Endless Thread You're Wrong About the Satanic Panic
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Feb 6, 2026 Sarah Marshall, podcast host and writer who created The Devil You Know, walks through the 1980s Satanic Panic and its cultural roots. She traces how politics, media, and moral panic turned rumors into nationwide hysteria. The conversation considers how social media would alter rumor spread and whether the internet can help skeptics push back.
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Origins Of The Satanic Panic
- The satanic panic grew from political backlash, economic policy, and cultural anxiety in the 1980s.
- Sarah Marshall ties daycare funding cuts, conservative backlash, and shifting gender roles to the panic's rise.
A Millennial's Early Exposure
- Sarah Marshall describes growing up with 'shadows' of the satanic panic despite being born in 1988.
- She recalls childhood stranger-danger lessons and questions their applicability in warm climates.
Scapegoating Replaces Structural Fixes
- Moral panics channel real fears into simpler, more actionable enemies that avoid structural solutions.
- Marshall explains Satan functions as a scapegoat that lets people ignore systemic problems like domestic violence.