Repressed Memory Syndrome Remembered

It is truly incredible to me that nobody seems to remember or take into account the old horrors of "repressed memory syndrome" in the context of current accusations of child sexual abuse against Catholic priests--and in demanding goverments lift the statute of limitations on prosecution of this crime in particular, when it is precisely the sort of situation the statute of limitations is intended to address. I remember those old absolutes from the eighties, obviously false even then, but seemingly held as articles of faith by every social worker and judge in North America: "Children never lie about these things." "If you think it happened, it happened." "Any truly upsetting memory is repressed." Any speaker who dared to question this orthodoxy was literally shouted down.

http://www.salon.com/books/memoirs/index.html?story=/books/int/2010/09/20/meredith_maran_my_lie_interview

The whole thing back in the 80's turned out, of course, at terrible human cost, to be a witchhunt.




"Can you remember the name of the Papist priest who did this to you?"


The current pogrom against priests traces exactly the same familiar parabola. For that matter, the elements are all the same as in Salem, Massachusetts, back in 1692. You'd think we'd remember, you'd think we'd learn, but there is always some new extraordinary popular delusion to stir the madness of the crowd.