Toying with the Cultural Messages

In the Middle Ages, an innocent-looking 16-year-old girl who had killed people at random would have been considered possessed by Satan and duly exorcised or burned at the stake. A hundred years ago, she would have been seen as a victim of economic exploitation. Quite recently, social alienation, psychotic puberty, or improper relations with her father would have been the accepted explanation. Now it looks as if cultural moods and trends generated by ideas may be the culprit.

Here is how it works.