How does paranoia spread?

The above video comes from the Discover network as Part V of their series that attempted to unravel the hysteria that gripped Salem village in 1692.

After you watch the video (the action really starts at around 1:43), be sure to post answers in detail to the following questions:

• Why is it easy to get swept away by the feelings of a crowd?
• There were at least two people who didn't feel any "psychic activity" at the site, but they all agreed something weird or strange was happening in the house? Why?
• What are the character traits that enable people to stay apart from the crowd?
• Do you consider yourself a person who believes in ghosts, witches or voodoo, aliens, or anything else that could be considered eccentric or strange? If so, why do you have these beliefs? If not, why do you not have these beliefs?
• How much of a role do you think this "crowd hysteria" played in the Salem witch hunts?

Please post comments/replies on the SchoolCenter page, NOT HERE:
http://www.ccsweb.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/education/components/board/default.php?sectiondetailid=91906&threadid=7184 (first name only!)

Angry Preachers of God

As a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, reading the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" once spoken by Jonathon Edwards reminds me of my own encounters with extreme preachers. Preacher Gary Birdsong, among other campus-crawling evangelists, voices his radical interpretation of the Bible to all who would listen in the "free-speech zone" of our campus. It is not uncommon for Preacher Gary to accuse students of being sinful and wrong in the eyes of God.

I would like for you to respond to this article using the prompts below to guide you. Note that, although I would like for you to respond to each question completely, you are not restricted to them. Feel free to voice your opinion on the concept of campus preachers and/or the fear tactics they use.

- Can fear be used as a motivator? How and why?
- University of Florida's Daniel Morgan stated that these preachers were often
much different in private. What might be some benefits to such radical
performances in front of large crowds?
- How would you react to these preachers?
- How do you think Puritan society would have reacted to these tactics?

Link to the article:
http://www.nineronline.com/2.5290/you-re-going-to-hell-say-campus-preachers-1.545778


If you find that you finished before your peers, please read the following interview of Sarah Vowell, a historian who recently published her research on Puritan culture. Link is below:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/163471