Latest / Amigos, Afraid! / 34. WITCH! ☝🏼 (The Salem Witch Trials)

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34. WITCH! ☝🏼 (The Salem Witch Trials) · Amigos, Afraid!

0:08
I think that might be like the third or fourth episode we start
0:11
off with like a SpongeBob reference.
0:13
It's ingrained in our youth. That is filed away in the
0:16
cabinet. That is my brain and it will
0:18
live there. Forever.
0:19
The file cabinets that they looked.
0:21
When When? When he's freaking out and you
0:22
can't remember his name. Another SpongeBob reference.
0:25
That's what exists in my brain. One thing after the other.
0:27
What's up, Brian? Hi, Jerry.
0:29
Welcome back to the podcast. Thank you so much, I didn't go
0:32
anywhere. Yeah, you did.
0:34
You left me. What are you talking about?
0:38
He had a good reason, but he left me.
0:41
I was all alone this weekend. Oh yeah, I went to Seattle.
0:45
Because it was his birthday. I went.
0:47
I'm officially a year older. Guys.
0:49
Thank you to everyone that said happy birthday.
0:51
If you didn't, you owe me a dollar.
0:53
Oh. On that, in case you were going
0:56
to charge some people a dollar, I have their birthday messages
0:58
to you. Her Wait what?
1:01
Wait, what? Please hold.
1:03
While Jerry was gone, I did some pause.
1:06
Some sneaky, sneaky texting people behind his back.
1:10
It's it's easier when you don't like, you don't see it coming
1:14
because you're not like directly next to that person.
1:16
I think when I was interacting with you the day-to-day before
1:19
your birthday, it was super hard to keep it a secret, no?
1:22
It was good that I didn't see you in this.
1:24
We'll talk about it. Oh my, Oh my.
1:27
What? Let me pull it up.
1:29
OK, what? Let's start with, let's start
1:32
with this one. This is the first one I
1:33
received. Hopefully I can record this
1:36
straight into the mic and I won't have to do editing.
1:39
But this is for you. You can guess who it is.
1:43
Happy birthday, Jerry. We.
1:45
Hope you had a great day and you're celebrating to the
1:47
fullest. We're recording this outside
1:49
right now because the birds are tripping.
1:51
I don't know if them, probably not, but again, we thought of
1:54
you and wanted to record it right now.
1:57
And again, happy birthday, we'll see you soon.
2:00
Bye friend. Bye.
2:04
You know who that was? Thank you, Liz and Steven and
2:08
the birds. That sounded like a house
2:10
Sparrow, but I'm not too sure. Oh oh.
2:12
Keep that momentum going. Damn guys, what the goat goat.
2:18
Happy birthday, Jerry. But we awesome.
2:21
By the way, you didn't already know.
2:23
Dang it. But yeah, I just quickly wanted
2:25
to come on and say that I'm so grateful to know you and call
2:28
you my friend. You're genuinely one of the
2:30
coolest, most caring people around and I just hope you had
2:34
the most amazing birthday weekend and I cannot wait to
2:36
hear more about it from you and Dulce.
2:40
Wishing you such a great year ahead.
2:44
Now to put you on the spotlight on the air, I'd like you to
2:48
please identify this bid call and if you guess it right, I'll
2:53
donate five whole dollars to the Daily BJ.
2:56
OK, ready. Here it goes.
3:08
Damn. I don't know what the answer.
3:10
Is you're putting me on the spot.
3:13
OK. You want it one more time?
3:14
Yeah. Yeah, Let me get it one more
3:15
time. OK.
3:24
Context. A lot of birds sound the same.
3:29
Yeah, I do. Second thing, if I'm using
3:32
context clues, Melissa, where has she been a lot recently?
3:38
Outside, mostly inside. I think she pressed play on a
3:41
YouTube video. Probably, but my answer was
3:44
Arizona. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
3:46
So I'm thinking she went with an Arizona bird.
3:49
So Oh my God, just you said her name and I got a TikTok
3:51
notification. Crazy.
3:52
Well, thank you so much for the message, Melissa thing.
3:54
I knew I knew it was you before you said I said I'm always.
3:58
I'm going to go with a cactus, Wren.
4:00
OK, Melissa, you will. It's the state bird of of
4:04
Arizona, Yeah. So I'm going to go with that.
4:07
Is it wrong? Probably.
4:08
That would be a great. That's a great guy, Somosa.
4:10
If you if he's right, please comment.
4:13
Let us know. That's fucking sick.
4:15
OK, Before I get to that one, I want to do, I want to do this
4:19
one. OK, Jerry, happy birthday.
4:35
Yeah. You're one year closer.
4:38
To death, yeah. I love you so much and I wish
4:43
you many, many, many, many many more years on this earth and I
4:47
hope you get everything you wanted for your birthday.
4:52
Love you. Bye.
4:55
When did you reach out to him? Like like when I'm.
4:58
Punctual with Emmanuel, I said. Here is the day I need to buy.
5:00
You give it to me then. OK, if, if, if it's.
5:03
Yeah. Thank you so much.
5:05
He likes me better. I judge his character.
5:10
Sometimes I don't. I'm just kidding, change.
5:12
I'm just kidding, dude. Thank you so much.
5:15
I once you hit that first note, I'm like, oh, Yep, that's that's
5:20
thank you so much. And yes, I keep myself alive
5:23
just to die more every day, as do we all.
5:26
Thank you. Thank you so much guys.
5:29
A year older, a year wiser maybe, and a year closer to
5:32
death. Not wiser, Yes, OK.
5:34
I also have not listened to any of these.
5:36
Oh my God. I don't know what any of them
5:38
say. OK, another one.
5:41
Happy birthday bro. Happy 28 Damn damn.
5:47
Sit on dude. Yeah, bro fucking.
5:50
That wish you well then this is your year by Yeah man, I love
5:55
you man Oh, he said. This is your year.
5:59
Do you expect that one? No, I did not.
6:06
Jeez dude, this is gonna be so hard.
6:09
Like thanks little love you dude.
6:12
OK, this is love everyone. This.
6:15
This one is the last one that I've received so far.
6:17
OK, OK, OK. If I get any in the future I
6:19
will just send them directly to you.
6:20
Sounds good. Hi my love, happy birthday you
6:25
handsome devil. As everyone probably already
6:28
said and knows, you're just the most amazing, authentic and
6:32
precious person. But to me, you're more than
6:36
that. You're my goofball, my my yummy
6:37
boy, my barista, my bodyguard, baby, soulmate.
6:42
Seeing you exist is a privilege and thank you for growing up
6:45
with me and I can't wait to grow old together.
6:49
Oh, and please come home. You left decades ago and the
6:51
children really miss you. OK, bye.
6:54
The kids miss you. I can't, you yummy boy.
6:58
I can't. I need to work.
7:01
I'm off to war. No, that's actually not funny.
7:05
Fuck, dude. What?
7:06
Baby, I love you. Thank you so much.
7:10
That's how you know when my voice starts cracking.
7:13
So. I'm going through my messages
7:17
and making sure I didn't miss any.
7:18
Fuck. But no that's that's all the
7:20
ones I have collected so far to keep it in in the daily VJ
7:25
spirit. I also waited until the last
7:27
minute and it wasn't until Monty reminded me when I saw him on
7:30
Saturday. Didn't send one, but then again
7:33
I asked to Gloria. A very busy lady right now No,
7:35
no, of course, absolutely busy. No, they did reach out.
7:38
I thank you guys, Thank you to everyone that reached out.
7:39
Thank you everyone for your messages.
7:41
Fuck, just the heart is full. I appreciate every single one of
7:46
you. Thank you Brian, thank you for
7:47
making that. You're welcome.
7:48
Happy birthday, friend. You went up with me with the
7:49
voice memo as fuck. That shit hits different.
7:51
The way you hear. It from their voices yeah well
7:54
that's the episode guys I'm going to go fucking cry and just
7:57
love life and appreciate everyone that's in my life so
8:02
thank you friend. You touch everyone deep inside,
8:06
real deep. I love you, Brian.
8:09
I love you too, Brian. Thank you.
8:10
Happy birthday. You had a great weekend.
8:12
You can dive into as much as you want.
8:14
We do have a a topic at hand that we'll get to later, but
8:17
let's let's hear about. Oh man, so I went to Seattle.
8:21
I visited La Compa, La compas, Fabian, Emma.
8:26
They just love them. They, they did like they had my
8:30
my days set just with activities and they knew I wanted nature
8:34
and just like hiking and birds and everything and, and I got
8:39
all of that and more. The food was amazing.
8:42
We fucking ate at 10 out of 10 places.
8:46
I'm still dreaming about the the lamb Shank, lamb Shank M on
8:55
five. You know what I'm talking about
8:56
those things, what I'm talking about.
8:57
But it was just this massive piece because of this little
9:00
small Italian restaurant off the side of the street like well,
9:03
great reviews. Am I killed it with the food
9:06
this this weekend, this past weekend.
9:09
I'm still dreaming about it. We ate at Ray's, which is
9:11
obviously famous at one of the the best places to eat in my
9:14
opinion for seafood. That salmon was amazing.
9:16
So I had it was a it was a food trip.
9:19
It was a friend trip. We they surprised me with a
9:21
little cabin off of Lake Alice or in Lake Alice Backyard is
9:27
literally the lake and there's kayaks and we kayaked and it was
9:31
just so cool. I saw bald eagles.
9:33
We saw river otters. We saw a deer.
9:35
Like I just, we saw all the birds.
9:37
It was just it was an amazing weekend and I love you guys.
9:41
Thank you so much for just making that happen.
9:45
Just feeling grateful. Feeling grateful.
9:47
Definitely. Like Sido said, 28.
9:49
Damn. Yeah, I, I feel it.
9:52
You know, I, I think I do hear it and I feel it now.
9:55
So you got to start acting my age, you know, I guess it's to
9:57
grow up. No, never do.
10:00
Just, you know, be a little bit more serious.
10:03
No, I. I oppose.
10:04
I'm getting closer to death. I have to.
10:06
No, if the closer you get to death, the more silly you should
10:08
be. You never know when you're going
10:10
to kick the. Bucket.
10:11
I like that. Might as well go out being a
10:13
silly boy a. Bucket today.
10:14
That's crazy that you wow. Jerry No, not the time.
10:18
Crazy. But yeah, friend, overall, like
10:21
I said, it just going to Seattle just always makes makes me feel
10:25
just so full again and then re energized because of the the
10:28
just the amount of green and it was so cold and and rainy that
10:30
like the perfect. Temperature.
10:32
Loved it every second of it and next time I will become more
10:36
prepared in terms of like layers, layers, you know?
10:40
Maybe you'll grow body hair by then.
10:42
And then don't count. Hey, you just.
10:43
Did 28, maybe 29 It's. True you.
10:46
Got one extra hair on your body somewhere?
10:48
How about somewhere? Somewhere it's blonde, I can't
10:51
see it. So yeah, that was my weekend and
10:53
like I said, I just just it was magical.
10:56
Seriously, I appreciate I appreciate y'all compass and and
10:59
of course, we'll tare for putting everything together
11:02
also. So.
11:04
Aw, that's cute. I don't know, it was surprise.
11:05
I'm. Surprised that I went, I went to
11:07
the cottage. Damn.
11:08
Literally the cottage. I went to the cottage.
11:10
Wow. I'm glad I didn't call you.
11:14
Wine. Wine is also very, very
11:16
important over the weekend. Yeah, great. 10 out of 10.
11:20
I appreciate everyone, everything.
11:22
Life is beautiful. Fucking hold on to that.
11:26
Hold on to that, because in the chaos of everything, especially.
11:29
In the timeline in. The state of the world, it's
11:32
it's it's nice to have the reminder that, you know, circle
11:36
is love and got to hold on to that and cherish it.
11:40
Glad you had fun, glad you're back and we're here on this fine
11:44
day. Beautiful Thursday to tell.
11:46
You guys about something that's been itching.
11:49
It was itching in my brain since last week's episode.
11:51
Jerry mentioned it in passing and I said we need to research
11:56
into this little deeper. So last week, you remember we
11:59
talked about different beings that are able to transform.
12:04
You mentioned the werewolves and that there was a whole werewolf
12:08
scare in England, and in that you mentioned it was similar to
12:12
the Salem Witch trials. Ladies and gentlemen and Gentle
12:15
Days, we are coming at you today with some history on the Salem
12:21
Witch Trials. What?
12:22
Wow. That was my Little John
12:24
impression. What?
12:25
Turned down for what? OK, dude.
12:28
We also saw Twilight over the weekend.
12:29
Of course you did. So it's perfect.
12:31
Spider monkey. Yeah.
12:34
Hold on, do you trust me? So Jerry, if you would allow me,
12:40
I would love to get into this. Please do.
12:43
OK, the story of the Salem Witch Trials begins decades before
12:47
anyone was accused of making deals with the devil.
12:50
In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by
12:54
English Puritans. By the 1630s, thousands of
12:57
Puritans had settled in New England, hoping to build what
13:00
they believe would be a model Christian society.
13:02
But while they crossed the Atlantic searching for religious
13:04
freedom, they brought many of England's customs and
13:07
superstitions with them, one of the biggest being a deep fear of
13:11
witchcraft. Puritan life was shaped by the
13:13
belief that the world was in constant battle between God and
13:17
Satan. Misfortune wasn't random.
13:20
If crops failed, livestock died, or someone suddenly became I'll,
13:24
many believed it could be the work of witches operating in
13:26
services of the devil. Historians note that colonists
13:29
genuinely believed witches were people who had entered into
13:32
pacts with Satan and were secretly working within their
13:34
communities to harm others. Because of that belief,
13:38
witchcraft wasn't just frowned upon, it was illegal.
13:42
Practicing witchcraft was considered a capital crime in
13:45
the Massachusetts Bay Colony, meaning a person found guilty
13:48
could be executed. For decades, that fear linger
13:51
quietly in colonial life, and that was until the winter of
13:54
1692. That year in Salem Village, two
13:58
young girls, 9 year old Betty Paris and 11 year old Abigail
14:01
Williams, began behaving strangely.
14:04
Witnesses described them screaming, convulsing, throwing
14:07
objects, and crawling beneath furniture as if something
14:10
unseen. We're chasing them.
14:12
Their symptoms confuse the adults around them.
14:15
Eventually, a doctor was called in.
14:18
After examining the girls and failing to find a physical
14:21
explanation, he came to the conclusion the girls, he said,
14:26
were suffering from bewitchment. At the time that diagnosis was
14:32
taken seriously, many people believed witches could attack
14:34
their victims through invisible supernatural forces, causing
14:37
seizures, strange illnesses or sudden pain.
14:41
Once the word witchcraft entered the conversation, the situation
14:44
escalated quickly. Of course it did.
14:47
The girls were asked who had bewitched them and they started
14:50
naming names. It all goes back to Cheeseman.
14:55
The first accused were women already living on the fringes of
14:58
society. But the accusations didn't stop
15:00
their neighbors. Accused neighbors, friends,
15:03
accused friends and even entire families were pulled into court.
15:07
Historians note that personal disputes and long standed
15:10
grudges often played a role and who ended up accused, and
15:13
suspicions spread quickly. Within months, Salem had turned
15:17
into a full scale witch hunt. Between 144 and 185 people were
15:21
accused of practicing witchcraft. 19 were executed
15:25
after local courts found them guilty.
15:28
But the accusations alone didn't cause a hysteria.
15:31
What truly allowed the panic to spread was the evidence that
15:34
they used in court, or more accurately, what Salem
15:38
considered evidence. The legal system in Salem looked
15:43
very different from what we know today.
15:45
The accused did not have defense lawyers.
15:47
They had very little ability to challenge the people accusing
15:50
them. If someone stood up in court and
15:52
claimed you were a witch, you were mostly left trying to prove
15:54
you weren't. And the type of Ed and the type
15:57
of evidence judges allowed into the courtroom made that almost
16:00
impossible. The most controversial form was
16:03
something called spectral evidence.
16:07
What? I lost my place.
16:11
I'm sorry. OK, spectral evidence meant
16:15
someone could testify that the spirit or the specter of the
16:20
accused appeared to them in a dream or vision and attack them,
16:25
and the court accepted that testimony as legitimate proof of
16:28
witchcraft. Like Bach, he's right.
16:31
The reasoning came from Puritan theology.
16:33
Many ministers believe the devil could only take the form of
16:36
someone who had already made a pact with him.
16:38
So if someone claimed your spirit appeared and harmed them,
16:41
the court assumed you must have allowed the devil to use your
16:44
form. Which meant someone could stand
16:47
in court, say your ghost attacked them in their bedroom
16:49
the night before, and the judges would take it seriously.
16:53
OK, question. Yeah, if someone accused you in
16:56
court of sending your ghost to attack them in your sleep, how
16:59
would you even try to defend yourself?
17:02
Nah. It wasn't May.
17:04
It wasn't May. Well, it was one of yes.
17:06
It was my twin. I would say if I was lying my
17:12
pants would be on fire. If I was a real witch, they
17:16
would be on fire right now. Snaps your finger.
17:19
Walk away. I know.
17:21
You're downstairs. You're doused an oil, No.
17:26
I mean, there's what the fuck can you say that?
17:28
It's like what's what's like the you're arguing against something
17:33
that has no like. There's no reason there's.
17:36
No race or base for argument. Like you can't argue against it
17:39
because it's just so stupid, you know?
17:41
Like a fallacy, a lot illogical. I took one semester of
17:46
psychology. Same.
17:48
Was it one O? One, yeah.
17:49
So it sounds like a fallacy of some sort.
17:52
Thinking like illogical fallacy. It has to be a logical fallacy.
17:57
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And and.
17:58
Illogical, Felicia. But there you go.
18:00
There you go. And that might be proved wrong
18:04
because. Because you have to prove it
18:07
wrong, it inherently is not correct.
18:11
Because there's a possibility that it could be proved wrong.
18:14
It's. The possibility of being proved
18:15
wrong and then on the basis of a Mens Rea and actus Rea you don't
18:20
have either. Oh you lost me.
18:21
That sounds like one O 2. I might have been present for
18:25
one by accident. Damn.
18:27
I thought it was my class and it wasn't.
18:29
All I know is ray of sunshine. Ray.
18:32
Is that a ray alight? Ray Alight.
18:34
By Madonna OH. I'm going to say, is it the D&D?
18:36
Oh, no, that's right. That's no scorching ray, I
18:39
think. And it all ties back to
18:41
witchcraft spells. I was listening to a podcast
18:44
today where they were talking about how the person they were
18:46
accused was into D&D and it was during the Satanic Panic.
18:50
Don't you love that we as a society, we live in a society
18:53
where we always fear Satan. And who brought that?
18:56
The white Christians. Religion.
18:58
There was no Satan when the indigenous people lived on these
19:01
lands. I'm sorry.
19:03
Nope, Nope. Continue.
19:05
So yeah, there would be. There's no disproving it.
19:08
It's their word against yours. Spectral evidence was almost
19:16
impossible to dispute, but it wasn't the only strange method
19:21
used during the trials. Another test used by the courts
19:25
was called the touch test. If one of the afflicted girls
19:29
began having violent fits in the courtroom, the accused person
19:32
would be asked to touch them. If the girl suddenly stopped
19:35
screaming or convulsing, judges considered it proof that the
19:38
accused had been controlling the attack through witchcraft, which
19:43
is a little unfair considering the accused person was basically
19:47
forced into the situation. Yeah, imagine you're standing in
19:50
court, touching someone's arm in the entire room, suddenly
19:53
deciding, Yep, you're a witch. Yep, we just saw you me throwing
19:58
it back in the courtroom waiting for touch.
20:01
This. Yeah, waiting for the waiting
20:02
for the moment to of contact and then oh.
20:05
That wasn't me. And it wasn't me.
20:07
Is gone, but the Spirit taken over me is gone.
20:10
Basically said did you guys hear that?
20:14
I'm scared and it. Wasn't me.
20:16
It wasn't me. Same same thing.
20:21
Would you agree to the touch test or do you think if you or
20:28
I'm assuming they're forced to but if you said no, does that
20:31
inherently also make you? Guilty.
20:33
I was going to say that. I think just the on the base of
20:35
this test, if you were to deny it, it's like you're
20:40
automatically guilty. Yeah, you're not curing them by
20:42
touching. Them.
20:42
Yeah. Oh, you're you don't you don't
20:44
want to comply. OK, cool.
20:45
Well, guess what? You're witch.
20:46
You're witch. You must be a witch.
20:47
We're going to. Execute you because we proved
20:50
it. Yeah.
20:51
So you said no because you said no.
20:55
Another piece of evidence involved searching the accused
20:58
person's body for something called a witch's mark, according
21:01
to beliefs at the time, which has kept demon companions known
21:05
as familiars. These spirits were said to
21:07
appear as animals, often cats, birds or dogs, and they
21:10
supposedly fed on the witch's blood.
21:13
Because of that belief, people accused of witchcraft were
21:16
sometimes physically examined to see if they had unusual moles,
21:19
scars, or birthmarks that could be interpreted as proof of a
21:22
familiar feeding, Which means something as normal as a
21:25
birthmark could suddenly become evidence against you.
21:29
Jerry's already showing me. I was about to ask if the if
21:33
Salem villagers inspected you for witches mark what random
21:36
mole or scar would get you. My calf, my birthmark on my calf
21:42
yeah, look at that. That's and that's like the
21:44
perfect mouth size right there just.
21:47
I know. Oh, what animal would that be?
21:50
That's a big mark, probably. What is it like a a a horseshoe
21:54
crab? OK, you were just talking about
21:58
seafood and it all connects. I tried mussels for the Oh no,
22:02
what is it? Not mussels.
22:04
What's the other one? Clams, oysters.
22:05
Oysters for the first time. I've never had.
22:07
I've never had osteonis. Pretty sick.
22:10
Anyways, it's kind of slimy. They're not, that's the thing.
22:13
So I tried slimy and sorry, we're off topic, guys.
22:16
I'm sorry. It's OK.
22:16
I tried some not at the on the cruise and they were kind of
22:19
slimy. Not that not for me.
22:20
I put a bunch of like hot sauce. Yeah.
22:22
And Limon. Chewy and yeah, and Limon and
22:24
they were fine. Wouldn't do it again.
22:26
Chewy I had them in Seattle and before that and when Fabi were
22:30
like, oh, they taste like the ocean.
22:32
And then and I told them I hate it in my head.
22:34
I was like, come on, it taste like come on that they fucking
22:40
tasted like the ocean fresh, like just ocean.
22:43
That's nasty. No, it was pretty great with
22:45
with the lemon. OK, anyways, Anyways I.
22:47
Hate, I hate I hate the taste of ocean, anything fishy or fish
22:51
looking. Not fishy, it was fresh.
22:54
It it it wasn't salty. There actually was no like, it
22:58
was like very like, not sweet, not salty, not sour.
23:03
It was like perfect in the middle.
23:04
Aren't you supposed to just guzzle?
23:05
Them, yeah, but I mean I chewed it and I put some little sauce.
23:09
I forgot what it was anyways. Anyways.
23:11
Back to the Witch's mark. Back to the Witch's mark.
23:13
What? What would yours be?
23:15
Do you have one I? Have a birthmark on my butt
23:18
demons. The only thing I don't know what
23:21
chick it is because it's very don't be looking at my butt that
23:24
often, but I have like also like maybe the same size as yours
23:28
slightly, just slightly Tanner the the rest of my butt cheek.
23:32
OK. So it's darker.
23:34
Yes. OK, OK.
23:35
So that's something's on at these kinks.
23:38
Yeah, that what would, what would your demon be?
23:40
What's your spectral companion or?
23:42
Or a wolf, An anamorphic wolf. Interesting.
23:48
And we're back to. Furry.
23:50
No, we're not. That's.
23:51
OK, that's OK, that's fine. I accept it.
23:54
Anyways, back to your regular scheduled programming.
24:01
The courtroom itself could also become chaotic during testimony.
24:05
The girls accusing people of witchcraft often began screaming
24:08
or convulsing as soon as the accused looked at them.
24:11
Some claimed invisible spirits were choking them or biting them
24:14
right there in front of the judges.
24:16
Too many people watching. It looked like supernatural
24:18
forces were actively attacking the girls in the courtroom, so
24:22
the accusations continued. Neighbors testified against
24:24
neighbors, and even children testified against adults.
24:27
Sometimes people confess to being witches simply to avoid
24:30
execution. Those who confess were often
24:33
pressured to name other witches in the community, which only
24:36
made the panic spread further. Eventually, even some religious
24:39
leaders began questioning the trials.
24:41
Several ministers argued that spectral evidence, dreams,
24:44
visions and ghost sightings should not be used in court
24:47
because the devil could appear in the form of innocent people.
24:50
Once the courts stopped accepting spectral evidence, the
24:53
number of convictions dropped quickly and the trials finally
24:57
began to end. But the impact of Salem didn't
25:00
disappear. The Salem witch trials became
25:03
one of the earliest examples in American history of how fear and
25:06
belief can influence the justice system.
25:08
Historians point to the trials as an early lesson in why courts
25:11
require stronger standards of evidence and fair legal
25:14
practices for the accused. Today, the events of 1692 are
25:18
still remembered as one of the most famous supernatural panics
25:21
in history. Information for the segment was
25:24
pulled from research published on history.com and the
25:28
University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law's Salem Witch
25:32
Trials Archive. Damn.
25:36
Yeah, Spectral evidence is what gets.
25:38
You, I mean, if I went down due to spectral evidence at that
25:43
point, like there's no save in, like you know, there's no save
25:49
in. Whoever points blame first is
25:52
ultimately the winner, because let's say you're having a
25:54
dispute with one of your neighbors.
25:57
I think you're a. Person living next door, you
25:59
call them a traitor. A traitor you got in my mind.
26:02
You call them a witch, they're gone, and then you take their
26:06
land. Yeah.
26:07
And then what does it take? Choose me, dude.
26:11
I think they're a witch, Yeah, look at them.
26:14
And a commitment to a bit because you got a girl up there
26:16
at the front just. Like, yeah, listen, I'm going to
26:19
convulse when I'm up there. If you if you're my alibi, then
26:23
you can get half the land. Charlie, he bit me.
26:27
Charlie, it really hurts. Boom, Charlie's executed.
26:33
He would have died. Is it, Oh my God, like you can't
26:39
make it up? No, because it's real.
26:41
Because. It's real.
26:42
No, no, but you can't make up like just from the tactics that
26:46
they use to prove people wrong, to prove that they're witches to
26:49
the court system at the time in Salem.
26:53
Like it sounds fake, but it's. Fucking real.
26:55
OK, but what's changed? Let's change the witch for,
27:01
let's say, a black person, the accuser.
27:05
But Karen, are we that far off from where we were 300 years
27:09
ago? Nope.
27:11
And that's that's that's the scary part, Brian, sorry to
27:15
comment on current society, but I just need you guys to make
27:17
that connection that yeah, it it's still prevalent to this
27:20
day. Yep.
27:22
Before I dive into my part, I just want to say that an honour
27:24
of women's Hersory month. Oh.
27:26
Hersory. Brian and I will be providing
27:32
what we call male reparations. Yes, by that I mean the absolute
27:36
least we can do is acknowledge that a large part of history men
27:40
were out here accusing independent women of witchcraft
27:42
instead of just getting help and going to therapy.
27:45
Women, I'm so sorry. We should have gone to therapy.
27:48
Genuinely. Seriously.
27:49
Yeah, we, we need help. Yeah, you.
27:52
Need to stop attacking women. So Brian just walked us through
27:56
the mechanics of the Salem witch trials, the courtroom drama, the
27:59
spectral evidence, the weird legal tests.
28:03
But I want to zoom out for a second and talk about something
28:05
that's just as important. Who were the people actually
28:08
being accused? Because when you look closely,
28:10
the story of Salem isn't just about superstition.
28:13
It's about power, gender and what happens when a society
28:17
punishes women who don't conform.
28:19
Damn girls, this is for you. This.
28:21
Is for you Happy International Women Day on March 8.
28:25
International Women's Month, OH. We're we're past the day.
28:28
Women's Month, love you. So historically speaking, the
28:32
majority of people accused of witchcraft in Salem were women.
28:35
About 78% of the accused, 14 out of the 19 people executed, were
28:39
women. And that wasn't random.
28:42
Many historians point out that accusations often targeted women
28:45
who challenged social expectations.
28:48
Widows, women who owned property, women who argued with
28:51
neighbors, women who were poor, women who didn't act.
28:55
Quote UN quote proper. Oh my God.
28:57
Basically, women who didn't stay quiet.
29:00
In Puritan society, women were expected to be obedient, pious,
29:04
and dependent on men. If a woman stepped outside that
29:08
role, she could easily become suspicious.
29:11
And suddenly that independent woman down the road wasn't just
29:14
difficult, she was dangerous. One of the first women accused,
29:19
Sarah Osborne, had committed a pretty shocking crime.
29:22
For the time, she tried to control her late husband's
29:25
estate herself instead of handing it over to male
29:28
relatives. That alone caused tension in the
29:31
community. Soon after, she was accused of
29:33
witchcraft. And this pattern shows up again
29:36
and again. Women who were widowed,
29:38
outspoken, financially independent, poor or socially
29:42
isolated were disproportionately targeted.
29:45
Historians note that in many cases, accusations of witchcraft
29:49
became a way to punish women who didn't fit the mold of Puritan
29:52
womanhood. So when we talk about Salem,
29:54
we're not just talking about superstition.
29:56
We're talking about a system where men had legal power,
29:58
religious authority, and social control.
30:01
Accusations became a way to enforce it.
30:03
Literally what has changed? Sorry.
30:05
No, you're right. My blood is boiling.
30:08
So if Salem happened today, who do you think would be accused?
30:11
The loud woman at the town hall meeting?
30:13
Yes. The women running her own
30:14
business? Yep.
30:15
The one who refuses to apologize for existing?
30:18
Literally. Yes.
30:19
Historically speaking, that's exactly who the accusations
30:21
landed. You're not safe.
30:23
You're not safe and I'm so sorry.
30:25
Another thing that often gets overlooked is how the word witch
30:28
was used historically. It didn't always mean someone
30:31
flying on a broom or summoning demons.
30:33
Sometimes it meant healers, herbalists, midwives, women who
30:37
understood plants, medicine or folk remedies.
30:40
Knowledge that existed outside the church could easily be
30:43
labeled suspicious. And if you think about it, a
30:46
woman who knew how to heal people without the church or
30:49
male authority involved could feel threatening in a society
30:52
built on religious control. Because the word, which has been
30:55
reclaimed by a lot of people today.
30:57
Modern witchcraft, whether we're talking about folk magic,
31:00
spiritual practices, or personal rituals, isn't about devil
31:03
worship like the Puritans believed for many people today.
31:07
Shout out to Frenchie. Love you Frenchie.
31:09
It's a connection to nature, it's about that intention and
31:12
energy that you put into it, the personal spirituality.
31:16
It can be a ritual for mindfulness.
31:19
So once again, shout out to our resident witch, Frenchie.
31:23
And more on that later. And more on that later.
31:25
Whoa, OK, that's, that's shocking to me.
31:28
What are you, what are you talking about?
31:30
I think Frenchie mentioned this on her episode where even
31:33
lighting a candle with intention can be witchcraft.
31:37
It going to be that simple. When you ground yourself to
31:39
nature, you're touching grass, you're out there next to a tree,
31:42
you're next to a plant, you're sitting goals or affirmations
31:47
and then you're working with the energy around you.
31:49
Some tools are optional. You don't need the cauldron.
31:52
You don't need the flasks and vials, concoctions and and
31:56
stones. But once again, it's about the
31:59
intention of the practice. So which makes Salem even more
32:04
tragic when we go back to it, is the people that were executed
32:07
weren't witches in a fantasy sense.
32:09
They were mostly ordinary people caught in a system of fear,
32:12
misogyny, and social control. Women who were inconvenient,
32:16
women who were independent, women who didn't fit the mold,
32:19
and in some cases women who were simply unlucky enough to have a
32:22
neighbor that didn't like them. So if the word witch once meant
32:27
a woman who refuses to be controlled, then maybe the real
32:30
reason Salem was so terrifying wasn't supernatural at all.
32:34
Maybe it was the idea that women could exist outside the rules
32:37
men wrote for them. And apparently, in 1962, that
32:41
was scarier than the devil himself.
32:48
The love how society just replays itself in different
32:50
forms and different types of persecution just keep
32:53
reappearing because there's this constant need to hold power over
32:56
people. And when, what's effective?
32:59
Scare tactics? Yeah.
33:00
What's going to get people riled up and fear, fear, Yeah, and
33:06
fear, fear. And separating from separating
33:10
from belief, like my belief, you, what you're practicing is
33:14
up from my belief. So I fear that therefore you
33:16
must be inherently evil. Evil removed, executed.
33:21
Yeah. Once again, playing out just
33:25
outside our doors. Currently, that's.
33:28
So that's just women. It's your month.
33:32
Yeah. It should be your day every day
33:34
of the year. You should feel safe, secure.
33:37
Yeah. And embraced by society.
33:41
We will do anything in our power as men who love women.
33:45
As as men who love women. As men raised by women, as men
33:50
who've been matured around women.
33:51
Yeah. You got to save space around us.
33:53
We got you the least we can do. I know we touched on like some
34:01
of the names out of I think the 19 women or 19 people.
34:06
Killed 14. Yeah, 14.
34:08
No, I think it was 19. No, 1914 were women, yes.
34:11
Five of them are men. I'm wondering, were they a
34:14
little fruity? That's a great.
34:16
Question. And is that why they were
34:18
ostracized? We'll look into that.
34:20
Yeah, I'll do my research and see what that tea was.
34:24
I know one of them was a Bishop, some sort of religious figure
34:30
that they, up until the moment where they were going to, I
34:33
think, hang him fully recited a prayer word for word because
34:38
he's a freaking Bishop or something.
34:39
Yeah. And they were like, what we
34:43
thought that the that if you're the devil, you can't recite any
34:46
prayer. Hung him anyway.
34:53
OK, Separating ourselves. From no worries, I'm just like
34:56
yeah that I mean that seems about right fuck sorry
35:00
separating ourselves from. From the atrocities that is
35:04
femicide, that's what it is that's happening crazy like
35:08
crazy in Mexico right now. But our friend Frenchy, our
35:13
witchy friend, messaged me today being like, hey, I heard from
35:18
Jerry that you guys are going to be talking about the Salem witch
35:20
trials. Did you know this?
35:22
Whoa. I have another voice memo for
35:25
you. Hell yeah.
35:27
Thank you, Frenchie. Yeah, I did reach out earlier
35:29
today. This whole topic was honestly
35:33
once again sponsored and and pushed by the women in our life
35:36
and those friends around us that very influential.
35:39
So thank you so much. Thank you, Frenchie.
35:41
Here we have beautiful Frenchie's voice.
35:43
Another returning guest of the podcast.
35:45
You are familiar with her? Well, Jerry just called me and
35:49
he asked me a couple questions in regards to your next podcast
35:53
episode about the Salem witch trials, which I think is
35:56
fascinating. I gave them some little piece of
36:00
just like tidbits and stuff that I think about.
36:03
But I had a fun thing that I think you might be interested in
36:06
or think funny. Look up the origin of broom fly.
36:12
Basically what these women did back in the day is they created
36:16
these elixirs or, or ointments that needed to that men would
36:22
purchase from them and it had to be applied to the prostate.
36:29
So essentially they needed something to reach the prostate,
36:35
so to speak. And therefore that's and it was
36:38
a hallucinogenic. So people would have then
36:41
eventually start hallucinating that people were quote UN quote
36:44
flying and brooms because I had to stick one up there to reach
36:54
the area. It's all very exciting.
36:56
So I was going to just say it. That's a fun little tidbit.
36:59
If you want to do some research on it, it's pretty fine.
37:01
Fine, but. Wow, a little at the end, but
37:05
yeah. And then she sent me a
37:07
screenshot and explains. Basically men would pay women to
37:11
have things up their booty to get high.
37:17
And when I did my research, do you have a comment on that?
37:19
I see you holding your breath. Shook, but not surprised.
37:24
Nope. Shook but not surprised.
37:27
And my my immediate thought was how many of the accusers partook
37:33
in said activity. Say it loud for the.
37:38
People in the back Guilty What? What do you guilty?
37:40
What do you mean? Oh, what do you what?
37:42
What do you mean I secretly put things up my butt?
37:45
Yeah, but you're the witch. But.
37:46
You're the witch because you put it up there.
37:47
Yeah. Because you bewitched me.
37:50
I asked you for it and you did it.
37:51
Yeah, therefore, witch, witch, you're a witch.
37:53
It's your fault. But yes, this was just last
37:58
minute. I was Googling it before I left
38:00
work today. But in Europe, the witches were
38:04
making elixirs. It's all very like Pagan
38:08
medicine based that the thought was there's different elixirs
38:12
that will help you with like fertility, which is why those
38:15
elixirs would end up in your sexual reproductive areas.
38:20
But some of these elixirs were made with hallucinogenics.
38:24
Yeah. So I think stuff like nightshade
38:26
and stuff was applied and well, you're there rubbing some elixir
38:32
on your Gooch. The hallucination start.
38:37
Next thing you know, that visual view, seeing someone like
38:40
rubbing something, let's say like a broom or a stick, then
38:44
translate to your in your hallucinations, you're seeing
38:47
this person flying away on a broom.
38:49
Look at that. Look how we ended up with that
38:51
and how popular that is in our the the emblem of a witch, the
38:56
brooms. And it's just because you were
39:00
rubbing hallucinogenics on your tank.
39:02
I am never going to see like a witch on the broom.
39:05
The same. Yeah, yeah, because it's it's
39:09
tied to men and the specific, you know, arousals of the time
39:15
and stuff. And I'm sure they were effective
39:16
as fuck because, you know, hallucinogenics and whatever.
39:20
Phallic shaped. We can't escape them.
39:23
The Penises have been, well, patriarchy.
39:26
Yeah, they've been around for a long time.
39:29
Create. I mean, fuck, man, That's that's
39:31
that's gnarly. That's gnarly.
39:33
I I was not expecting that. That's so funny.
39:35
Like wow, I'm shook. I was too.
39:40
I said no way. That is the funniest thing of
39:43
her all day. Thank you so much for sharing.
39:44
That's fucking. Funny dude, like I like I said
39:48
like I wonder what that statistic is of how many times
39:52
accusers or. We're doing a little something
39:55
like, yeah, outside of the norm. And in order to protect
39:58
themselves, they had to accuse someone.
40:00
Yeah, and does that remind you of anything nowadays?
40:03
Oh, that's so. Interesting you have a.
40:05
Word for that, they're called chasers.
40:07
Wow. DL.
40:08
Yeah, yeah. We live in a society.
40:11
Yeah, we live in a society. Wow.
40:14
Thank you, Frenchie. That was that.
40:15
That was a fun story. I, I, I definitely will be
40:17
trying to make a deep dive on will you on that cause.
40:22
Quoted by Jerry in our Bradford house, I'm the receiver I.
40:30
Was like what are you talking about the?
40:31
Bradford House lives in my brain right for.
40:34
You I am going to be the receiver.
40:37
If many and many ghosts are going to be talking to the
40:40
ghosts are going to talk to him, we're going to have to do the
40:41
touch test, the touch test test tape do I have for for
40:48
Nightshade. Do I have consent?
40:50
No. Well, you're witch.
40:51
Well, you're witch. Oh, fuck.
40:53
Got you. Got you.
40:56
Yeah. Wow.
40:58
Oh, we're going to hang you. Oh, fuck.
41:00
We're going to pillage you with rocks.
41:01
He kind of just proved that he wasn't always Yeah, well, we're
41:04
too far deep, so. Yeah, better you than me.
41:09
And that that was what happened. Better you than me.
41:11
It was just about it was a trader show.
41:13
If I called on you first, I'm safe.
41:16
I wonder if there were any like accusations that were flipped
41:21
because there was a what, over 2?
41:22
100 Oh my God, you're you're thinking of it as like the
41:24
round. Table.
41:25
Yeah, literally. We're all on one person, but
41:28
then they say something so crazy that it turns the whole.
41:30
Table around. Damn the courtroom.
41:32
Yeah. I mean out of the 200, it must
41:34
have happened or close to 200. Yeah, well, we're in a Post
41:40
Trader Season 4 world. Yeah, we are where?
41:42
Spoiler alert spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler where Rob went
41:46
all by himself He he clashed. He feels that esteer literally
41:51
there is no one better no the goat of the traitors the only
41:54
season I watched no one's better.
41:56
That's yeah. Go back and watch season 3 just
42:00
cause it's really funny you've been.
42:01
Saying that, yeah, I need to. At the end of the day, it's not
42:04
as good gameplay as what Rob did, yeah.
42:08
Damn, well that was super informative and I appreciate you
42:13
for enlightening us on the Salem Witch trials.
42:16
Of course, thank you for sharing your the struggles women have
42:20
faced for centuries. Nothing new unfortunately.
42:25
Ma'am, Well, I'm leaving today a better person and I'm never
42:31
going to accuse anyone of being a witch.
42:33
I'm just going to say you are a queen.
42:36
Excuse me? She's over there being a queen,
42:38
however. In order to I mean for those in
42:42
our lives like Frenchie who are witches, it is that that term is
42:47
being I meant. Witch derogatory?
42:51
Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. I gotcha we're.
42:56
Going to call you witch in the opposite of derogatory.
42:59
Yeah. What that word is I can't recall
43:04
positive connotation there. You.
43:05
Go. There you go.
43:06
There you go. Oh man, Anything else?
43:10
Anything last minute? No, my life has been taken over
43:15
by Pokopia. You said something and I'll.
43:18
Live and breathe you. Said something, you know you
43:21
said, what did you say? And I was going to be like, so a
43:22
Ditto impersonating something. I forgot what you said.
43:27
Ditto. I have to go back.
43:29
But anyways, yes, that game is beautiful and so cute.
43:31
Yeah, if you have a switch to buy it and play it.
43:34
If you want to relive what it felt like playing Animal
43:36
Crossing during the pandemic, you get it.
43:38
Damn, it is the biggest thing bringing me joy this week.
43:44
And that's it. I did see the world that Brian
43:47
is creating. Give him a tour.
43:49
Jeez it is so cool. Damn near damn near makes me
43:53
want to go buy a switch to right now.
43:55
Yeah, and you should. Everyone pitch in.
43:57
Oh, it's your birthday. Oh my God.
43:59
Send them $5 each of each of you.
44:01
If you all send them $5 he can buy a switch.
44:04
I want to confirm if it was a cactus right?
44:08
I have the call here. I don't think it was, but it's
44:11
OK. That was so long ago I forgot it
44:17
existed, so I I don't know it could be.
44:19
To me, that sounds like a cricket.
44:23
I don't know now I don't know. Damn, do you have a song for us,
44:31
friend? I do let me pull it up.
44:37
I would like to recommend as I said, I've gotten into the
44:44
Spotify day list and it is giving me so many songs to
44:48
listen to and the one I really liked the other day was oh
44:55
there's so many. Should I just pick 1 you?
44:58
Can pick 2 if you need to. I think it's going to be winner
45:02
by Conan Gray. Winner.
45:05
You're a winner, Baby I. Remember seeing him at Coachella
45:08
the first or second time I went just in passing.
45:15
We were at the beer gardens while he was performing and damn
45:18
he was. He was giving sparkly jumpsuit
45:21
before Harry Styles was I think. Nope, that was the same same
45:25
weekend where Terry was the headliner.
45:26
They were both serving glitter jumpsuits.
45:28
Wow. Yeah, and it was really good.
45:31
And I said I'm going to listen to him and then never did.
45:33
And now he's in my on my Spotify and his music is good.
45:36
Spotify said, hey, you forgot about something.
45:40
I got you. You dropped this king.
45:42
Hey, it's me. It's Spotify DJ.
45:46
Good morning, Brian, Coming. At you with with rap I.
45:51
Hate when that happens. OK, what's yours?
45:53
I got this recommendation from the Co mother Fabi.
45:58
She's a cool girl. Psychedelic cumbia, So sick.
46:01
Las Muchachas by Karen Y Los Remedios.
46:06
It's been so viby. I listened to it today on my way
46:08
to work, contemplating how life could be in Seattle and how I
46:13
wouldn't be hot right now. No, it would be perfect.
46:16
'Cause he's so good and listening to cumbia this this, I
46:19
need to look for this on vinyl because at least this song and
46:23
then a couple others that she played for us were the perfect
46:27
music to have in the background. That's what I've been searching
46:29
for. I think you're going to like it,
46:30
to be honest. OK after this play it for me.
46:32
I will I will Pokémon. OK play it while you're playing
46:37
Pokémon exactly perfect mood find find the CD for that in the
46:42
game. I don't think it exists.
46:44
I'm going to be playing Pallet Town route one.
46:47
Oh, thank you guys so much for listening.
46:49
Please comment please like please follow us.
46:52
We're on Instagram and we're on Tiktok.
46:54
But most importantly, follow the podcast on either Apple Music or
46:59
Spotify. It says that we are too big for
47:02
our current audience size. It says your listener count to
47:06
your follower account does not make sense.
47:07
Remind me to. Follow it.
47:09
Yeah. 'Cause we have a lot of
47:10
listeners and they don't follow, it just shows up in there.
47:13
It takes 2 second of your day to follow us, yeah.
47:16
Please and send something nice in the comments to Jerry.
47:21
That's my homework to you guys. I'm sorry.
47:23
How cute he is, how tall he is, that sometimes he's funny and
47:30
the roast really good at birds. The Jerry roast is going to be
47:32
crazy in the comment section. I want to do a roast.
47:36
I want to be roasted. Come at me, friends.
47:38
I think it'll be so funny. I'm a Pisces.
47:40
I'll cry. No, we're not roasting you, I
47:42
said. Roast me.
47:43
I'm a Sagittarius. I'll survive.
47:46
I'll give you a pizza before. Thank you, he said.
47:50
Cry on this. Some hot, hot honey, Little
47:54
Caesars. I'm excited.
47:57
Thank you guys for listening. Thank you for everyone's
47:59
messages. Thank you for being a part of
48:00
our lives and part of your daily commute or.
48:04
Just your sit down. Your sit down time?
48:05
Yeah, I was trying to look for a word for that.
48:07
Your couch rotting time. I hope you have a great day and
48:12
a good night and a good morning. I love you LA.
48:21
Encore. And then we come back and then
48:22
we say what's up? We're back with everyone's
48:24
cheery. Today we're going to talk about
48:26
putting things up your butt.