Notes on Moral Panics and Folk Devils

Moral Panics

  • Defined by David Garland as societal reactions characterized by disproportion, exaggeration, and alarm.
  • Goode and Ben-Yehuda outline 5 features:
    • Concern: Anxiety over certain conduct/events
    • Hostility: Perpetrators labeled as folk devils
    • Consensus: Broad negative reactions
    • Disproportionality: Exaggerated threats
    • Volatility: Sudden emergence and disappearance of panic.

Additional Elements

  • Moral dimension: Concern for established values being threatened.
  • Symptomatic quality: Emphasizes connection with wider societal anxieties.

Causes of Moral Panics

  • Facilitating conditions:
    • Sensationalist media presence.
    • Detection of new forms of deviance.
    • Existence of marginalized groups as 'folk devils'.
    • A sensitized public audience.
  • Precipitating causes: Threats to established social orders, e.g., economic and social change leading to public diversion from real issues.

Folk Devils

  • Specific groups are singled out as 'folk devils'.
  • Often involve projection of societal guilt onto these groups (e.g., pedophile panics linked to parenting anxieties).

Deviancy Amplification

  • The labeling theory illustrates how social reactions can escalate initial deviance into perceived crisis (e.g., Mods and Rockers).

Role of Mass Media

  • Acts as a primary force in moral panics, enhancing public outrage for commercial gain.
  • Creates narratives that sell more media and fortify public concern.

Outcomes of Moral Panics

  • Can produce social changes, such as increased legal constraints or a shift towards a "law and order" society.
  • May amplify state surveillance measures.

Positive Aspects of Moral Panics

  • Can highlight and bring attention to hidden social issues (e.g., increased coverage on sexual violence).
  • Potential for 'good moral panics' that mobilize public action towards positive advancements.

Contemporary Examples

  • Refugees: Negative media portrayals can aggravate societal responses but may also provoke positive activism against injustices.
  • Race Riots: Differing media narratives shape public perception; Ferguson framed as righteous resistance, while Palm Island represented a moral panic.