My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
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@KatS @juergen_hubert
that's literally what the post is sayingNot _quite_, but it comes close. It's pretty clear that a lot of alleged "changelings" had some kind of disability or other medical condition, and the changeling narrative came up with supernatural explanations for their existence - and encouraged the abuse of such children.
The current hysteria focuses on autism instead of a broader set of medical conditions among children, but the general thrust is very similar.
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert Their announcement would have been changelings for sure, only that explanation provides no avenue for blaming the mother for her behaviour.
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@juergen_hubert Their announcement would have been changelings for sure, only that explanation provides no avenue for blaming the mother for her behaviour.
Oh, the old folk tales still find ways of finding ways of blaming the mother from time to time - she didn't watch the child closely enough, she didn't get the child properly blessed with the right rituals, and so on.
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert The hysteria around trans girls/women definitely reminds me of witch hunts.
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert Yes - we dismiss folklore too easily. It has a lot to teach us (if we can only seek to understand what they were saying).
Everything "different" had some explanation. But a lot of it was really "This is why this person has a superpower" more than "This is why they should be eliminated".
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert Interesting. It seems to be a human trait that, when we don't know what's causing something, we attribute it to something we do know, that's plausible and fits with our current understanding of the world. It seems just too uncomfortable to stay with "I don't know." Then, once a person has devised an explanation that satisfies them, they sometimes don't want to give it up, not even in the face of evidence to the contrary.
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@juergen_hubert Interesting. It seems to be a human trait that, when we don't know what's causing something, we attribute it to something we do know, that's plausible and fits with our current understanding of the world. It seems just too uncomfortable to stay with "I don't know." Then, once a person has devised an explanation that satisfies them, they sometimes don't want to give it up, not even in the face of evidence to the contrary.
Yeah, whatever narrative arrives firat and gives a name and shape to those fears is _very_ hard to dislodge.
Because then new information doesn't just fill in gaps in your knowledge, but threatens your worldview.
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert And isn't another progression, the child's mother is a wich?
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert to be fair that's already been happening for years. Just not out in the open I guess.
Do you know about Kerri Rivera and her 'autism protocol' that parents internationally have followed? They tend to take their groups private bc people (rightly) call child protection on them.She repeats the lie that parasites cause autism. She repeats Jim Humble's claims that MMS (a 'miracle' solution that makes bleach when mixed at home) kills them. So...
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My study of old #folklore gets more and more relevant to current-day affairs.
Example: All of these narratives about "Things That Cause #Autism " are basically recycled folk tales about #changelings .
Right now, we are at the: "The child is WRONG somehow - the mother must have been careless!" stage.
And it's only a very small step to: "My child is WRONG somehow! Thus, I must abuse it until I get my REAL child back - the one I always wanted!"
The context changes, but the underlying narratives stay the same.
@juergen_hubert folklore like religion evolved over centuries to keep the parts that worked. I'm not surprised. Mostly fascinated. Thank you. I'll follow you for that blog post you may (or may not) write.
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@juergen_hubert to be fair that's already been happening for years. Just not out in the open I guess.
Do you know about Kerri Rivera and her 'autism protocol' that parents internationally have followed? They tend to take their groups private bc people (rightly) call child protection on them.She repeats the lie that parasites cause autism. She repeats Jim Humble's claims that MMS (a 'miracle' solution that makes bleach when mixed at home) kills them. So...
I did not know, but I am not surprised.
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@juergen_hubert The hysteria around trans girls/women definitely reminds me of witch hunts.
You are not wrong. The one German folk tale I have come across that explicitly featured a nonbinary person ended with them being burned at the stake merely for not conforming to gender norms.
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@juergen_hubert Yes - we dismiss folklore too easily. It has a lot to teach us (if we can only seek to understand what they were saying).
Everything "different" had some explanation. But a lot of it was really "This is why this person has a superpower" more than "This is why they should be eliminated".
Most German folk tales about "people with superpowers" were about Sunday Children, who could see the unseen world.
Though "night hags" might also qualify - people whose spirits roamed while they were asleep and who were compelled to "squeeze" other people. Although that was usually portrayed as an affliction, which should be cured if possible.
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@juergen_hubert And isn't another progression, the child's mother is a wich?
Actually, that's uncommon - being a witch is commonly a learned trait/something that is a choice, although the children of witches are seduced into witchcraft often enough.
Although I have come across one tale where accepting magic to help with the pains of childbirth will influence the child as well.
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@juergen_hubert folklore like religion evolved over centuries to keep the parts that worked. I'm not surprised. Mostly fascinated. Thank you. I'll follow you for that blog post you may (or may not) write.
@alper
I will see if I can come up with something for next month, but no promises.
