{"id":10656,"date":"2023-02-17T07:42:10","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T07:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/?p=10656"},"modified":"2023-09-03T18:10:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T18:10:09","slug":"moral-panic-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/moral-panic-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Famous Moral Panic Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"moral<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Moral panics are irrational fears that have been spread and exaggerated by the media. Each generation faces its own moral panics. Examples include the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s, danger of Rock n\u2019 Roll in the 1950s, the war on drugs in the 1980s.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sociological concept<\/a> of moral panic was first coined by Jock Young (1971) and, later, Stanley Cohen (1972). Others have since identified features of moral panic, like Goode and Ben Yehuda (1994) who argue a moral panic has the following features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Concern \u2013<\/strong> an event sparks social anxiety.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Hostility \u2013<\/strong> a subculture<\/a> is seen as \u2018folk devils\u2019 who are looked upon with hostility<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Consensus \u2013<\/strong> fear of this subculture becomes the dominant narrative in media and social discussion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Disproportionality \u2013<\/strong> The threat is exaggerated<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Volatility \u2013<\/strong> A moral panic emerges and disappears suddenly (often when another moral panic takes its place)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    While moral panics are subjective (some people would consider some of the below fears to be rational<\/em>), most of the below moral panic examples come from scholarly research that supports the idea that these concepts fit the four moral panic criteria above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Moral Panic Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1. Mods and Rockers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The first moral panic that was discussed in sociological literature was that of the Mods vs. Rockers by Stanley Cohen. The Mods and Rockers were two 1960s British sub-cultures defined by their musical and clothing preferences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n