclaimed “experts” who claimed to have all the answers.

The media didn’t help. Talk shows, news programs, and even cops spread unproven claims about satanic abuse. It was like a giant game of telephone, but with way higher stakes. Parents, already worried about the world changing, were quick to believe the worst. And once the stories took hold, questioning them was risky. If you didn’t believe, you were a skeptic—or worse, part of the problem. Once again, sound familiar?

MAGA Fever: The New Panic

Now let’s talk about MAGA fever. It’s the same playbook, just with different characters. Instead of satanic cults, we’ve got election fraud, deep state conspiracies, and cultural doom. And just like the Satanic Panic, these claims thrive on fear and identity, not facts.

Remember Dale W. Griffis? Today, we’ve got guys like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell spreading baseless claims. And just like the Satanic Panic played on fears about kids and morality, MAGA fever taps into fears about immigration, globalization, and cultural change.

But here’s the kicker: the Satanic Panic ended because people started asking for proof. MAGA fever, though? It’s stuck in a media bubble that keeps feeding the fear. It’s like a never-ending loop of lies.

How the Satanic Panic Fell Apart

The Satanic Panic didn’t disappear overnight, but it did crumble under scrutiny. Here’s why:

  1. No Evidence: Big cases, like the McMartin Preschool trial, fell apart when investigators couldn’t find any proof of satanic rituals. Turns out, the kids’ stories were often the result of leading questions, not real events.
  2. False Memories Exposed: Psychologists like Elizabeth Loftus showed that “recovered memories” of satanic abuse were often fake. This helped debunk a lot of the claims.
  3. Media and Legal Pushback: Journalists and legal experts started calling out the panic. Books like Satan’s Silence (1995) and reports like the FBI’s Kenneth Lanning Report (1992) dismantled the myths.
  4. Exonerations: Cases like the West Memphis Three were overturned, showing how wrong the panic had been.
  5. Cultural Shift: By the late ’90s, people started to get skeptical. The internet also helped by giving people access to different perspectives. Over time, the panic faded.

Breaking MAGA Fever

So, how do we stop MAGA fever before it causes more damage? Here are some ideas:

  1. Demand Evidence: Just like the Satanic Panic fell apart when people asked for proof, we need to challenge MAGA claims with facts.
  2. Teach Critical Thinking: Help people learn how to spot misinformation and resist groupthink.
  3. Hold Leaders Accountable: Call out the people spreading lies, just like flawed “experts” like Griffis were exposed.
  4. Foster Dialogue: Talk to those caught in MAGA fever with empathy, not anger. Help them see how their beliefs are being used.
  5. Support Truth: Back independent journalism, fact-checking groups, and institutions that stand for truth.

The Satanic Panic reminds us that moral panics don’t last forever. However, they can do a lot of damage while they last. MAGA fever is no different. It’s up to us to break the cycle before it’s too late. It is up to stop #republicanfanfiction.

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