this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2023
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History oft repeats itself. By reading a lot about the past, I feel more relaxed about the future.
A book I read recently was a history about a moral panic starting, how people became marginalized, how there were times of extreme terror, how a social movement started, and eventually entered the mainstream. Laws were reversed, the group of people became normal, and became part of greater society.
The goverment had gone from decade+ of progressivism with a opposition party in decline, to the accidental discovery of a powerful social tool to tap into the hate built into humans. They leveraged that tool to bring their party back to relevance in the face of declining power.
It's victories were temporary though, and their very tapping into that hate was what undermined them. The boy that cried wolf couldn't keep crying about it when people realized it was just a ruse.
Almost the exact same things are happening today. A similar moral panic kicked off. Someone is crying wolf and is trying to be the constant victim. Most people will be exposed to the alleged "wolf" (who turns out to be floofy and nice!) And America calms down again for another 20-40 years.
That sounds really hopeful. Where and when did the events covered in the book take place? Also, what was the name of the book?
It's the Lavender Scare by David K. Johnson. See if your library has it! It's kinda expensive on Amazon. It takes place in Washington DC, in 1940s-60s.
I read the hell out of that book and it's one of the ones I continually have thought about since then. I had to keep checking the copyright page and years to make sure what was happening in 1954 and not a handful of decades later, lol.
https://www.amazon.com/Lavender-Scare-Persecution-Lesbians-Government/dp/0226401901
Thank you for this - these days it's really hard for me not to be pessimistic about the future, and this reminder helps put me at ease. Nonetheless, things are absolutely scary right now - does that book go into detail about the damage done during said moral panic? Also, what book was it?
Yeah, it does go into the damage done. But it also sets up well for Stonewall and how everything was on the road to change. It's the Lavender scare by David K Johnson! More about it in the comment above. :) https://www.amazon.com/Lavender-Scare-Persecution-Lesbians-Government/dp/0226401901
I believe trans rights are currently in 1954 ish. But unlike 1954, it's much, mucher harder to fully slam the door on this one because being queer has been normal for so long, hateful people have a much more difficult time siloing people this go around. And this time, people aren't ashamed, they're fiercely protesting this, which is a healthy sign that we aren't as authoritarian as places that have recently fallen, like Hong Kong.
The idea that it's likely to repeat again even if it dies down is terrifying, I don't get how people are finding that to be hopeful. Am I missing something here? ~Cherri