In 1938, in the Yorkshire town of Halifax, two women complained they had been attacked by a man with bright shoe buckles, wielding a heavy mallet. Before long, further residents reported assaults by the same individual using knives and razors. Police travelled from London to investigate, but within a month, one victim admitted the wounds were self-inflicted; followed by almost all the others. The attacker, it seems, never existed.
October 1965, saw the schoolgirls of Blackburn Lancashire falling ill. It began with a handful of young women complaining of dizziness, then 85 girls were rushed to hospital having fainted. Some were convulsing, or gripped by uncontrollable chattering teeth. No cause was ever discovered; no pollution, chemical leak, disease or poisoning.
These stories are now widely accepted as cases of mass hysteria. Essentially, this is a psychological condition which sees an over-reaction to external events spread from person to person, some of whom may not have been exposed to the initial trigger. It isn't a new phenomenon; there are records of similar instances from the 1500s. But, whereas these occurrences were once anomalies, they are commonplace in the modern era.
The wailing crowds filling London when Princess Diana died would be a particularly profound example of this state (most didn't know her, and yet displayed all the indicators of personal grief); but popular culture is riddled with mass hysteria. The bobbysoxers going nuts over Sinatra, young ladies losing control at the sight of The Beatles, a helpline flooded with calls following the first Take That break-up - all could reasonably be described as outbreaks of mass hysteria. Indeed, advertisers, promoters and celebrity managers dream of hysterical reactions like these. There's gold in them there neuroses.
Teenagers becoming spinning tops of lust, excitement and tears when faced with Harry Styles or Olly Murs may be a mystery to their parents (who possibly display similar emotions at Cliff Richard or Barry Manilow shows), but there's no real harm done. In fact, some would argue it's all a healthy part of adolescence and enormous fun while it lasts. However, in a different context, mass hysteria becomes considerably more problematic.
The phrase 'asylum seeker' is now only heard incidentally, perhaps as part of a wider debate on border control. But a couple of years ago, asylum seekers were considered the personification of everything wrong with British society. Either they were here to soak up millions of pounds in benefits payments, or were on a mission to dilute and corrupt our traditions and values. None of this was true. The lot of an asylum seeker entering Britain was pretty miserable, and their access to welfare subject to rigid restrictions. That didn't matter. Fuelled by the popular media and a political class eager to draw support, these benighted souls became the scapegoat for a spectrum of gripes and dyspeptic annoyance. The asylum system has barely changed since then, but the hysteria has subsided - or at least shifted its focus.
Child abuse has become such an inflamed subject, that I hesitate to raise it. Obviously it is a horrendously destructive activity, and its perpetrators deserve to be rooted out and punished. Nevertheless, it does provide a perfect illustration of modern mass hysteria. Following the current narrative, one would be forgiven for believing the UK has become a post-apocalyptic dystopia, wherein every child is at clear and present danger from shadowy hoards of slavering molesters. Concern for the safety of the young is admirable and essential, but in this case it has grown out of all proportion to the threat. Statistically, children have never been safer. In Britain, the possibility of abduction and exploitation is now comparatively miniscule. Remember, as recently as the 1900s, child prostitution was visible and accepted on the streets of our major cities. In 2014, a child is thousands of times more likely to be harmed by a speeding car, than a predatory stranger.
Sadly, that is not a picture which suits the public's perception. Caught in a hysteria of misunderstanding, a dreadful but relatively rare crime now drives the daily anxieties of many parents. And the more fearful a family becomes, the more fearful their neighbours become.
We never learn, though. Looking back at Senator Joe McCarthy's campaign against an imagined communist plot in the American entertainment business in the 1950s, we can easily see it was driven by a widespread paranoia (mass hysteria, by another name) which wrecked lives and careers. We condemn that, but unwittingly undertake similar journeys on a regular basis.
Mass hysteria doesn't discriminate, it is just as capable of affecting police officers, ministers and news editors as it is of hypnotising the ill-informed. Whether you're a Muslim, a Jew, an immigrant, gay, disabled or just someone who questions received wisdoms, a storm of misguided public opinion can rapidly become a terrifying and harmful tempest.
If we are to be a genuinely civilised and decent society, it is vital we resist our tendency towards hysterical thinking. The serious issues we face are always complicated and nuanced. Grasping at baseless and glib solutions in order to form a misguided majority is a highly dangerous habit. Best we leave the hysteria to the Directioners and Beliebers.
October 1965, saw the schoolgirls of Blackburn Lancashire falling ill. It began with a handful of young women complaining of dizziness, then 85 girls were rushed to hospital having fainted. Some were convulsing, or gripped by uncontrollable chattering teeth. No cause was ever discovered; no pollution, chemical leak, disease or poisoning.
These stories are now widely accepted as cases of mass hysteria. Essentially, this is a psychological condition which sees an over-reaction to external events spread from person to person, some of whom may not have been exposed to the initial trigger. It isn't a new phenomenon; there are records of similar instances from the 1500s. But, whereas these occurrences were once anomalies, they are commonplace in the modern era.
The wailing crowds filling London when Princess Diana died would be a particularly profound example of this state (most didn't know her, and yet displayed all the indicators of personal grief); but popular culture is riddled with mass hysteria. The bobbysoxers going nuts over Sinatra, young ladies losing control at the sight of The Beatles, a helpline flooded with calls following the first Take That break-up - all could reasonably be described as outbreaks of mass hysteria. Indeed, advertisers, promoters and celebrity managers dream of hysterical reactions like these. There's gold in them there neuroses.
Teenagers becoming spinning tops of lust, excitement and tears when faced with Harry Styles or Olly Murs may be a mystery to their parents (who possibly display similar emotions at Cliff Richard or Barry Manilow shows), but there's no real harm done. In fact, some would argue it's all a healthy part of adolescence and enormous fun while it lasts. However, in a different context, mass hysteria becomes considerably more problematic.
The phrase 'asylum seeker' is now only heard incidentally, perhaps as part of a wider debate on border control. But a couple of years ago, asylum seekers were considered the personification of everything wrong with British society. Either they were here to soak up millions of pounds in benefits payments, or were on a mission to dilute and corrupt our traditions and values. None of this was true. The lot of an asylum seeker entering Britain was pretty miserable, and their access to welfare subject to rigid restrictions. That didn't matter. Fuelled by the popular media and a political class eager to draw support, these benighted souls became the scapegoat for a spectrum of gripes and dyspeptic annoyance. The asylum system has barely changed since then, but the hysteria has subsided - or at least shifted its focus.
Child abuse has become such an inflamed subject, that I hesitate to raise it. Obviously it is a horrendously destructive activity, and its perpetrators deserve to be rooted out and punished. Nevertheless, it does provide a perfect illustration of modern mass hysteria. Following the current narrative, one would be forgiven for believing the UK has become a post-apocalyptic dystopia, wherein every child is at clear and present danger from shadowy hoards of slavering molesters. Concern for the safety of the young is admirable and essential, but in this case it has grown out of all proportion to the threat. Statistically, children have never been safer. In Britain, the possibility of abduction and exploitation is now comparatively miniscule. Remember, as recently as the 1900s, child prostitution was visible and accepted on the streets of our major cities. In 2014, a child is thousands of times more likely to be harmed by a speeding car, than a predatory stranger.
Sadly, that is not a picture which suits the public's perception. Caught in a hysteria of misunderstanding, a dreadful but relatively rare crime now drives the daily anxieties of many parents. And the more fearful a family becomes, the more fearful their neighbours become.
We never learn, though. Looking back at Senator Joe McCarthy's campaign against an imagined communist plot in the American entertainment business in the 1950s, we can easily see it was driven by a widespread paranoia (mass hysteria, by another name) which wrecked lives and careers. We condemn that, but unwittingly undertake similar journeys on a regular basis.
Mass hysteria doesn't discriminate, it is just as capable of affecting police officers, ministers and news editors as it is of hypnotising the ill-informed. Whether you're a Muslim, a Jew, an immigrant, gay, disabled or just someone who questions received wisdoms, a storm of misguided public opinion can rapidly become a terrifying and harmful tempest.
If we are to be a genuinely civilised and decent society, it is vital we resist our tendency towards hysterical thinking. The serious issues we face are always complicated and nuanced. Grasping at baseless and glib solutions in order to form a misguided majority is a highly dangerous habit. Best we leave the hysteria to the Directioners and Beliebers.
