Yeah, I wouldn't go as far as Omega on wishing suffering on others over online disagreements. But I do find it worrisome that so many people here like to downplay the real scope of the Satanic Panic when so many people's lives were ruined because of it. But hey, their church didn't bring up D&D specifically, therefore persecution outside the hobby never happened and people didn't have their lives destroyed over false accusations. And anyone saying otherwise was brainwashed by the media and didn't experience religious lunatics personally.
Interestingly enough I've seen similar attempts to downplay what's going on with the woke hysteria in the "left" by less politically involved people, or those who still cling to the "left-wing" label and are in denial, who want to believe that it's only a fringe minority or an astroturf movement taken out of context by equally bad right-wing media. As opposed to a valid concern that has many former leftists running away from the left (myself included) or getting cancelled and treated like Nazis for not towing the line, or commiting some faux pas that gets blown out of proportion. Yet I doubt many here would award the same courtesy to such attempts to salvage the "left" as they do to Christianity's involvement in the Satanic Panic.
Particular people being strongly affected versus widespread are two different things. You are talking depth instead of scope. The Satanic panic was sharp and pointed where it was applied, but it was limited in scope--not least because not all that many people agreed with it, it was not strongly backed by any institution, and the institutions that did back it at all did so inconsistently, and it simply wasn't on the radar at all for the vast majority of people. Some people cling to the idea that it was wide spread for who knows what reason. Mainly, I think it's a crutch to hide insecurity. It's telling that 30 years after it is no longer a thing, there can't be a discussion about the woke without it getting brought up as somehow equal.
Meanwhile, the woke infects academia, the media, many parts of politics, culture, the arts, business (especially HR departments), religious faiths, and even sports. It's pervasive, and actively after everyone. To equate that to the scope of the Satanic panic is the height of delusion and blindness. It seems there are always an awful lot of people that have never met any conservative Christian that are sure that everything said about them must be true, almost as if it was necessary for their own identity for it to be that way. Hmm.
Well stated.
I think whenever we personally experience something negative and painful, no matter how rare the event may be, it's hard to minimize. Saying "well, most people haven't been hurt so it's ok" is not a reaction that most people will have.
The Satanic Panic was a real thing...and it wasn't just conservative Churches that were involved--as I mentioned earlier, the Geraldo special on Satanism in 1988 was an example of how popular culture also got involved.
But the Satanic Panic was more than just "D&D is evil". Probably the most consequential thing that happened during that period of time were false accusations of ritual satanic abuse that was "uncovered" in "recovered memory" therapy. Real people's real lives were significantly harmed in a permanent was because of these accusations that, in some cases, resulted in going to court, even being found guilty and spending time in prison, before the falsity of the accusations was exposed. These are real cases that you can google and read about yourself. During that time period, though, most parents and Daycare workers weren't accused of Ritual Satanic Abuse, and the public largely knew of this only because it was talked about in the media--it was the popular thing to be outraged about (the alleged abuse--you were a "denier" if you questioned some of the outrageous stories that were shared.)
Now, were some members of the hobby negatively affected? Certainly, and if you happened to be the target of some of that, it was miserable--especially if you were a kid going through that, who found a refuge from the bullying and teasing of being a Nerdy kid--or even just a refuge from the mundanity of life. Bullying kids is one of the lowest things you can do--sadly largely expected from other kids, but when it's from adults that supposedly know better, it's even worse.
Was the "Satanic Panic" in the form of "D&D is Evil" widespread? I have no idea. I've seen no stats, only hearing personal stories, which yeah, sucked in a big way. Were a significant number of gamers harmed by this? Well, one is too much, of course...but what would be "significant", any way? Over 50%? 25? 10%? Frankly, it doesn't matter. People were hurt, and that was bad, and if we can learn anything from it to stop it from happening again, that would be good.
As far as "wokism"--both pro- and anti- is one of the major talking points today...heck, I found this particular forum as I was looking into wokism in the gaming world. It's a hot topic here, mostly from an anti-wokist perspective (and frankly that's one reason I like it). Now, maybe because the Internet and Social Media is a thing, or maybe because I'm older, but I see in the broader culture and in gaming in particular the "wokist" agenda seems far more pernicious and widespread than it seemed the "Satanic Panic" was in the 80s and 90s. You didn't have major corporations hiring DEI officers at six-figure salaries and a whole month (along with several "movable feasts") dedicated to fighting Satanism in D&D. It's a cultural and political movement that's much, MUCH more consequential than the "D&D is Devil-Spawn" ever was. Even though 30-40 years ago the Church was far more influential in society than it is today, the anti-D&D movement never had a tenth of the influence as wokism does today.
Does that mean we should minimize the "D&D=Satanism" form of the "Satanic Panic" of the 80s and 90s, merely because Wokism today is worse? No, that would be stupid. We shouldn't dismiss the negative experiences that people who went through it had.
In so far as long-term affects on society at large or the hobby in particular, it would be hard to convince me that the "Satanic Panic" caused greater, longer-lasting harm than Wokism is currently causing. But it's stupid and illogical to say that someone hasn't personally been harmed by something because (a) fewer people have been harmed by it than something else, or (b) you weren't personally affected. It's like saying "male breast cancer isn't a big deal" simply because there aren't that many guys affected by it. If you're one of them, it's no joke and can't be minimized.