Wikipedia

List of moral panics

Main article: Moral panic

This is a list of events that fit the sociological definition of a moral panic.

In sociology, a moral panic is a period of increased and widespread societal concern over some group or issue, in which the public reaction to such group or issue is disproportional to its actual threat. The concern is further fueled by mass media and moral entrepreneurs. Moral panics may result in legislative and/or long-lasting cultural changes in the societies where they occur. The concept was first introduced into the field of sociology by Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book and has since been expanded by other researchers.[1][2][3] Moral panics are different from irrational hysterias.[4]

18th century and before

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title concern causes location time refs
Blood libel The false idea that Jews engage in the kidnapping and murder of gentile children. Europe [5]
American-European witch-hunts That some individuals with supernatural powers, "witches", were causing harm to people in their communities. Unsubstantiated rumors and accusations of witchcraft Europe, North America Middle ages to the 1700s [6][7]

19th century

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title concern causes location time refs
Anti-Catholic panic That Catholics were conspiring against American interests. Increased immigration of Catholics to the United States, pre-existing anti-Catholic attitudes, political tension between the U.S. and European powers United States 1840s, 1850s [8][6]
Garroting panic of the 1860s Robberies involving the practice of garroting. Media coverage of garroting robberies United States 1860s [9][10]
White slavery scare The prostitution of White women. Allegations regarding the prostitution of White women by private businesses, release of Traffic in Souls United Kingdom, United States 1880s (UK), early 1900s (US) [11][12]

20th century

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title concern causes location time refs
Comic book panic That comic books were negatively influencing young people. Popularization of comic books among the youth, publication of Seduction of the Innocent United States 1930s - 1950s [13][14]
Sexual psychopath panic Child sexual offending by "sexual psychopaths", a contested psychological category of sex offenders[15] Sensationalistic media coverage of child sex crimes United States 1930s - 1950s [15][16]
Homosexual panic That homosexuals were trying to "promote homosexuality" to society, including children. United States, United Kingdom 1950s - 1990s [17][18]
Lavender scare That homosexuals were conspiring against American interests. Societal tensions during the Cold War, the belief that homosexuals were sympathetic toward the Soviet Union United States 1950s [12][15]
Mods and rockers panic Hooligan activities by the two youth groups. Sensationalistic media coverage of the conflicts between the groups United Kingdom 1960s [19][2]
War on drugs Drug trafficking and consumption. Increase of drug consumption in society, media alarmism Global 1970s - present [4][20]
Sex offender panic Child sex crimes perpetrated by sex offenders and pedophiles. Reoccurrence of high-profile child sexual abuse scandals United States, United Kingdom 1970s - present [21][22][16][23]
Violent video games panic That video games were influencing children into committing violent acts. Popularization of violent video games among the youth, discredited psychological theories about games United States 1970s - 1990s [24][25]
Mugging panic Muggings in public streets, especially by young Black males. Media alarmism, 1973 Birmingham mugging attack United Kingdom 1970s [26]
Satanic panic That supposed Satanic cults were engaging in child sexual abuse rituals. Unsubstantiated Satanic ritual abuse rumors and allegations, tabloid journalism United States 1980s [27][28]
Missing children panic Child abduction by strangers in public places. Murder of Adam Walsh, media sensationalism United States 1980s [26][29][30]
Dungeons & Dragons panic That some RPG table-top games, especially D&D, were leading young people into drug use and Satanism. Popularization of mythical-themed role-play games, Christian and BADD activism,[31] other controversies United States 1980s [32][33]
Day-care sex-abuse hysteria That some day-care centers were engaging in Satanic child sexual abuse. Increased usage of day-cares among employed women with young children, previous Satanic abuse scandals United States 1980s - 1990s [34][35]
AIDS panic AIDS dissemination, particularly by gay men. AIDS pandemic of the 1980s, Conservative activism Global 1980s - 1990s [36][37]
"Wilding" panic Physical and sexual assaults in public streets by ethnic youth gangs. Rape of Trisha Meili, media sensationalism United States 1989 - 1990s [38][39]
Dangerous dogs panic Dog attacks against humans, especially by pit bulls. Sensationalistic media coverage of dog attacks United Kingdom late 1980s - 1990s [40][41][42]
Harry Potter panic That the book series was leading children into witchcraft and occultism. The novels' themes of magic and witchcraft, anti-occult activism against the series United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia 1990s - 2000s [43][1]
Internet moral panic The dissemination of legal and illegal pornography on the internet, online criminal activities. Popularization of the Internet, media sensationalism Global 1990s - 2000s [44][45][46][47]
School shooting panic School shootings. Increased media coverage of unusual school shooting cases[48] United States 1990s - present [49][50]

21st century

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title concern causes location time refs
Islamic terrorism panic Arab and Muslim terrorism. September 11 attacks United States Early 2000s [51][52]
Human trafficking panic Sex-trafficking and human-trafficking. Reoccurrence of high-profile human and sex-trafficking scandals United States, United Kingdom, Australia 2000s - present [53][54][55][56]
Internet predator panic Sexting between adults and minors on the internet. Popularization of social media among young people, misreadings of forensic statistics by mass media[57][58] United States, United Kingdom 2000s [57][59][58]
Gender ideology panic That LGBT activists were introducing children to "gender ideology" in schools. Increase of neo-Conservative activism in Latin America since the 1980s Latin America 2000s - 2010s [60][61]
Qanon panic That some politicians and celebrities engaged in Satanic child sexual abuse rituals. Conspiracy theories fueled by social media algorithms United States 2010s [62][63]
Immigrant child grooming panic "Grooming gangs" formed by South Asian immigrants in Europe. Anti-Muslim sentiments in the UK, sensationalistic media coverage of migrant sex crimes United Kingdom 2010s - present [64][65]
Anti-LGBT panic LGBT child grooming and genital mutilation of cisgender children by gender professionals. Increase in the number of children identifying as LGBT, unsubstantiated theories spread by anti-LGBT activists United States, Argentina, Brazil 2010s - present [66][30]

References

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  1. ^ a b Soulliere, Danielle M. (2010). "Much Ado about Harry: Harry Potter and the Creation of a Moral Panic". The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 22 (1): 6. doi:10.3138/jrpc.22.1.006. ISSN 1703-289X.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Paul (1997). "Moral Panic: The Legacy of Stan Cohen and Stuart Hall". Media International Australia. 85 (1): 6–16. doi:10.1177/1329878X9708500103. ISSN 1324-5325.
  3. ^ Walsh, James P (2017). "Moral panics by design: The case of terrorism". Current Sociology. 65 (5): 643–662. doi:10.1177/0011392116633257. ISSN 0011-3921.
  4. ^ a b Hawdon, James E. (2001-09-30). "the role of presidential rhetoric in the creation of a moral panic: reagan, bush, and the war on drugs". Deviant Behavior. 22 (5): 419–445. doi:10.1080/01639620152472813. ISSN 0163-9625.
  5. ^ Krzyzanowski, Lukasz; Zaremba, Marcin (2024). ""Our children": Moral panic associated with children and collective violence against the Jews in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Poland". Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 41 (3): 409–431. doi:10.1002/crq.21411. ISSN 1536-5581.
  6. ^ a b Victor, Jeffrey S. (1994). "Fundamentalist religion and the moral crusade against Satanism: The social construction of deviant behavior". Deviant Behavior. 15 (3): 305–334. doi:10.1080/01639625.1994.9967975. ISSN 0163-9625.
  7. ^ Koning, Niek (2013). "Witchcraft Beliefs and Witch Hunts: An Interdisciplinary Explanation". Human Nature. 24 (2): 158–181. doi:10.1007/s12110-013-9164-1. ISSN 1045-6767. PMID 23649744.
  8. ^ Yacovazzi, Cassandra L. (2023-05-23), "The Popery Panic", Catholics and Violence in the Nineteenth-Century Global World (1 ed.), New York: Routledge, pp. 302–322, doi:10.4324/9781003127857-20, ISBN 978-1-003-12785-7, retrieved 2024-06-18
  9. ^ Adler, Jeffrey S. (1996). "The making of a moral panic in 19th-century America: The boston garroting hysteria of 1865". Deviant Behavior. 17 (3): 259–278. doi:10.1080/01639625.1996.9968028. ISSN 0163-9625.
  10. ^ Critcher, Chas (2017), Lee, Murray; Mythen, Gabe (eds.), "'Hot under the collar'", The Routledge International Handbook on Fear of Crime (1 ed.), 1 Edition. | New York : Routledge, [2018] | Series: Routledge international handbooks: Routledge, pp. 20–34, doi:10.4324/9781315651781-3, ISBN 978-1-315-65178-1, retrieved 2024-06-18{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
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  12. ^ a b Unger, Nancy C. (2024). "Legislating Morality in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: Moral Panic and the "White Slave" Case That Changed America". The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. 23 (2): 141–169. doi:10.1017/S1537781423000531. ISSN 1537-7814.
  13. ^ Condis, Megan; Stanfill, Mel (2022-11-02). "Debating with Wertham's ghost: comic books, culture wars, and populist moral panics". Cultural Studies. 36 (6): 953–980. doi:10.1080/09502386.2021.1946579. ISSN 0950-2386.
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  19. ^ Grayson, Richard S. (1998). "Mods, Rockers and Juvenile delinquency in 1964: The government response". Contemporary British History. 12 (1): 19–47. doi:10.1080/13619469808581467. ISSN 1361-9462.
  20. ^ Welch, Michael; Wolff, Russell; Bryan, Nicole (1998-12-01). "Decontextualizing the war on drugs: A content analysis of nij publications and their neglect of race and class". Justice Quarterly. 15 (4): 719–742. doi:10.1080/07418829800093961. ISSN 0741-8825.
  21. ^ Burchfield, Keri; Sample, Lisa L.; Lytle, Robert (2014). "Public interest in sex offenders: A perpetual panic?". Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law and Society. 15 (3): 96–117. ISSN 1096-4886.
  22. ^ Walker, Bela (2010-01-01). "Essay: Deciphering Risk: Sex Offender Statutes and Moral Panic in a Risk Society". University of Baltimore Law Review. 40 (2). ISSN 0091-5440.
  23. ^ Fox, Kathryn J. (2013). "Incurable Sex Offenders, Lousy Judges & The Media: Moral Panic Sustenance in the Age of New Media". American Journal of Criminal Justice. 38 (1): 160–181. doi:10.1007/s12103-012-9154-6. ISSN 1066-2316.
  24. ^ Ferguson, Christopher J. (2008). "The school shooting/violent video game link: causal relationship or moral panic?". Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. 5 (1–2): 25–37. doi:10.1002/jip.76. ISSN 1544-4759.
  25. ^ Mortensen, Torill Elvira; Linderoth, Jonas; Brown, Ashley ML, eds. (2015). The Dark Side of Game Play: Controversial Issues in Playful Environments (1 ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315738680-2. ISBN 978-1-315-73868-0.
  26. ^ a b Critcher, Chas (2008). "Moral Panic Analysis: Past, Present and Future". Sociology Compass. 2 (4): 1127–1144. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00122.x. ISSN 1751-9020.
  27. ^ Roleff, Tamara L., ed. (2002). Satanism. At issue. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-7377-0806-6.
  28. ^ Hughes, Sarah A. (2021). American Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000. Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-83636-8. ISBN 978-3-030-83635-1.
  29. ^ Staller, Karen M. (2003-06-01). "Constructing the Runaway Youth Problem: Boy Adventurers to Girl Prostitutes, 1960–1978". Journal of Communication. 53 (2): 330–346. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2003.tb02594.x. ISSN 0021-9916.
  30. ^ a b Crain, Maggie (2024). "Fear and Loathing in Animus: Moral Panic, the Contextualizing Tool for Challenging Gender-affirming Care Bans". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4675011. ISSN 1556-5068.
  31. ^ Laycock, Joseph (2015). Dangerous games: what the moral panic over role-playing games says about play, religion, and imagined worlds. Oakland, California: University of California Press. pp. 51–75. ISBN 978-0-520-28491-3.
  32. ^ Waldron, David (2005). "Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic". The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 9 (1): 3. doi:10.3138/jrpc.9.1.003. ISSN 1703-289X.
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  35. ^ Murray, Susan B. (2001). "When a Scratch Becomes 'A Scary Story': The Social Construction of Micro Panics in Center-Based Child Care". The Sociological Review. 49 (4): 512–529. doi:10.1111/1467-954X.00345. ISSN 0038-0261.
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  37. ^ Dickinson, Roger (1990). "Beyond the Moral Panic: Aids, the Mass Media and Mass Communication Research". Comm. 15 (1–2): 21–36. doi:10.1515/comm.1990.15.1-2.21. ISSN 0341-2059.
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  43. ^ Roland, Daniel (2013). "The Response of Mainline Protestant Clergy Members to the Moral Panic Regarding Harry Potter". Journal of Religious & Theological Information. 12 (3–4): 90–113. doi:10.1080/10477845.2013.840527. ISSN 1047-7845.
  44. ^ Gotell, Lise (2002). "Inverting Image and Reality: R. v. Sharpeand the Moral Panic Around Child Pornography". Equity Diversity Inclusion Community (EDI). doi:10.7939/R3B27PT67.
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  48. ^ Killingbeck, Donna (2001). "THE ROLE OF TELEVISION NEWS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE AS A "MORAL PANIC"". Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. 8 (3): 186–202.
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Sources

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