--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In her book claiming that allegations of…" description: "\"“In her book claiming that allegations of ritualistic abuse are mostly confabulations, La Fontaine’s (1998) comparison of social workers to ‘nazis’ sho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/michael-salter-27552_abuse_in-her-book-claiming-that-allegations-of_3172802.jpg" --- # In her book claiming that allegations of ritualistic abuse… ![“In her book claiming that allegations of ritualistic abuse are mostly confabulations, La Fontaine’s (1998) comparison of social workers to ‘nazis’ shows the depth of feeling evident amongst many sceptics. However, this raises an important question: Why did academics and journalists feel so…” quote by Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/michael-salter-27552_abuse_in-her-book-claiming-that-allegations-of_3172802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/michael-salter-27552_abuse_in-her-book-claiming-that-allegations-of_3172802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a2/michael-salter-27552_abuse_in-her-book-claiming-that-allegations-of_3172802.jpg) > ““In her book claiming that allegations of ritualistic abuse are mostly confabulations, La Fontaine’s (1998) comparison of social workers to ‘nazis’ shows the depth of feeling evident amongst many sceptics. However, this raises an important question: Why did academics and journalists feel so strongly about allegations of ritualistic abuse, to the point of pervasively misrepresenting the available evidence and treating women disclosing ritualistic abuse, and those workers who support them, with barely concealed contempt? It is of course true that there are fringe practitioners in the field of organised abuse, just as there are fringe practitioners in many other health-related fields. However, the contrast between the measured tone of the majority of therapists and social workers writing on ritualistic abuse, and the over-blown sensationalism of their critics, could not be starker. Indeed, Scott (2001) notes with irony that the writings of those who claimed that ‘satanic ritual abuse’ is a ‘moral panic’ had many of the features of a moral panic: scapegoating therapists, social workers and sexual abuse victims whilst warning of an impending social catastrophe brought on by an epidemic of false allegations of sexual abuse. It is perhaps unsurprising that social movements for people accused of sexual abuse would engage in such hyperbole, but why did this rhetoric find so many champions in academia and the media?”” [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage questions why scholars and journalists strongly opposed ritual abuse claims, often misrepresenting evidence and showing contempt toward victims and supporters, despite the phenomenon being largely debunked. **In simple terms:** It asks why experts reacted so harshly to disputed abuse claims, treating victims and allies with hostility. Key Takeaway Examine bias in media and academia when confronting controversial topics. Themes bias media influence social panic academic responsibility victim treatment Mood critical analytical skeptical Type commentary analytical critical When to use this quote - research reviews - policy debates - court cases - public health discussions - media reporting Key Concepts moral panic scapegoating confirmation bias social construction of reality ethical journalism Questions to Reflect On - How does sensationalism affect public perception of abuse claims? - What responsibilities do scholars have when addressing controversial topics? A Different Perspective The critique may overlook legitimate concerns about false accusations harming innocent people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abuse Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-victims/) [Allegations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegations/) [Allegations Ritualistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegations-ritualistic-5782218/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Child abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-abuse/) [Child-sexual-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-sexual-abuse/) [Confabulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confabulation-36310/) [Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Disclosing Ritualistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disclosing-ritualistic-5782219/) [Disinformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disinformation/) [Epidemic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemic/) [False Allegations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-allegations/) [False-allegations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-allegations-2/) [Hype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hype/) [Hyperbole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyperbole/) [Hysteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hysteria/) [Jean-la-fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jean-la-fontaine-96499/) [Journalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalists/) [Mass media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-media/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Misinformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misinformation/) [Moral-panic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-panic/) [Nazis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazis/) [Organized-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-abuse/) [Report](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/report/) [Ritual Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual-abuse-349370/) [Ritual-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual-abuse/) [Ritualistic Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritualistic-abuse-367304/) [Ritualistic-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritualistic-abuse/) [Satanic-panic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satanic-panic-163628/) [Satanic-ritual-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satanic-ritual-abuse/) [Scapegoating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoating/) [Scapegoating Therapists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoating-therapists-5782220/) [Sceptics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sceptics/) [Sensationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensationalism/) [Sexual abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexual-abuse/) [Skeptics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeptics/) [Social Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-workers/) [Social-workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-workers-2/) [Society-denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-denial/) [Therapists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapists/) ## Related quotes > [“This vacillation between assertion and denial in discussions about organised abuse can be understood as functional, in that it serves to contain the traumatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/this-vacillation-between-assertion-and-denial-in-discussions-about/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Allegations of multi-perpetrator and multi-victim sexual abuse emerged to public awareness in the early 1980s contemporaneously with the denials of the accused and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/allegations-of-multi-perpetrator-and-multi-victim-sexual-abuse/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Chapter 4,‘Organised abuse and the pleasures of disbelief’, uses Zizek’s (1991) insights into cite political role of enjoyment to analyse the hyperbole and scorn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/chapter-4-organised-abuse-and-the-pleasures-of-disbelief-uses-zizek-s/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“I find it disturbing that one anthropologist's readings of transcripts are being listened to more seriously than 40 senior health service clinicians. \[Referring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-sinason/i-find-it-disturbing-that-one-anthropologist-s-readings-of/) [Valerie Sinason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-sinason/) > [“Today, acknowledgement of the prevalence and harms of child sexual abuse is counterbalanced with cautionary tales about children and women who, under pressure from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/today-acknowledgement-of-the-prevalence-and-harms-of-child-sexual/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Some readers may find it a curious or even unscientific endeavour to craft a criminological model of organised abuse based on the testimony of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/some-readers-may-find-it-a-curious-or-even-unscientific-endeavour-to/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“What is human memory?" Manning asked. He gazed at the air as he spoke, as if lecturing an invisible audience - as perhaps he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/what-is-human-memory-manning-asked-he-gazed-at-the-air-as-he-spoke-as/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I think it was impossible not to come upon a lot of confabulation simply because any good scholarship that has been done since \[Buckminster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-think-it-was-impossible-not-to-come-upon-a-lot-of-confabulation/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [“Treating Abuse Today (Tat), 3(4), pp. 26-33 Freyd: I see what you're saying but people in psychology don't have a uniform agreement on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-calof/treating-abuse-today-tat-3-4-pp-26-33-freyd-i-see-what-you-re-saying/) [David L. Calof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-l-calof/) > [“And Ningauble began to sort out in his mind the details of the Mouser's story, treasuring it the more because he knew it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/and-ningauble-began-to-sort-out-in-his-mind-the-details-of-the-mouser/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“and making excuses when they fail spectacularly, is no less a confabulation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/and-making-excuses-when-they-fail-spectacularly-is-no-less-a/) [Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/) ## More by Michael Salter > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“As mandatory reporting laws and community awareness drove an increase its child protection investigations throughout the 1980s, some children began to disclose premeditated, sadistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/as-mandatory-reporting-laws-and-community-awareness-drove-an-increase/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Some readers may find it a curious or even unscientific endeavour to craft a criminological model of organised abuse based on the testimony of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/some-readers-may-find-it-a-curious-or-even-unscientific-endeavour-to/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Frosh (2002) has suggested that therapeutic spaces provide children and adults with the rare opportunity to articulate experiences that are otherwise excluded from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/frosh-2002-has-suggested-that-therapeutic-spaces-provide-children-and/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Like the psychological model outlined above, the psychiatric understanding of ’organised paedophilia’ is a framework that is focused primarily on individual psychological factors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/like-the-psychological-model-outlined-above-the-psychiatric/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Chapter 4,‘Organised abuse and the pleasures of disbelief’, uses Zizek’s (1991) insights into cite political role of enjoyment to analyse the hyperbole and scorn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/chapter-4-organised-abuse-and-the-pleasures-of-disbelief-uses-zizek-s/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Today, acknowledgement of the prevalence and harms of child sexual abuse is counterbalanced with cautionary tales about children and women who, under pressure from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/today-acknowledgement-of-the-prevalence-and-harms-of-child-sexual/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Qualitative and quantitative research with adults and children reporting ritual abuse has found that it occurs alongside other forms of organised abuse, particularly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/qualitative-and-quantitative-research-with-adults-and-children/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Despite its popularity amongst critical criminologists, the empirical basis of the moral panic account of sexual abuse has been shown to be substantially untrue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/despite-its-popularity-amongst-critical-criminologists-the-empirical/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Batley insisted that no cult existed but the jury found him guilty of 35 offences including 11 rapes. three indecent assaults, causing prostitution for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/batley-insisted-that-no-cult-existed-but-the-jury-found-him-guilty-of/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Smoke and mirrors’ is a useful metaphor for the ways in which organised abuse has chided conceptualisation and understanding. 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The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In her book claiming that allegations of ritualistic abuse are mostly confabulations, La Fontaine’s (1998) comparison of social workers to ‘nazis’ shows the depth of feeling evident amongst many sceptics. However, this raises an important question: Why did academics and journalists feel so strongly about allegations of ritualistic abuse, to the point of pervasively misrepresenting the available evidence and treating women disclosing ritualistic abuse, and those workers who support them, with barely concealed contempt? It is of course true that there are fringe practitioners in the field of organised abuse, just as there are fringe practitioners in many other health-related fields. However, the contrast between the measured tone of the majority of therapists and social workers writing on ritualistic abuse, and the over-blown sensationalism of their critics, could not be starker. Indeed, Scott (2001) notes with irony that the writings of those who claimed that ‘satanic ritual abuse’ is a ‘moral panic’ had many of the features of a moral panic: scapegoating therapists, social workers and sexual abuse victims whilst warning of an impending social catastrophe brought on by an epidemic of false allegations of sexual abuse. 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