The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts, a play by Arthur Miller, detailed the stories of the residents of Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. There were many causes of the witch trials, most of Salem's residents were Puritans, jealousy and family feuds were just a few. The most important cause is that the residents of Salem all thought the same, never going against the norm. In America, the idea of ​​accepting what others say without thinking for yourself has been the social norm since the rise of mainstream media. Listen to what the media says and never question it; this is what many Americans do. Ignoring your own thoughts and blindly following what the majority says is the dangerous concept of Groupthink. Groupthink was the facilitator of the witch trials; the people of Salem did not think independently of their hive mind; this meant that external motivations could control the outcome through manipulation of what the group thought. Groupthink is still alive and well in modern America, in the form of cancel culture and mindless media consumption. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Groupthink, usually a subtle dissolution of society, has become a career-ruining topic in American society and even became fatal during the Salem witch trials. When ulterior motives entered the group, in the form of family feuds and intense jealousy, it acted as rot, causing life to collapse and structure to decay. Nowadays, this rot is displayed in the practice of cancel culture, the act of ruining a person's career because of something they are proven or rumored to have said or done. In The Crucible this rot arose from John Proctor's post-relationship rejection of Abigail Williams, his former maid. Abigail cultivated a bitter jealousy towards Elizabeth, John's wife. He lied out of jealousy, but when John pointed out the obvious flaws, the court refused to accept them. Driven by lies and religious fervor, the group had decided that those who accused others of witchcraft were undoubtedly sincere. Judge Danforth, when he begins to question Abigail's truthfulness, says: Abigail, realizing that her hold on the court was waning, responded by pretending to be bewitched. This action made Judge Danforth, and the group as a whole, trust Abigail again. Those who speak out against the absurdity of such claims are silenced or tricked into denying their thoughts. This blind trust is still displayed in modern America and is what makes the existence of groupthink a dangerous thing for society. During the Salem witch trials, people could effortlessly enact selfish desires and plans through the act of poisoning the group's thoughts. Lies, tricks, false evidence, stories and unprovable claims could easily manipulate people's belief. In the wake of the Salem witch trials, American society has only become more prone to groupthink. Groupthink is a very volatile phenomenon, and in the years since the Salem witch trials, it has only grown in size and scope. Like the courts that trust Abigail, modern American society is too quick to trust the words of a few. Cancel culture is the example of groupthink that most closely resembles Salem;.