Chapter 7 - Satanic Panic
In chapter seven we learn about the town of Gilmer, Texas and the alleged strange goings-on there: Satanic cults, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and child abuse. Of all the stories that Perry has recounted so far, this one was, to me, the most bizarre and outlandish - almost too much so to be true, and if it weren't Perry telling the story I can imagine being much more skeptical of the events as they are recounted. It all just sounds so surreal, almost like a bad movie or an episode of a TV crime drama. The story is complex, with many characters involved and many moving parts, including coerced confessions and false memories, political threats, and conspiracy, and I'll admit that the way it was told made it a bit difficult to follow at first; but the more I read of this chapter, the more it started to come together, and by the end I was left in an incredulous haze.
The core messages of this chapter stand out to me as being twofold: the first is the susceptibility of the human mind to influence, such that even our very memories can be altered beyond recognition; the second is the power of herd mentality, of groupthink, and the stunningly bizarre ways that people are able to rationalize behavior or explain events.
When Perry describes the technique of "holding therapy," what he is describing is not only child abuse, it is literally torture. Perry's description of "holding" as it was practiced in Gilmer - and is perhaps still practiced in some places, knowing how inane people can be - is a (comparatively mild) form of torture. How this practice ever became popularized and eventually came to be called a therapy is absolutely beyond my comprehension. Torture is an unfortunately ancient practice. People have been torturing each other for a long, long time - long enough to know, to know, that the confessions or information given by the victim are not reliable because they are coerced, and a victim will say anything the torturer wants to hear in order to minimize or end the suffering, as we see so clearly and disturbingly illustrated in this chapter.
But what disturbs me most is that, if I'm understanding Perry correctly, Child Protective Services was actually complicit - and even encouraging - in the abuse perpetrated against the children during the investigation in this case, in the form of "holding," as were some of the members of the legal counsel (I'm thinking here of the prosecutor who had one of the investigating police offers arrested by leveling false accusations against him). Given that this "Satanic panic" in Gilmer, Texas took place now more than two decades ago, I can't help but wonder - what ever became of the careers of the people who were involved in this case, the CPS workers, the lawyers, the police officers? Surely, at some point, it had to have become clear that there never actually was a Satanic cult that was abusing children and murdering and eating people, and beneath the surface of what Perry recounts for us, surely there is enough evidence to indict some of these people for their actions during the case.
My hope is that they've all since lost their licenses, their badges, whatever forms of authority they might have had - but I doubt it. Maybe I'm a cynic, but in small Bible belt town where a quarter of the adult population is illiterate, I suppose it's foolish or naive to hope for a happy ending.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI was similarly disturbed by the outlandish tragedy that took place in Gilmer, Texas. It truly felt like reading about an episode of Law and Order gone wrong.
I agree that this chapter provided a chilling example of the power of groupthink. I think we as humans look to others to decide whether or not our behavior is “normal” or “ethical”. The caregivers and professionals in this chapter were able to rationalize “holding therapy” because it was endorsed by many others in the Gilmer community. This torture of children was completely inhumane, but the adults rationalized this abuse because “holding therapy” was a widespread phenomenon in their small town.
This makes me think about how it is human nature to conform to the norms of society and how this has impacted the care of children over the years. As we learned about in class, it used to be common for parents to believe that children are to be seen and not heard. In the past, expectant mothers also used to regularly drink and smoke. I like to believe that most parents these days would not ignore the emotional needs of their children or even think about risking the health of their unborn child, but in the past these beliefs/practices were commonplace. It is scary to think about how groupthink and the influence of societal norms can be so detrimental to children.
I was also disturbed to read about numerous CPS workers and legal professionals that were directly involved in the maltreatment of the children and families in Gilmer. I always like to believe the best in people, but it concerns me that so many helping professionals in this chapter lacked a proper moral compass. I am hopeful that occurrences such as these are less common with the rise of ethics training requirements in professional training programs.
-E. Sterling
This definitely reminded me of a TV crime show, and I loved it. Not that I loved hearing about the bizarre trauma these children experienced, but the investigative process of what the heck happened in Gilmer, Texas fascinates me. I also had a hard time initially following the case – it was a messy web of cries of abuse, but I found myself not being able to put the book down.
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t placed the term torture on holding therapy, but I agree with you that it does mimic torture – harming someone until they confess something you want to hear. And to think that this practice is being done to little children who have been taken from their homes, some who were taken from non-abusive homes. For some of these children who had to repeat these abuse stories several times, it may have become a part of their stored memory, and it was probably difficult for them to realize that some of it may not have actually happened. I sure do hope that those CPS workers were fired because they were not doing their part in keeping children safe – they were actively re-traumatizing them.
I have never worked in a small, rural town, and this chapter makes me not want to. Everyone’s lives feel very enmeshed, and I imagine how difficult it must be to get the story straight. And, especially when groupthink comes into the picture, scary things can happen. This chapter makes me want to step outside of my life, my friends and family and make sure I am critically thinking about my perspectives.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with your descriptions of this chapter as “bizarre” and like “an episode of a TV crime drama”. I enjoy watching Criminal Minds and I try not to think about where the writers get the ideas for the shows (most likely real life). One of my friends was kind enough to tell me about an episode of Criminal Minds that was filmed in Austin. To refocus on the chapter, I also had a difficult time following certain parts. I found myself having to re-read sections to make sure I hadn’t imagined what I just read.
When you used the terms “herd mentality” and “groupthink”, I had a lightbulb moment. People in Gilmer were so concerned with this supposed cult, but the people reacting to the “Satanic panic” were really the ones in a cult. They might not have met the stereotype of a cult, with a specified leader, but they had the rationalization of abusive behavior and herd mentality perfected.
I really appreciate you sharing the article on the efficacy of torture. To be honest, I knew very little about the efficacy of the C.I.A.’s use of torture and have given it less thought than I like to admit. I would have never thought to make the connection between “holding therapy” and the C.I.A.’s interrogation tactics; but, I can see the relationship. Our justice system doesn’t accept coerced statements in courts because it’s known they are unreliable. However, we think torturing people will provide us with reliable information.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI agree that this case was extremely bizarre and almost too intense to be true. All of the moving parts kind of overwhelmed me because I knew they were true facts coming from Perry but I didn't want that to be the case. It's almost as if watching a show or a movie with similar events is a lot more bearable because the assumption is that it doesn't occur in real life. How could one town have so many crazy, horrendous events going on?
You summarized the core messages so succinctly- I'm impressed. Both messages are powerful and I believe this chapter is a great testament of how much harm can occur when combined together. When reading about the holding practices, I couldn't help but to think about information retraction processes used at Guantanamo Bay. Were these practices actually effective? Or were tortured prisoners saying anything they could to end the practices they were enduring? Coerced confessions are difficult and in my opinion, unreliable.
CPS appeared to be very complicit in the events that occurred in Gilmer. You raise a great question. Did they ever face any consequences? Were their actions ever addressed? I guess that makes both of us cynics because I find it unlikely that they faced any serious consequences.
-Kimberly Garcia
I made the same reactions in my blog post in regards to this case being complex with many moving parts which made it difficult to follow. I was thinking who did what and who is who? You made an excellent point that I didn't think of and that is the power of group-think, people tend to follow what the crowd think is accurate because it must be true if so many people believe it is right?(I hope you acknowledge my sarcasm through text). I think this form of thinking is prominent is small, rural, bible belt towns which in this case shows how damaging the effects of group-think can be.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how they got away with this form of torture with so many people in "therapeutic" positions supporting "holding" techniques. Of course a child is going to agree with their torturer, which as you said, is LITERALLY what they are when they ask them leading questions. I'm mostly astonished at how they allowed this to happen without it being evidence-based.