...Challenge: Select and describe a “moral panic” against a perceived deviance. Analyse the role of the “moral entrepreneur” and “folk devil” in your selected case. Finally, explicate what it demonstrates about individuals and their socialization. (Length: 2 000 words) Societies tend to view the youth as the future and hope of a nation. To a certain extent, societies observe the behaviours and potential of the young people to ‘estimate’ the political and socio-economic future of a nation. When there is what societies view as a deviance from the norm when in it comes to young people – often there is what is viewed as a ‘moral panic’. I will be looking at the ‘moral panic’ of youth crime or juvenile delinquency, the role of its ‘moral entrepreneurs’ and ‘folk devils’ and what it demonstrates about individuals and their socialization. Over the centuries there has been numerous Moral Panics. With moral Panics come moral entrepreneurs, and folk devils which entice and fuel the moral panic thus influencing society and creating exaggerated panic. Moral Panic A moral panic may be defined as an episode, often triggered by alarming media stories and reinforced by reactive laws and public policy, of exaggerated or misdirected public concern, anxiety, fear, or anger over a perceived threat to social order. A moral panic refers to the reaction of the public based on a belief that a group poses danger to the society; they discriminate this particular group as a huge threat to their...
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...Article Analysis Moral Panics: Culture, Politics, and Social Construction Introduction: One might heard about threats, warnings and illegal actions that are influencing the society at their peak. No matter which culture an individual is belonged to, the thing that matters is the panic he has been influenced by, through various ways. Such panic is simply termed as moral panic and it has been the cause of cultural conflicts, social disturbances and political issues. Moral panic has been a hot topic of discussion that considered through several different perspectives; emphasizing on this aspect, various scholars and researchers have illustrated the society with the instances of social, culture and political problems and more specifically the moral panics. Cohen (1972) defined moral panic as societal threat whereas Furedi (1994) described moral panics as a threat to happiness and health. Continuing the research in same domain, Goode and Ben-Yehuda also contributed in defining the concept of moral panics in relation to the cultural, social and political problems. Focusing on the broader spectrum presented by Goode and Ben-Yehuda, the given paper has been written. The main aim of the current discussion is to highlight the study or research conducted by Goode and Ben-Yehuda about a specific issue and major public concern that is none other than moral panics. The given paper has been categorized into the following sections in order to develop an understanding what the researchers have...
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...There have long been claims that the media, in one form or another, has had an overarching effect upon society, and especially so in regards to the portrayal of crime. Still, whilst this claim is not in dispute, what is of interest to us is not only the presentation of crime per se, but how and why it is created. Moreover, this approach will then enable us to consider the consequences such processes have on the public at large. To help us with this task we shall consider Stanley Cohen’s, Folk Devils & Moral Panics, (1980) and Stuart Hall et al, Policing the Crisis, (1978). What is more, we shall situate both studies within a theoretical framework of moral panics as proposed by Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda (1994). The rationale behind this consideration is to establish the extent to which the media is seen to not only simply misrepresent the real nature of crime, but may actually construct false realties of crime. Crime consumes an enormous amount of media space as both entertainment and news. Whether it be TV cop shows, crime novels, docudramas, newspaper articles, comics, documentaries, or ‘real-life’ reconstructions, crime criminality and criminal justice appear to have an endless capacity to tap not only into public fear but also public fascination…’ (Muncie, 1996:44) The portrayal, and distribution of crime via the media, whether it has been by pamphlet, newspaper, or television has a relatively long and polemical heritage. Nonetheless, whilst it may true to say...
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...Crime and Society – Moral Panics Lecture 07.12.15 Moral panics lecture will cover; the concept of moral panics, some possible reasons behind moral panics, the politics of a moral panic and also look into some moral panics case studies. Cohen (1972) studied ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ and this was known to be the first systematic study of moral panics within Britain. He studied the social disturbance of the mods and rockers in Britain, during Easter Bank Holiday, in Clacton, the Summer of 1964. Groups of working class youths began arriving in Clacton, and this was a traditional holiday meeting place for youths form the East End of London. Facilities for young people were limited at the time, and some café owners, despite the already poor conditions, refused groups of youth’s entry to their establishment. There were minor scuffles, which eventually lead to massive brawls. The media allowed the story to receive front page news throughout the national press. They blew the story way out of proportion. According to Cohen most youths didn’t actually own a motorbike or scooter and had actually got there via train. Rivalry was mainly about regional identity, and argues that the amount of actual serious vandalism and violence, was actually on a small scale. Shortly after events, local journalists admitted the events had actually been over reported. Media outrage had set in motion a chain of responses, which initiated a wider level of public concern. This lead to the police...
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...Assess sociological explanations of the role of the mass media in creating moral panics about crime and deviance: A moral panic is the process of arousing social concern over an issue, this is often an exaggerated over-reaction by society to a perceived problem, which is usually driven or inspired by the media. In this situation the reaction ends up amplifying the problem out of proportion to its real seriousness. This creates anxiety amongst the general population, and this therefore puts pressure on the agents of social control to deal with the problem, who then act accordingly to the group responsible for the panic. There is a strong relationship between mass media and crime. On average, around 30% of newspaper content is dedicated to crime, however it can be debated whether this news is true because the media exaggerate the truth in order to publish a newsworthy story. The mass media are heavily involved in creating moral panics about crime and deviance in society. According to Cohen, the mass media play a vital role in the societal reaction to crime and deviance. He suggests that moral panics have a number of stages, in which the media label certain groups, in order to maximise profit. Firstly, the media use exaggerated language and headlines when reporting on a particular event that has occurred and use follow-up articles, in which they identify this event as a social problem. Whereby ‘folk devils’ are created (Goode and Ben-Yehuda: 1994). Folk devils are over simplified...
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...problem and moral panic because it corrupts and eradicates the innocence of children, has been discussed in a number of articles (Cameron 2010; Critchley 2009; Doherty 2011; Snow 2013; Tuohy 2012). To constitute the sexualisation of children as a moral panic, Snow (2013) argues: “Children are being increasingly exposed to sexual messages…by stealing the innocence of children… Many health professionals argue that a sex-soaked culture is taking an insidious toll on the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of children and young adolescents…The effect of the combined onslaught of round-the-clock social media, obsession with body image and constant bombardment...
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...Media Representation of crime William and Dickinson (1971) found British newspapers devote 30% of their space to crime Media gives a distorted image of crime, criminals and policing compared to official statistics. The media: Over representation of violent and sexual crime Ditton and Duffy (1983) found 46% of media reports were about sexual or violent crime, compared to the actual 3% of crime records for this kind of crime. Marsh found violent crimes were 36 times more likely to be recorded in newspapers than property crime- America Media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle class Felson (1998) calls this the ‘age fallacy’ Media exaggerate police success Partly due to media covering violent crime a lot, which has a higher clean up rate than property crime Media exaggerate risk of vctimisation Especially to women, white people and higher status people Crime is reported as a series of separate events Without examining underlying causes or structure The media overplay extraordinary crime Felson- ‘dramatic fallacy’ and ‘ingenuity fallacy’; media portray crime as hard to commit and you need intelligence to commit crime There is evidence to show that media coverage of crime in the media is changing. Schlesinger and Tumber (1994) found that in the 1960s the focus had been on murders and petty crime, but by 1990 murder and petty crime were of less crime to the media. Change had occurred due to the abolition of the death penalty, and rising crime rates...
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...A moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.[1][2] A Dictionary of Sociology defines a moral panic as "the process of arousing social concern over an issue – usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media."[3] The media are key players in the dissemination of moral indignation, even when they do not appear to be consciously engaged in crusading or muckraking. Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety, or panic.[4]:16 Examples include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles,[5] belief in ritual abuse by satanic cults of women and children,[6] scaremongering of the spread of AIDS,[7] and the War on Drugs.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Use as a social science term 1.1 British vs American 2 Characteristics 3 Examples 3.1 2000s: Human trafficking 3.2 1990s–present: Sex offenders 3.3 1980s–1990s: Satanic ritual abuse 3.4 1980s–1990s: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 1980s–present: AIDS 3.6 1970s–present: Video games and violence 3.7 1970s–present: Crime increase 3.8 1970s–present: War on drugs 4 Criticism 5 Other 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Use as a social science term[edit] Marshall McLuhan gave the term academic treatment in his book Understanding Media, written in 1964.[9] According to Stanley Cohen, author of a sociological study about youth culture and media called Folk Devils and Moral Panics...
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...The Media are often the subject of claims that they cause crime and deviance through their devotion to exaggerating the truth in order to have a “newsworthy” story. Often it is the case that the media will play an important role in what Durkheim would say is maintaining the boundaries of society, reaffirming what is socially acceptable, and what is not. Durkheim would also say that all change starts with deviance, and the media highlighting this deviance on the world stage helps to excite and increase the rate of social change, which as suggested in the item, can lead to changes in law. Examples of this have been seen with public displays of homosexuality in countries where homosexual marriage is illegal, or disallowed. This kind of deviance is picked up by the media, and projected on a world stage in the name of news, and appeals to the world’s sense of equality and liberalism. So, while Functionalists would say the news plays an important function in society as a tool to catalyst social change, others would argue that it actually victimises a lot of people. This is seen with Cohen’s work on Folk Devils and Moral panics, in which a person with new norms, values or morals- or even all three, comes along and challenges societies accepted ones. This kind of challenge is met harshly and the new group, or person, is outcasted. They’re cut off from society as a folk devil and victimised for being different. This was seen in the study of the Drug Takers by Jock Young. However while...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations of the role of the mass media in creating moral panics about crime and deviance. [21 marks] (35 minutes) The media is often held accountable for the exaggeration of crime and deviance, in order to create a ‘newsworthy’ story. According to Durkheim, the media plays a vital role to maintain society in what is considering socially acceptable thus reinforcing the norms and values that must remain. Similarly, he states all change is instigated by deviance therefore through the media addressing such issues on a national scale aims to increase the rate of social change. An example of this, is homosexuality in countries where such actions are illegal or heavily frowned upon. Therefore, such deviance according to Functionalists, when projected on a world scale, is seen as fundamental for social change and creating equality. However other perspectives would perceive this as the victimisation of people. Cohen’s work on Folk Devils and Moral panics directly highlights such issues. His study addresses the harsh challenges met by those with different norms, values and morals have to be accepted. The result was that this new group is outcasted in society and victimised for their different values. Similarly, Jock Young’s study of the Drug Takers was met with similar results. The ‘hippies’ used in a participant observation whilst using the drugs, was picked up by the media as criminal and deviant activity. Agents...
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...The news media are one of our main sources of knowledge about crime and deviance. Often the media will create a moral panic surrounding crimes and criminals or deviants. Moral panics can lead to a range of responses by the public, by agents of social control and by the criminals or deviants themselves. Over-representation of certain types of crimes may lead to heightened fear of these crimes by the public. In some cases, moral panics may also result in a change in the law. 01 - Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations of the role of the mass media in creating moral panics about crime and deviance. [21 marks] The Media are often the subject of claims that they cause crime and deviance through their devotion to exaggerating the truth in order to have a “newsworthy” story. Often it is the case that the media will play an important role in what Durkheim would say is maintaining the boundaries of society, reaffirming what is socially acceptable, and what is not. Durkheim would also say that all change starts with deviance, and the media highlighting this deviance on the world stage helps to excite and increase the rate of social change, which as suggested in the item, can lead to changes in law. Examples of this have been seen with public displays of homosexuality in countries where homosexual marriage is illegal, or disallowed. This kind of deviance is picked up by the media, and projected on a world stage in the name of news, and appeals...
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...issues concerning disorderly behaviour. The essay will show how the media constructs and defines antisocial behaviour through the portrayal of folk devils which creates moral panic. The concept of folk devils and moral panic was explored by Stanley Cohen (1973) in his case study of mods and rockers of the 1960’s. The Mods and Rockers were two opposing British youth gangs that engaged in fighting and vandalism at seaside towns in the 1960’s.Cohen’s research focused on how this the media’s portrayal of events provoked a mood of public fear and outrage throughout society, labelling the two groups as folk devils. Folk devils have been depicted as mindless, evil and deviant beings with their behaviour completely different to that of normal people. These deviants have been blamed for all the wrongs in society and have been punished brutally. This characterisation has been central to Cohen’s theory with the role of the media inciting moral panics with the dramatization and construction of Folk devils. (Kelly and Toynbee, 2009, p370) Stanley Cohen, Suggests the UK media’s representation of the antisocial behaviour of the British youths played a major role in fostering irrational fears in the population thus creating a moral manic; the fear that it created was totally exaggerated to the behaviour exhibited. Moral panic is a reaction to a perceived threat or challenge presented by either a group or an individual which may be seen as a challenge to current social norms. ( ‘The making of...
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...Using material from Item A and elsewhere assess the usefulness of labelling theory in explaining crime and deviance. (21 marks) Labelling theory is a micro theory that explains how self-identity and behaviour of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe them. As Item A states, it is a micro approach that examines how individuals construct society. Labelling theory is useful in explaining crime and deviance through the way in which Lemert distinguishes between primary and secondary deviance. However, the usefulness of labelling theory can be criticised as they fail to explain why individuals commit primary deviance. The usefulness of labelling theory in explaining crime and deviance will be explored. Labelling theory is useful in explaining crime and deviance as it distinguishes between primary and secondary deviance. Lemert (1972) makes this distinction, he argues primary deviance is a deviant act that has not been publicly labelled and has little or no significance, whereas secondary deviance is an act that gets a negative social reaction and consequently incurs a label. This implies that, as Item A states, that an action is criminal only when society views it as criminal. This is useful in explaining crime and deviance as it indicates how deviant acts can escalate from primary to secondary deviance and when this occurs how an individual is labelled and excluded from society. This progression is illustrated in Jock Young’s study of hippies who...
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...Examine how the media causes crime -21 Marks. We live today in a media- saturated society. The media are all around us and crime is the central theme of their output, both fiction and non-fiction. Crime and deviance make up a large percentage of news coverage. For example, Richard Ericson et al’s study of Toronto found that 45-71% of quality press and radio news was about various forms of deviance and its control, while Williams and Dickinson found British newspapers allocate up to 30% of their news space to crime. However, many question whether media causes criminality. There are frequent ways in which the media might possibly cause crime and deviance and this includes the glamorisation of offending. As we have seen, the media overstates the amount of violent and unusual crime, and they exaggerate the threats of certain groups of people becoming its victims, such as young women and the elderly. Hence, there is a concern that the media may be misleading the public’s impression of crime and causing an impractical fear of it. Research evidence to some degree supports the view that there is a link between media use and fear of crime. For example, in the USA, Gerbner et al found that heavy users of television (over four hours a day) had greater levels of fear of crime. However, the existence of such correlations doesn’t verify that media viewing causes fear. For example, it may be that those who are already afraid of going out at night watch more TV just because they stay in more...
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...hard-rock/heavy metal, are pinpointed when something within their community goes awry, as having been strongly influenced by the music they listen to. Let us take a look at some examples at where the media accused music for the major cause of adolescent related incedents. One of the most infamous music-influencing-behavior misconceptions is the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, a town in Jefferson County, Colorado, on Apr. 20, 1999, in which 12 students as well as a teacher were fatally injured, as well as 24 others who were injured. Upon learning that prior to their suicides, the two shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were heavy metal and Goth music fans, it seemed to be that the media immediately instilled a moral panic about that particular genre of music. More specifically targeted in the Columbine shootings was singer Marilyn Manson. Similar to, but not to the same extent, the media made a point...
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