Word: hysteria
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...howl of protests from critics, who charged that anyone armed with another person's Social Security number, mother's maiden name and state where they were born could access records containing job history, salary and other information. Still, the fuss may contain more than a bit of unnecessary cyber-hysteria. Under the previous system, the agency would mail the records to anyone providing the same information along with a signature. Since the SSA has no way of checking the accuracy of the signatures, the old system really isn't any more secure than the web site. It just takes longer...
...snotty--just the thing to give your parents plenty of sleepless nights. What Inventing the Abbotts is aware of are all those lock-up-your-daughters movies of the 1950s, to which for some dotty reason it is eager to prove its superiority of understanding. But the goofy hysteria of something like A Summer Place was infinitely more entertaining and emotionally authentic than the distant smugness of this failed clone...
Most of the victims of the hysteria were of the lower echelon of society, with the notable exception of Rev. George Burroughs who was the erstwhile minister of Salem. People of prominence, such as Gov. Phip's wife, Captain John Alden, etc. were accused, but did not suffer death due to their high social standing. See Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum (Harvard University Press...
...most grating element of the Ex production was the pacing. Given Brecht's short, segmented scene structure it is strange that many scenes seemed interminable and remarkably static, particularly those involving group male drunken hysteria. In contrast the smaller, controlled scenes between Baal and his lovers were sharp and tense, especially those between Baal and Ekart. Homosexual themes and lesbian undertones gave a greater subtlety that was lacking in the rest of the play...
Even a history of family betrayal is described with equanimity by Burns. "The interesting thing was that her husband, Mr. Bradford, testified against her, but I guess that was the nature of the hysteria at the time...