What is moral panic?
Moral panic includes the theorist Stanley Cohen 1987 who first came up with the term moral panics. He defined the concept as worrying about the values and principles which society upholds which may be in jeopardy. He describes the characteristics as “a condition episode, person or group of persons who become defined as a threat to societal values and interests. He discusses how mass media intends on fashioning these episodes, stylising them, amplifying the nature of effects and turning them into a national issue when the matter could have been kept contained and under control.
Cohen's study begun from his interest in youth culture and how its perceived potential threat to social order. Throughout each era, a group has emerged who fits the criteria that Cohen has labelled as being turned into a moral panic or a threat, such as Skinheads and Rockers etc. They all become associated with negative aspects usually violence, which in turn also provoke public reaction usually calling for a police presence within the community.
Examples include
-football hooliganism
-drug abuse
-vandalism
-video nasties
-aids
-knife crime
An example of moral panic.
“Surely if the human race is under threat, it is entirely reasonable to segregrate AIDS victims otherwise the whole of man kind could be engulfed." (The Daily Star, 2nd December 1988)
This quote has been served to set up the start of a moral panic within society and what resulted from incidents was in effect the persecution of the minority group within society. Throughout history the mass media industry has been utilised as a tool to appeal to the public at large particularly in the field of politics.
Moral panic includes the theorist Stanley Cohen 1987 who first came up with the term moral panics. He defined the concept as worrying about the values and principles which society upholds which may be in jeopardy. He describes the characteristics as “a condition episode, person or group of persons who become defined as a threat to societal values and interests. He discusses how mass media intends on fashioning these episodes, stylising them, amplifying the nature of effects and turning them into a national issue when the matter could have been kept contained and under control.
Cohen's study begun from his interest in youth culture and how its perceived potential threat to social order. Throughout each era, a group has emerged who fits the criteria that Cohen has labelled as being turned into a moral panic or a threat, such as Skinheads and Rockers etc. They all become associated with negative aspects usually violence, which in turn also provoke public reaction usually calling for a police presence within the community.
Examples include
-football hooliganism
-drug abuse
-vandalism
-video nasties
-aids
-knife crime
An example of moral panic.
“Surely if the human race is under threat, it is entirely reasonable to segregrate AIDS victims otherwise the whole of man kind could be engulfed." (The Daily Star, 2nd December 1988)
This quote has been served to set up the start of a moral panic within society and what resulted from incidents was in effect the persecution of the minority group within society. Throughout history the mass media industry has been utilised as a tool to appeal to the public at large particularly in the field of politics.
Excellent work, Becky.
ReplyDelete"What resulted from incidents was in effect the persecution of the minority group within society."
Why do you think moral panics exist and why do groups who have cultural control persecute others who challenge it (Gramsci)?
Moral panics exist because what seemed to be a small problem within society turned into a moral panic because the media played a major part in esculating the situation turning it into a panic towards society.
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