Can you respond back to this discussion post from a student

Prompt 4.

A clear similarity between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism can be seen in the common threat of subversion. In the McCarthy era, people believed that Communist agents were infiltrating the US government in an attempt to overthrow the country. In the play, Danforth states,"Reproach me not with the fear in the country; there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!" (Miller 75). The subversive plot in the play centers around religion instead of a political ideology. The idea of subversion ties the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism together because it enables hysteria in both contexts. Subversion is not meant to be obvious. As a result, those in power can accuse innocent people with little evidence. We see this in both settings. McCarthy mentions a list of state officials that he never brings to light, while the girls in The Cruciblefake hallucinations and episodes of mania. Subversion also forces the parties in both contexts to further cement their group identities by signaling what their identities are not. In McCarthyism, the group identity is reinforced by targeting associations with Communism or leftist ideologies. The threat of Communist subversion made an individual's leftist connections a measurement of their credibility. In The Crucible, the group identity is bolstered by criticizing the Proctors' lack of church attendance. Parris criticizes John Proctor in court, stating,"Such a Christian that will not come to church but once in a month!" (Miller 71). This weakens Proctor's ties to Salem's group identity, which is a devout and religious society. The threat of a demonic plot to overthrow Christ makes one's religious tendencies a sign of their reliability. Proctor's lack of attendance to church makes him less credible than regular, church-going individuals. In both contexts, we see how the threat of subversion forces a society to further solidify their group identity.