What happened to the good old witch hunt?

What happened to the good old witch hunt? I'm talking of the time that grown men and women got gripped by hysteria and ran around their neighborhoods stoning, burning and dunking (early version of water boarding) any unfortunate sap that crossed their path. It truly was a golden time for panic and hysteria and the ability for getting back at your neighbors.

If there where as many "witches" as some of the crazy puritans said there where I' m sure some have survived to the present day. I'm not talking of practitioners of Wicca but rather the whole "eye of toad, wing of bat" kind of witches.

At the peak of the witch hunt craze, people where arbitrarily accusing anyone who acted and talked different of witchcraft - a death sentence to all in involved. Now if we accused people today of acting or talking differently - we are more likely to give them Ritalin or the current pharmaceutical flavor of the month and likely see ourselves on Jerry Springer - "I done thought she was a witch Jerry "

Yes sir we have effectively medicated any modern witch into a state of compliance.

Nostalgia always make me feel blue - we will never experience the fear/joy of seeing your neighbor sentenced to death for witchcraft - nor are we ever likely to experience the carnival atmosphere at a witch burning - no chance to buy souvenirs and tell the grand kids. No chance to try a new career as witch hunter. No, thanks to modern science we are stuck here in our hamster wheels chasing after the cheese.

They have hamsters at Humor Blogs.com