Satanic Panic of the 1980s Is Happening Again — This Time in Minnesota Daycares (w/ Sarah Marshall)

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

• The Format: Casual podcast interview with narrative interludes explaining historical context.
• The Key Players:
  • Host: Bridget Todd, creator of There Are No Girls on the Internet, drawing personal connections from her religious upbringing.
  • Guest: Sarah Marshall, podcaster behind You're Wrong About and new CBC series The Devil You Know; idolized by host for deep dives into misunderstood history.
• The Vibe: Educational and reflective with dark humor, blending historical horror, modern parallels, and wry optimism amid creeping anxiety.

🗝️ Key Themes & Topics

The episode unpacks the 1980s Satanic Panic—baseless fears of satanic cults abusing kids in daycares—and links it to today's moral panics targeting caregivers.

• Topic 1: Origins of Satanic Panic. Sparked by books like Michelle Remembers and Sybil, it led to wrongful accusations against daycare workers via flawed "recovered memory" therapy and poor child interviewing techniques.
• Topic 2: Targeting Daycares and Marginalized People. Daycares became scapegoats amid economic/family anxieties; accusations hit working-class, immigrant, or outsider caregivers, often claiming rituals targeting "blonde, blue-eyed" kids.
• Topic 3: Modern Parallels. Echoes in 2023 Minnesota daycare fraud claims by YouTuber Nick Shirley (130M+ views), freezing