Would a Satanic Panic by Any Other Name Sound as Sweet?

David Friedman’s essay on the power of rhyme: The Best Thing About the Satanic Panic. For readers too young to remember, the Satanic Panic was a widespread moral panic in the late ’80s and early ’90s where some people believed that Satanic cults were abusing children and influencing pop culture through things like heavy metal and Dungeons & Dragons. It was a moral panic over Satanism. A Satanic Panic. It’s maybe the most perfect name for anything ever. It works so simply. It describes what it is. It’s slightly sing-songy. And of course, it rhymes. Like them or hate them, there is something intriguing about rhymes. I went to a trivia night hosted by the local public library a couple of weeks ago and one group of questions all had rhyming answers. Here are a few that I remember: Click on any of them to reveal the answers. A limousine’s shelf for holding liquor. Car Bar A shaky gobbler Jerky turkey A smelly homeless person Fragrant Vagrant A moonless playground Dark Park (via Kottke)