Bad Historical Metaphors – #MeToo and Witch Hunts

New piece in Pacific Standard on historical language and victimization claims: As a historian and journalist, the use of these loose metaphors to protect the powerful has concerned me for years. This latest push against serial sexual harassment in media and entertainment, as noted by BuzzFeed journalist (and Pacific Standard contributor) Anne Helen Petersen, has driven … Continue ReadingBad Historical Metaphors – #MeToo and Witch Hunts

Bad Historical Metaphors: Galileo

I am tired of powerful men worrying about “due process” by comparing great historical iniquities such as lynching, witch hunts, the Inquisition, Internment, and the death penalty to the social scorn and professional consequences of men being outed as bigots and abusers. It happens constantly and I’m going to start blogging them. Here’s todays. One:  … Continue ReadingBad Historical Metaphors: Galileo