14 min.
10 TERRIBLE MORAL PANICS
In 1972, Stanley Cohen published his monumental work Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The book is widely credited for defining the latter term, but just what is a ‘moral panic’? Well, chances are you will have lived through several, and may have even unknowingly participated in one. Moral panics are cases of widespread anxiety towards a particular group (be it defined by race, sexuality, gender or religion), art form or attitude.
When examining this unique social phenomenon, we can see links between the various examples. There may be some basis for concern, but during moral panics, facts are often distorted and sometimes wholly made up. Frequently, children or young people are claimed to be in either physical danger or under threat of corruption. Finally, examples from the 19th century onward tend…
