REVIEWSrnOut of Whole Clothrnby Philip JenkinsrnSatan’s Silence: Ritual Abusernand the Making of a ModernrnAmerican Witch Huntrnby Debbie Nathan and Michael SnedekerrnNew York: Basic Books;rn317 pp., $25.00rnSatan’s Silence is critical for understandingrncurrent debates over issuesrnas diverse as feminism, the social positionrnof children, the growth of therapeuticrnvalues and beliefs, and the status ofrnAmerican civil liberties. This mightrnseem hyperbolic, but only to those whornhae escaped the recent clamor over thernsupposed epidemic of ritual and Satanicrnabuse and violence to which Americanrnchildren are said to be subjected. Accordingrnto these tales, countless thousandsrnof children have from their earliestrnyears been repeatedly raped and violatedrnby Satanic cults, in appalling rituals thatrnoften involve the consumption of blood,rnurine, and feces, and the murder of humansrnand animals. Though seeminglvrnoutre, notions of “Satanic Ritual Abuse”rnhave become widespread among groupsrnas disparate as feminist theorists, childrnprotection advocates, psychotherapists,rnand Christian fundamentalists. Indeed,rnthe acceptance of SRA has for somernyears been an ideological touchstone inrnsuch circles; proof that one takes sidesrnwith the victims—with women and childrenrn—against the incessant terrorismrnwaged by the diabolical hosts inspired byrnan oppressive patriarchal society. To expressrnskepticism is tacitly to acquiesce inrnthe crimes, even to become a vicariousrnparticipant. If we suggest that childrenrnare lying or mistaken in their claims, wernare seeking to reverse a generation ofrnprogress in the direction of “believingrnthe victim,” of taking children’s rightsrnseriously. We are also rejecting a cardinalrnprecept of modern therapy. The currentrnequi’alent of the 17th-century phrase,rn”No bishop, no king,” seems to be “Nornsatanist, no therapist”; or, “No satanicrnabuse, no child protection.”rnNathan and Snedeker have proved beyondrnany doubt that the whole ritualrnabuse scenario is utterly fictitious,rnfounded on a sickening mixture of gullibility,rnavarice, self-promotion, and personalrnmalice. It is often tempting to pursuerna moderate course, to argue thatrnwhile most such charges might be false,rnthere is obviously a core of fact: surelyrnthere could not be such abundant smokernwithout a little fire? But as with the anti-rnJewish blood libel of past years, fromrnwhich the legend partly derives, ritualrnabuse offers a classic example of a slanderrncut from whole cloth. In reality,rnthe number of children victimized byrnsatanic gangs is equal to the number ofrnChristian infants butchered by Jews atrnPassover: zero. Reciting either myth asrnfactual should earn the culprit publicrnostracism.rnSatan’s Silence shows brilliantly andrnpersuasively how the SRA theory originatedrnin the 1970’s with speculations b}-rnthe “anti-cult” movement, notions thatrnwere focused and magnified by MichellernRemembers, published in 1980, in whichrna woman purported to recall abuse byrnher mother’s cult many years previously.rnThe book initiated a boom in the therapeuticrnrecollection of eariy trauma thatrnhas made fortunes for snake-oil psychiatristsrnwith the ethical standards of TedrnBundy. Incidentally, the authors fail tornnote that the Michelle story apparentlyrnderived from tales of the doings of WestrnAfrican leopard cults in the colonial era,rnan exotic mythology lovingly transplantedrnto North America, where it has blossomedrnsplendidly: as in ancient times, exrnAfrica semper aliquid novi. The variousrnstrands of the legend merged in 1984-85rnwith the case of the McMartin preschoolrnin Southern California, in which a grouprnof seven innocent teachers were subjectedrnto years of hell at the sadistic pleasurernof the Los Angeles media and prosecutor’srnoffice on charges of inflictingrnbizarre sexual rituals on hundreds ofrntoddlers. The McMartin affair was thernmodel for hundreds of later incidents, inrnwhich teachers and caregivers were identifiedrnas the Special Forces in Satan’srnendless horde.rnCase by case, Nathan and Snedekerrnshow painstakingly how such witchrnhunts are generated: how minor physicalrnoddities in a child patient are taken asrnproof of the “witch’s mark” of abuse;rnhow child “victims” are subsequently interrogatedrnat terrifving length until theyrnseek escape by accusing anyone put forwardrnby the inquisitors; and how unscrupulousrnprosecutors drive home theserncharges by the use of jailhouse snitchesrnand media leaks. The chief problem isrnwhat might be called the “overkill” phenomenon;rnever-willing child witnessesrnseeking their elders’ approval by constantrnembroidery of their tales, which expandrninto wondrous realms of sacrifices andrnmassacres, hidden tunnels, Nazi mindcontrol,rnsatanically mobilized killer bees,rnand CIA atrocities (every item in this listrnderives from an authentic SRA case, includingrnthe bees and the tunnels). Suchrnrococo fabrications, though usually excludedrnfrom court, still fuel the fantasiesrnof conspiracy theorists, among whomrnthe creators of quirky television series likernThe X-Files are presumably viewed asrnskeptics.rnWhen SRA theory originated in thernearly 1980’s, critics were remarkablyrnscarce, few people being willing tornexpress their doubts in print for fear ofrnattracting public obloquy. Worse, therntherapists and prosecutors who nurturedrnthis monstrous creation were swift to allegernthat the defenders of accused ritualrnabusers were themselves clandestine diabolists,rnso that to be seen as a member ofrn”the backlash” was an unenviable position.rnWhile I am proud to sa’ that myrnfirst contribution to the literature of dissentrndates from 1985, I claim no meritrncomparable to the authors of Satan’s Silence.rnMichael Snedeker belongs to thatrnelite corps of attorneys who had therncourage to defend parents and teachersrnaccused in such cases, despite the risk ofrnbeing stigmatized for “defending thernDevil.” And Debbie Nathan is the sortrnof investigative journalist one would notrndare invent in fiction, at a time when sornfew people believe in the image of thernheroic crusading press. She has writtenrnon the most outrageous witch hunts, incidentsrndeemed untouchable by localrnmedia hacks, and has fought tirelessly tornfree the thousands of falsely accused andrnimprisoned. Knowing the power andrnlack of scruple of those she is denouncing,rnshe provides meticulous documentationrnof her charges against therapistsrnand SRA true believers; charges ofrnmalfeasance and obscene greed thatrnAPRIL 1996/29rnrnrn