Folk Devils And Moral Panic Analysis

The term moral panic was first invented by Stanley Cohen in his article “Folk Devils and Moral Panics” (Burns 2000, Para 4).eek It is an occasional episode that in its occurrence subjects the society to fear of jeopardy of the societal values and principles. This is an occurrence that is identified by the society as a threat to their values and interests (Burns 2000, Para 4). According to Krinsky (2013, para 1), it can be defined as an “occurrence which is started by stories which are alarming in the media and reinforced by reactive laws and public policy which have an exaggerated or misdirected public concern, anxiety, fear, or anger over a perceived threat to social order.” These are public or politically instigated reactions by the media

It can be caused by any event. These events range from a child murdering another to bullying in schools. It could be the notion of motorcycle gangs at war causing public disturbance in the society, or just their demeanour can cause great panic (Bonn, 2010). These events are exaggerated by the media who make them seem as catastrophic to the whole society (Thompson 2013, p.1). The more serious these situations are the more they endure. This causes great likelihood of societal reactive mechanisms of surveillance, discipline, regulation, and punishment (Herdt 2009, p.1). Moral panic is seen to occur in the events where the media takes an ordinary event and presents it as extraordinary. The media creates a deviancy amplification spiral in the motion. The journalists and their supporters demonize the people who are thought to be wrong doers and portray them as a source of moral decline and social disintegration. The media spreads this news to the society in an overwhelming way making the society perceive these groups as serious threats to the society (Jewkes 2004, p. 67). The media constructs a cycle to show that the event will occur again. They put a lot of exaggeration and distort the information. They report of non events which seem to support their predictions. In a discovery by Cohen, he stated that the media condemned use of violence by minority groups but acknowledged violence as a legitimate way of police to deal with problems (Jewkes 2004, p.