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theories of deviancy
research methodology of terrorism
the concept of moral panics
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Societies will always have problems that cause some sort of reaction from individuals who believe that their social stability is being endangered. There have been a number of moral panics which have captivated society in terror and more often than not, owing to unfamiliarity. This essay will discuss the perception of a moral panic and will look at the case of the September 11th Terrorist attack against the United States of America, which triggered a colossal conflict of morality within modern day society. This essay will also analyse terrorism as a perceived deviance, the role of the moral entrepreneur and folk devil, in order to develop a level of understanding to the causes of this particular moral panic and its effects on society.
A moral panic can be defined as a phenomenon, frequently initiated by disquieting media and reinforced by responsive laws and public policies, of embellished public concern, angst or anger over a perceived danger to societal order (Krinsky, 2013). The media plays a crucial role in emphasizing a current moral panic. In Jock Young’s chapter Images of Deviance (1971), he comments on the phenomenon of deviance magnification, he deems dramatic media coverage of deviant behaviours to be ironic, owing to the fact that it unintentionally increases rather than restrains the apparent deviance. In hind sight the media create social problems, owing to the fact that they can present them dramatically and are able to do it swiftly (Young & Cohen, 1971: 37).
The appalling nature of the (9/11) terrorist attack was sufficient for the act to be defined as a national threat by then president, George W. Bush. In accordance with Cohen (1972), the first element in defining a moral panic is via a threat to values and ...
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...egotiators of drug control as seen in notting hill. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books
Krinsky, C. 2013. Introduction: The Moral Panic Concept.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/123190159/Charles-Krinsky-Introduction-the-Moral-Panics-Concept. [2014, Mar 16].
Dyck, J.J. & Merkowitz, S.P. 2013. The Privacy Generation.
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/politics-and-law/privacy-generation-security-spying-nsa-government-67394/. [2014, Mar 17].
Goode, E. & Yehuda, N. B.1994. Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance. Oxford: Blackwell.
Herman, E. & Sullivan, G. O.1989. The Terrorism Industry: The Experts and Institutions That Shape Our View of Terror. New York: Pantheon.
Rothe, D. & Muzzatti, S.L. 2004. Enemies everywhere: Terrorism, moral panic and US civil society. Critical Criminology. 1(12): 327–350.
Thompson, K. 1998. Moral Panics. New York: Routledge.
In the article, “Moral Panics: Culture, Politics, and Social Construction” the authors Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda discuss two different perspectives of moral panics. Each perspective give a different way of looking at how moral panics are portrayed to come about in society. The Objectivist perspective and the Constructionist perspective show how people view moral panics. However, the Constructionist perspective is more important and valuable to society than the Objectivist perspective.
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
September 11, 2001 was one of the most devastating and horrific events in the United States history. Americans feeling of a secure nation had been broken. Over 3,000 people and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed during the attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon; in New York City and Washington, D.C. Today the term terrorism is known as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (Birzer, Roberson). This term was clearly not defined for the United States for we had partial knowledge and experience with terrorist attacks; until the day September 11, 2001. At that time, President George W. Bush, stated over a televised address from the Oval Office, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” President Bush stood by this statement for the United States was about to retaliate and change the face of the criminal justice system for terrorism.
Welch, Michael. “Trampling Human Rights in the War on Terror: Implications to the Sociology of Denial.” Critical Criminology (2004).
Moral panic comes from the late sixties and was used by sociologist and criminologist to describe an over exaggerated reaction to a type of behaviour that is seen as a threat to values and social problems. Sociologist, thus, used it discover abnormal subjects such as delinquency, youth cultures, subcultures and style as well as vandalism and drugs. Stanley Cohen stated that “moral panics are rather predictable” however, society scarcely notices the problem until is in black and white on the headlines of the news. The media takes small problem than makes seem as a massacre “warning sign of the real, much deeper and more prevalent condition” it could bring to light, when it’s rather not as problematic as media over exaggerates it to be. Moral
Reich, W. (1998). Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind. Washington, D.C.: The Woodrow Wilson center Press.
Lawless, M. (2008, October 8). Terrorism: An International Crime. Retrieved from Canadaian Military Journal: http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo9/no2/05-lawless-eng.asp
Terrorism is a threat that plagues our world every day. People are constantly warning travelers to beware of the threats of other nations, but terrorism and violence do not exclusively happen in only a few countries. Unfortunately, violence can be found all around the world. In “Thinking Rationally About Terror,” Lawrence Krauss reports his own experience of dealing with the reality of terrorism in the San Bernardino shooting. I have had a similar experience to Krauss’s when I took an educational trip to France this summer. We were both shaken at the realization that there are people in the world who aim to hurt others, but at the same time we cannot let the radicals achieve their goal of scaring the world.
Terrorism and the Media . (2008, July 23). Transnational Terrorism, Security & the Rule of Law. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from https://canton.sln.suny.edu/AngelUploads/Content/201402-CAN-JUST-375-0W1/_assoc/2DFCEDA2E5D74D41AF54078C9174402C/Terrorism_and_the_Mass_Media.pdf
Criminal incidents narrated in newspapers, T.V. channels always leave the society terrified. The society’s fear gives birth to moral panic. Moral panic also takes place when various youth cultural phenomena confront the ordinary society. Mid-twentieth century Britain saw the arrival of two youth cultures namely “mods” and “rockers”. Each had its own values and beliefs, often resulting in conflicts between the two. Media had a lot to say on those clashes. Often the truth was left far behind in the reportage. Mishaps that were not related to the conflict were described to be a part of it. Deceptive headlines were used to gain public attention. Politicians, bureaucrats kept their opinions forward and blamed violent video games, improper guidance as a major cause. All this contributed to a moral panic. Society’s judgments were based on biased media reports that caused misinterpretation of the entire event. Because moral panic leads to prevalence of mistaken beliefs in the public and a distorted image of truth is left behind, it is a curse for the society.
In the 12 years since the terrorist attacks on the world trade towers in New York city, thousands of hours of research and interviews has been conducted, scores of books have been written, and countless documentaries and films have been produced in an effort to help us understand how and why terrorists were able to carry out the massacre of nearly 3500 people. Despite the plethora of religious and nonreligious beliefs represented by the friends and family of those who died, one universal belief binds them all: the belief that an unspeakable act of cruelty has changed our nation and our people for all time. The name ascribed to this act of terrorism is debated widely. Some call it evil. Others call it nothing more than supreme cruelty.
It has been three weeks since the beginning of this class and we have learned so much within those three weeks. Each week was assigned with one module with learning materials. In this paper, I am going to discuss and explain what I have learned in all three modules. In module one, I will focus on international threats from both political and religious perspectives; module two, I will focus on explaining the face of terrorism and their history, and the application of theory; then module three explains the philosophical concepts associated with the will to harm individuals in large numbers.
Terrorism has influenced civilizations throughout history and has even started wars. In 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo. They were killed by Gavrilo Princip, who was one of six assassins. Their goal was to have Austria-Hungary to create a South-Slav provinces and eventually turn it into a Greater Serbia or a Yugoslavia . These helped start World War I Terrorists are individuals or organizations that use violence as a tactic to achieve political goals. These terrorists are often involved in mass killings and have a trained military. In the our nation’s 237 year history, America has had its fair share of terrorist attacks, but how has terrorism affected American society, government, and international relations.
Concerning terrorism, the issues of ethical standard are extremely valuable because persons do not commit the act of terror in isolation. Terrorism requires context, victim, and ethical standard suggest that we need to understand the conditions and environments that encourage people to become terrorist. (Micheal C. Braswell, 2005)
On September 11, 2001, the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed the mindset and the opinion of nearly every American on the one of the most vital issues in the 21st century: terrorism (Hoffman 2). Before one can begin to analyze how the United States should combat such a perverse method of political change, one must first begin to understand what terrorism is, where it is derived from, and why there is terrorism. These issues are essential in America’s analysis of this phenomenon that has revolutionized its foreign policy and changed America’s stance in the world.