Bad news Quote by Cormac McCarthy
““Women enjoy a different history of madness. From witchcraft to hysteria we're just bad news. We know that women were condemned as witches because they were mentally unstable but no one has considered the numbers - even few as they might be - of women who were stoned to death for being bright. That I havent wound up chained to a cellar wall or burned at the stake is not a testament to our ascending civility but to our ascending skepticism. If we still believed in witches we'd still be burning them.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, 1985
The quote highlights how women labeled as mad or witches were victims of societal fear, and that surviving such persecution reflects skepticism rather than progress.
In simple terms: Women labeled mad were punished; surviving shows doubt in old beliefs.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how fear drives oppression.
Themes
gender
power
history
oppression
skepticism
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- feminist critique
- legal reform
- education
- mental health advocacy
Key Concepts
Patriarchal control
social hysteria
historical violence
Questions to Reflect On
- How does fear shape our treatment of marginalized groups?
- What modern equivalents of “witch hunts” exist?
A Different Perspective
It may overgeneralize historical contexts and ignore varied experiences.
![“[T]he politically correct are above the rules of ordinary civility, once they have identified you as an unbeliever in their religion.” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/abd/orson-scott-card-134_civility_t-he-politically-correct-are-above-the-r_75276.jpg)
