NationStates Jolt Archive

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

I'd carry out an investigation to see if that whole theory with the drug that I can't really remember very well...you know, the one where there was this thing that they reckon caused the mass hysteria...guess, I'd have to brush up on the theory first.

Other than that, I doubt anything I did or said would change the events that occurred there. Infact, being female I'd probably be burnt if I did...damn.

Run and Hide... leave the state... GET THE F**K OUTTA THERE!!! With my knowledge of math and science and my views, I'd find myself accused of being a Warlock and alot of people were killed in those trials.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?


I'd say .... NEW GENOA IS A WITCH! BURN! BURN! BURN!

Oh ... aherm ... sorry ... lost my head for a second .... NEW GENOA PUT A SPELL ON ME ... A WITCH ... BURN BURN BURN!!!!!

Erf ... heh ... went off again, didn't I? ...

I'd free the prisoners and start randomly accusing everyone on both sides of witchcraft after pretending to have convulsions (even the judges). Then I'd set their Bible on fire and totally show no regard for their religion...

After that I'd travel back to the year 2004 in fear of having my entrails removed.

Also, I believe it's called ergot poisoning.

I'd move down to Pennsylvania, and live with the Quakers. Or travel back to my time, depends on whichever is possible.

Dress up like jesus and tell every one that everyone was innocent than make them do the chicken dance or they'll go to hell

I'd be there accusing my enemies and people I just didn't like of course.

As long as I have an assault rifle and plenty of ammo, the trials won't happen.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

I would just keep my mouth shut. Saying I know what is going to happen or that I am from the future, or really doing anything at all to try and help the witches would end with me being executed along with them.

One thing I might do though is bring back W. Bush and accuse him. Hell, maybe they'd convict him if we're lucky.

Actually, thinking about it, all I need is a devil costume. Me suddenly appearing in town would be enough. I'd just scare the living hell out of people and say certain people (not those being accused of witchcraft) are witches.

I wouldn't travel without soem sort of weapons. So i'd just light their bible on fire and proceed to kill them untill they gave up and ran.

One thing I might do though is bring back W. Bush and accuse him. Hell, maybe they'd convict him if we're lucky.

lol

Yes, I always fantasized (sp?) this situation...with a .12 gauge :) ...

Nah, I'd probably pretend to be a nephew of Cotton Mather, and convince the people of Salem that the real way of discovering a witch was to see if the accuser shed bright green blood if they stabbed themselves.. lol..Wow.. I'm so sadistic :cool: .... :D ....

I would probably just lay back, enjoy the public executions and plague ridden water, and try not to be noticed. You know, some guy just randomly poppin' up would raise a few eyebrows. Or even better, I would go back with a priest outfit and a bible, say I'm trying to convert the witches, and just screw with their heads.

I would refute their view of witchcraft and theology using my philosophy I got from various sci-fi and anime series and some anarchist texts.

I would refute their view of witchcraft and theology using my philosophy I got from various sci-fi and anime series and some anarchist texts.

And be burned at the stake.

I would get myself some fine 16th century ass. Mmm... bonnets... :fluffle:

Well, i would probally do one of two things,

1) Sit back and watch. i wouldn't want to attarct any unwanted attention, and i certainly have no right to interfer, things were so differnt back then and we can't judge them.

2) the more rituous (can't spell), if i were to try to save the people who were to be hanged, i would try to prove that anyone could pretended to be possesed and totured. the only problem might be, that they would accuse me of being a witch if you denied that you really weren't, and be hanged.

Still on topic, if you were accused of witch craft, would you confess to safe you life? taking into consideration that in puritan society lying ment damnation.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

I don't know that I say anything at all. A time traveler could only be seen as strange, frightening and evil by those people, and I've no desire to end my life in Salem 1692 swinging at the end of a rope.

Nope, I don't say anything. I try my best to fade into the crowd.

Laurie

Oh I'd leave as soon as I could. I'm pretty smart (especally for a girl) so I'd probably soon be on the list...

If you brought some sort of 21th century device or technology that you could share or impose..or force, whatever, on people, that would make them stop believing in witches just to get rid of some people they don't like, then try to build up a society in that age with technology like our own, so we could advance faster. Would be too late to save the dark ages, but you could help stop things like the Civil War or WWs.

And then again, there's always that nice AK or Glock you could bring along.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

"A duck!"

I would gather together and organize the Wampanoag, Mahican, Pennacook, Massachuset, Pocomtuc, Nauset, and Nipmuc tribes together and drive those witch burning, Bible thumpin', Jesus jumpin' Puritans into Salem Harbor.

I would manage to say half of "Hi" and take one step before being burnt myself.

Rather not risk that, quite honestly.

Seeing as how I would travel back with an SKS and over 1k rounds of ammo, I would go have some fun taking over the state.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

I'm not sure how much could be done. Most of the accusing was done by a series of pubescent girls, and their accusations went first against people they'd had problems with (Betsy. . .um, Braddock I think her name was, who was the wife of a man with whom one of the accusers was having an affair with, and therefore needed to be dispatched for the two loved one's to be together), various old and cantankerous coots whom nobody had any use for (Goody. . .er, crap, you'll have to forgive me, it's been about 9-10 years since I've read this stuff), and people whom their families had been having legal troubles with (if you look at the map of whom accused whom and whom was adjacent to whom and who had had legal wranglings with who, the layouts almost identically match). Only at the end did they start accusing people who spoke out against them, and by then, it was almost over.

That being said, I'd probably be pretty safe myself. As I wasn't in town yesterday, I could hardly be accused of killing someone's cow with my familiar.

I suppose the best bet would have been to pose as a new witch-hunter wielding the newest and most efficient witch-hunting tools available: one's that, conveniently enough, don't ever yield a positive result. The downside of this, of course, is that I very likely might find myself displaced by a more old-fashioned type who got more favorable results (witch-hunters often worked on commission, and it was therefore incumbent upon them to find as many witches as possible).

Seeing as how I would travel back with an SKS and over 1k rounds of ammo, I would go have some fun taking over the state.

That'd be pretty similar to my plan.

I'd say .... NEW GENOA IS A WITCH! BURN! BURN! BURN!

Oh ... aherm ... sorry ... lost my head for a second .... NEW GENOA PUT A SPELL ON ME ... A WITCH ... BURN BURN BURN!!!!!

Erf ... heh ... went off again, didn't I? ...

They didn't burn even one witch at the Salem witch trials. No witches were burned.

I would just keep my mouth shut. Saying I know what is going to happen or that I am from the future, or really doing anything at all to try and help the witches would end with me being executed along with them.

I disagree with this mindset. Plenty of people didn't do or say anything during the holocaust out of self-interest. I can understand when someone refrains from acting because doing so would cause more death and suffering than it would solve, but if you're only doing it to save your own skin, then you are just an accomplice to murder.

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

Just a useless fact. Salem was the name of Jerusalem in the Old Testament in the times of Abraham. The name Jerusalem was only used after the city was taken by King David around 1000 BC.

They obviously wanted be new "Holy" city in America.

This has probably been said yet, but I didn't want to read everything

"She turned me into a newt!...
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I got better"

Say you travel back in time to the Salem Witch Trials... and are present at the Witch Trials themselves.

What would you do or say?

"Might as well burn me now!"

I'm show up on an gas-powered scooter with a pair of supersoakers loaded and a suit made from as many blinking multicolor LEDs as I could. Then shout "I am the Almighty God of The Swamp! Bow down to me!" Then I'd let em have it with both barrels and buzz away.

I know they'd probably catch and burn me, but hell. I'm gonna make em earn it. :D

For me to travel back in time would be pure terror. I am a wiccan myself and I tend to want to keep what I know to myself. I would have to help those who were accused, even if they were the ones no one wanted in town, because witchcraft and wicca are not to be associated with devil worship. I'd keep who I was, where I was from, and what I am a secret just to make sure that those accused will have a chance to live a life without fear of persacution. But then we're all bound to offend somebody and have to suffer the envy and anger of someone who doesn't understand what they are talking about.

For me to travel back in time would be pure terror. I am a wiccan myself and I tend to want to keep what I know to myself. I would have to help those who were accused, even if they were the ones no one wanted in town, because witchcraft and wicca are not to be associated with devil worship. I'd keep who I was, where I was from, and what I am a secret just to make sure that those accused will have a chance to live a life without fear of persacution. But then we're all bound to offend somebody and have to suffer the envy and anger of someone who doesn't understand what they are talking about.

Have you ever seen thr website www.whywiccanssuck.com? Your response looks like something from it.

Personally, I'd go back to about 920CE and teach different native groups how to work with iron and steel... Then this would never happen because North America would never of been settled.

I'd do everything in my power to avoid being noticed and get back as soon as I can. Why? Because being seen by just one person may change the course of history or cause an unravelling of time. Then again, being personally responsible for the damage that may result does have it's appeal.

The Trials were not about witchcraft. Yes, people were accused of being a witch and thus killed, but witchcraft was not the real reason. If it wasn't witchcraft, it would have been something else. Some of you need to learn your history.

yeah, we already did travel back there when the insane heretical bush fanatics took over....