Cloudy With No Chance of Christ

If someone told you the end of the world was tomorrow, what would you do? Sell all of your things? Quit your job? Dawn a white robe and climb and apple tree so you can ascend to heaven faster? These are all things the Millerites did in the 1840s after William Miller told them that Christ was returning to earth.

William Miller was a Baptist preacher and farmer from New York. After devoted studies of the bible, he became convinced that Christ would return to Earth around 1843 or 1844. His preaching and teachings spread quickly, amassing thousands of followers who were known as Millerites. His prediction for Christ's return was October 22, 1844. People traveled across states to be with other believers, and communities braced for the end of the world. When midnight passed and the skies remained unchanged, the event became known as the “Great Disappointment.” Instead of ascending to heaven, believers faced ridicule, confusion, and broken faith.

The aftermath of this event is almost just as interesting. As expected, many of the Millerites completely abandoned the movement as they felt betrayed. Others reinterpreted the prophecy, arguing that Christ had moved to Earth spiritually rather than physically. This reinterpretation eventually gave rise to new religious denominations such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What began as one man’s "calculation" ended up reshaping the American religious landscape.

I think this is an interesting event to study as it shows the profound impact of collective belief. Thousands of people trusted Miller so much that they completely abandoned their lives to follow him. They had no evidence besides what he told them! This shows how human nature desires certainty and hope, especially in uncertain times. This is still true to this day. Mass movements, whether religious or political, often rise and fall on the strength of belief and persuasion rather than evidence. 

On a micro level, this reminds of the current supplement craze. Somone with a platform can post that some random supplement can help with "mental clarity", "energy", or some other health buzzword. Their "evidence" could be nothing or a "study" that has absolutely zero credibility. This causes people to spend a ton of money on snake oil that doesn't actually help them. While there hasn't been a “Great Disappointment.” within the health industry, it would be interesting to see how many of these brands disappear once/if the FDA regulates supplements. 

Witch Please

The craze began in 1692 with Tituba, an enslaved woman from the Caribbean who worked in the household of Reverend Samuel Parris. When young girls in the village began having fits and strange behaviors, they accused Tituba of witchcraft. Under intense pressure, she confessed and even claimed that others in Salem were involved with the devil. Her testimony set the stage for one of the darkest and strangest chapters in early America. Once the accusations began, they spread quickly. Twelve-year-old Ann Putnam became one of the most vocal accusers. Though she later apologized, at the time her words carried enormous weight. Judges like John Hathorne aggressively pushed the trials forward, relying on “spectral evidence,”. This is an example where dreams and visions were used as evidence to prove guilt. These trials rarely even gave the accused a real chance to prove their innocence. Women weren’t allowed to have lawyers, Rebecca Nurse was tried again to be proven guilty after being proven innocent, and the trials had an overall “guilty until proven innocent” theme.  

The results of these trials were deadly and gruesome. Bridget Bishop was the first executed, while Giles Corey was pressed to death for refusing to plead. Even respected members of the community like Rebecca Nurse were condemned. Salem’s harsh living conditions, property feuds, fear of Native American attacks, and threats of war with France all fed the paranoia. Some historians even point to ergot fungus in rye bread, which can cause hallucinations, as a possible trigger. 

What I find the most interesting is how quickly trust collapsed. Neighbors turned on each other, and suspicion became stronger than truth. The Salem Witch Trials show how quickly fear can dismantle trust and reason.  The most important lessons I took away from this were the importance of protecting individual rights, the dangers of misused authority, and the risks of groupthink/mass hysteria. 

In class, we discussed these topics a bit deeper. I found it interesting that ergot fungus was completely discredited. Betty and Abigail were the only people who showed true “symptoms” . It is sad to think about how scared these girls probably were of the world around them. A fact I found interesting is that Ben Franklin’s aunt was an accuser, yet he is considered a founding father of science. The parallels to modern day are also interesting. There are many events that could be considered witch hunts in modern day that we aren’t analyzing. 

Gone Phishin'

Phishing and catfishing were once online scams online I thought only affected the careless. After studying them more deeply, I realized just how sophisticated and targeted these attacks have become. Online scammers often target vulnerable groups of people such as the lonely, the elderly, or those unfamiliar with technology. I have personally seen this through email phishing attempts at my internship. Scammers sent my team emails requesting gift cards with high urgency, explaining that our upper management needs funds as soon as possible. While our intern team is well versed with technology, we didn’t want to let our bosses down. Thankfully we were warned about this scam, but many had fallen for it in the past. This is not normally the case. In 2022 alone, phishing scams accounted for over $10.3 billion in losses. It is shocking to think that so much money can be lost through deception. This is an issue that needs more attention. 

That email scam is not the only way I have seen these scams in action. Almost weekly I get texts/calls from Texas Toll Tag bills, fake PayPal invoices, and remote job “opportunities”. Thankfully, years of caution has trained me to ignore these messages. Occasionally, I have had to ask for a second opinion because they seem so legit. I think that growing up with technology has taught my generation how to spot these scams fairly easily. Those who have not grown up with technology, such as the elderly, struggle more to see through these scams. This makes me nervous for people like my grandparents as their age group is often the most targeted. They have often sent me AI posts asking if they are real or not. 

When I heard about the scams different groups in class came up with, it made me nervous for the future. Technology has given us incredible tools, many of which people use for ill intent. Falling for these scams doesn’t make you stupid, it makes you human. My biggest takeaway from this research is that awareness is protection. Hover over links, double-check addresses, and look up the numbers contacting you. Scammers work hard and we must work even harder to escape them.