Cohen's Moral Panic

A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges as a threat to societal values and interests: Its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media: the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right thinking people, socially accredited expert pronounce their diagnoses and solution, ways of copying are evolved or more often resorted to.

 

Alternatively, Moral Panics involve the construction of 'folk devils' that need controlling, which leads to increased social control i.e. regulation: BBFC, ELSPA, etc. This occurs during periods when powerful groups or the ruling classes face trouble times. The panic then becomes a substitute for one real and more problematic to social issues.

 

Features of moral panic:

 

Concern - Behaviour of a particular group represented as having a threat.

 

Volatility - Short lived. Panics erupt dramatically but are difficult to sustain. Negative consequences for the rest of us.

 

Hostility - 'Folk devils' constructed to create a clear division between 'them' and 'us'.

 

Consequences - Widespread acceptance of the threat posed by this group. Not necessarily reflecting national concern, but the campaigner will be very vocal whilst the opposition will be weak and disorganised.

 

Disproportionality - Wild exaggeration of evidence. Not only the number of people involved but also the scale of the problem.