Human beings are driven by many different things, whether natural instincts or social behaviors that are continually expressed again and again, pushing a certain portion of the population towards something, whether for better or worse. Two brilliant examples of social behaviors driving an event can be found in the Salem witch trials in the 1600s and McCarthyism in the United States in the 1950s. McCarthyism is an example of what can happen when a movement is driven solely by unfounded accusations and the goal of accumulating popularity and fame by any means necessary, even if unscrupulous. Joseph McCartney waged a political campaign whose goals were to disrupt the everyday American way of life by making accusations against anyone deemed "un-American", those in media and entertainment being the ones largely targeted by McCarthy and the his acolytes. One famous person targeted was Arthur Miller, a famous playwright who eventually wrote a play called "The Crucible," which focused on the Salem witch trials and the negative outcomes and consequences of uncontrolled and chaotic social behavior, parallel to those of McCarthyism. In the play, a group of girls are found dancing and fooling around in the woods by Reverend Parris, after which everything goes out of control and mass hysteria and false truths run rampant in the village, ultimately leading to the deaths of innocents and a serious breakdown of trust among the inhabitants and also with the government. While some social behaviors can be positive for the population or even eye-opening, many social behaviors and beliefs can easily become corrupt or negative when they are inundated with falsifiable truths or distorted ideas and/or when a few with malicious intent take over and spread everything they can to gain popularity and control over the people, thus leading to mass hysteria and a gullible population. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A theme of The Crucible is that once a certain type of person feels like they deserve something more or feels like they are social no one gains power, they become vindictive towards those they see as obstacles or threats to their temporary status of power, causing social behaviors to begin to lean towards more negative and consequential goals and outcomes. One such conversation in The Crucible that illustrates this is the one between John Proctor and Mary Warren who continually argue back and forth, with Mary Warren coming across as pompous and largely narcissistic. John Proctor tells her "You will not go to court again, Mary Warren", to which Mary Warren responds with "I must tell you, sir, that I will be gone every day now. I am amazed that you do not see what important work we do." He objects to John Proctor out of spite and a self-centered attitude Now that he knows he is part of a group that the entire village has their eyes on and that also has a certain importance, he feels as if he could react against anyone other than himself. agree with her and can simply use her influence to convince her one way or another. She and the other women who accuse a multitude of people of being insidious and dark are an example of the Law of the Few from Tipping's Point. , meaning that the personalities and drives of a select few people can drive and influence an event or movement Mary Warren, Abigail and the others, with their recent rise in popularity and influence within the village, allow them to. easily influence the minds of the villagers and thedirection the court takes with respect to the case and the accused. With their constant falsification of supernatural events and the constant hysteria they continually exude, they easily manipulate people into believing that there is witchcraft in the village. Another social behavior that plays into The Crucible is that of the power of context, as the time period in which the Salem witch trials took place, i.e. the 1600s, allows for a multitude of different things to come into play. Since the logical reasoning of the time was twisted and distorted, and the religious zeal of the inhabitants of the New World was extreme, he easily allowed the Salem witch trials to take place since there was no proposal put forward to use objective reasoning or empirical evidence as a basis for explaining or concluding something. Ultimately, with power in the hands of a vengeful few who wished to be noticed, he allowed the events and killing of innocents to happen with ease at the time and shows the negative consequences of what happens when those few in power can be where they are without questioning the motives and reasoning. In the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy waged a broad campaign to expose and accuse multitudes of people of being communists and unfaithful subjects of the American public and way of life. Targeting every industry from the State Department to Hollywood, McCarthy has spread his unfounded ideas and claims over and over again, largely without any consequences or action taken against him for his disruptive actions and behavior misaligned. He was targeting Arthur Miller, as previously stated, and this was one of the main reasons he wrote The Crucible. A quote from Arthur Miller that illustrates and shows what it was like during the time when McCarthyism was rampant, states that “I refer to the anti-communist anger that threatened to reach hysterical proportions and sometimes did. I don't remember anyone calling it an ideological war, but now I think that's what it was. I suppose we quickly went from something like a discussion or debate, to something completely different, a hunt not just for subversive people, but for ideas and even suspicious language. One Tipping Point social behavior that correlates best with McCarthyism is, like The Crucible, that of Context Power. Just as the Salem witch trials occurred in a time of insecurity and backward reasoning, so did McCarthyism, albeit in a much more advanced and sophisticated time period. With the end of World War II just a few years ago and rising tensions and conflicting ideologies back in play, this allowed McCarthyism to spread quickly and easily among the American people, just like the residents of Salem, who were unsafe and tired of anything that might threaten them, as was much of the American public, as they were willing to follow any movement or behavior that might protect their ideas from the "evil" of the East and the collapse of society by communism, therefore allowing someone like Joseph McCarthy to effortlessly gain a foothold in the minds of the American people. Mass hysteria was almost everywhere in the United States as things and events were blown out of proportion and accusations were fired at anyone deemed a threat. The willingness to believe in anything held by a persuasive few was due to the hysteria that was continually spreading through the American public and the little insecurities or issues that were brought up again and again without respite. McCarthyism was largely driven by misaligned social behaviors and Americans' willingness to give in to?