This article was originally published by Stephen Davies at the American Institute for Economic Research
Among liberals of all kinds, both classical and revisionist, it is the discipline of economics that holds pride of place today. Insights from that discipline are at the heart of commentary and analysis.
However, there are other branches of the tree of scholarship that can also yield insights and help us to understand threats to individual liberty, and how to resist them. Sociology provides several of these. One of the most powerful, and greatly needed in these times, is the notion of a moral panic.
Widespread Fear
The concept of a moral panic was first explicitly formulated and given that name in a book by the British sociologist Stanley Cohen, published in 1972 under the title Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. The book used one particular panic (over the two supposed youth cultures of the title) to illustrate a more general thesis. This was that societies periodically suffer from episodes of panic and anxiety of a particular kind.
In these episodes, there is a widespread fear and anxiety over a perceived threat to society and order. The fear and anxiety are excessive and unreasonable (hence “panic”). This is because either the threat or problem is completely imaginary or its extent and severity is seriously exaggerated even when there is a real phenomenon. The threat is often associated with a specific deviant group or identity. These are the “folk devils” of Cohen’s title.
Again the group may be a real, actually existing one that is demonized and caricatured, or it may again be completely imaginary, with no actual existence. Confusingly though, in some cases an initially imaginary group or subculture becomes real, as people start to adopt the behavior and appearance of the invented and imaginary deviant group.The final crucial element is that the supposed threat or problem and the group supposedly responsible for it are discussed and described using the language of morality; the group is seen as evil or malevolent or as reflecting a moral failure of some kind (hence “moral”).
So there is a recurring social phenomenon in which many people are gripped by the fear that social order is threatened by some behavior or practice that is both harmful and immoral or motivated by ill will. This state of panic exists despite there not being any real foundation for it.
How though does this panic arise? Moral panics almost all have the same features and trajectory. They start with a particular episode or event, often real but sometimes completely imaginary (the supposed event is either invented or involves a misinterpretation of something quite different). The initial event receives very wide coverage and is widely discussed.
At this point, the crucial step is taken that creates a panic. Specific people (moral entrepreneurs, as they are called) claim that the reported event is actually only one instance of something much more widespread, and that there is actually an “epidemic” or “plague” of this kind of thing (medical language and metaphors are often used at this stage) so that it is increasing in frequency to a crisis level. This starts to cause anxiety and alarm and then leads to a spate of reports, rumors, and accusations. These are now reported, and so the impression gains ground that there is indeed a serious and unacknowledged problem or crisis. At this point the fully fledged panic starts.
This leads inevitably to demands for action, that “something must be done.” Institutions and powerful agencies now come under intense pressure to respond, often on the basis of “Something must be done, this is something, and therefore we should do it.” In addition, people in these agencies often support or give credence to the panic for self-interested reasons, not least because it leads to an increase in their own power and status or budget.
This means that moral panics have both an ideological source (the moral entrepreneurs who typically have sincere beliefs or an ideological agenda) and a pragmatic one (they are sustained and strengthened by people who have pragmatic or self-interested interests because they stand to gain from them). One aspect of many panics is the claim that the harm is the result of a conspiracy: this is used to dismiss rejection of the panic on the grounds that anyone who does not support the calls for action is an actual or unwitting agent of the conspiracy.
This may sound like something that is of interest only to social psychologists or sociologists who are interested in manias and panics. However, moral panics can have dramatic results that are concerning for anyone interested in the rule of law, personal liberty, and good government. This is because of the impact they can have on public policy and in particular the workings of the criminal-justice system.
Politicians and regulators often react to moral panics by introducing legislation and regulations that are at best unnecessary and wasteful, at worst seriously harmful. Sometimes, when the subject of the panic is real but exaggerated you have the problem of a sledgehammer being used to crack a nut, an excessive and overbearing response. When the panic concerns something that does not actually exist, you can have laws that severely restrict people’s freedom or impose serious costs on them for no good reason whatsoever.
However, the really bad results often happen when moral panics affect the criminal-justice system. The combination often leads to witch hunts with widespread and severe miscarriages of justice. If the panic distorts not only the enforcement of the law (bad enough) but also legislation, then it can lead to bad practice becoming embedded in the law and undermine the entire practice and principle of the rule of law.
One minor example of this happened in the United Kingdom in 1991 with the Dangerous Dogs Act. There was a panic with the usual features over attacks on children by dogs: the number of such incidents was exaggerated, it was claimed the frequency was increasing when it was not, and the ownership of “dangerous dogs” was associated with a supposed deviant working class subculture. In the act, the ownership of four specific breeds was banned (but without those breeds being clearly defined), several new criminal offenses were created, and a series of prosecutions happened — all without reducing the number of attacks by dogs in the slightest.
However, there are many much-more-serious and large-scale examples. One was the panic over “satanic ritual abuse” that swept through the English-speaking world in the 1980s. Here the idea was that there was an underground conspiracy of devil worshipers who regularly engaged in the sexual and physical abuse of children as part of satanic rituals. This began with an accusation at the McMartin preschool in Los Angeles made by a parent who it was later revealed was a paranoid schizophrenic. This led to a trial that is still the longest and most expensive in the whole of American history and to similar panics and accusations across the United States and the English-speaking world.
Dozens of people had their lives ruined by false accusations, had their children taken from them by force, and in several cases were sent to prison for very long terms for things they had not done, on nonexistent evidence and with major breaches of criminal-law procedure. In this case, prosecutors and law enforcement officials gained status and power while the moral entrepreneurs were an unholy alliance of religious fundamentalists (with a strong belief in an active physical devil) and radical feminists (who believed in the widespread sexual abuse of young children by men).
On a much-larger scale were the literal witch hunts of the early-modern period, which led to thousands being tortured and executed — Salem being just one, late example. The War on Drugs with all of its costs was partly brought about by a series of panics, in the 1880s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1970s. The recurring theme was that a racial minority were pushing drugs onto respectable white girls to turn them into degenerates who wanted to have sex with the minority in question (Chinese or Mexicans or African Americans). Sometimes large-scale panics of this kind are deliberately started by political actors for highly pragmatic and cynical reasons.
There are plenty of examples of moral panics today. These originate from both sides of the political spectrum or neither. One is the idea that there are online communities that deliberately lead young people into committing suicide (the Blue Whale Challenge). This has been a major panic in Russia since 2016. There are recurring panics about food and diet and repeated ones about sexual behavior and sexual abuse.
Pornography and the impact of video games and various kinds of online material are other examples. Another is the idea that there is a huge campus conspiracy against free speech. This is an example of a real problem that is seriously exaggerated.
One of the damaging results of panics like these is that cases where there actually is a real problem or even crisis are ignored as people become cynical and regard all claims of problems as simple scaremongering. Where a moral panic concerns a real problem that is exaggerated, the long-term consequence may be that the problem is discounted or not addressed effectively.
For example, there is solid evidence that there has been a sudden and dramatic decline in the mental health of teenagers and young adults in the last 10 to 12 years; the danger is that this will be dismissed as yet another panic. The problem of attitudes toward speech and discussion on campuses is a real one — particularly on elite campuses — but exaggerating its extent and severity will stop people thinking about what is actually happening and devising effective ways of dealing with it.
So how do you recognize a moral panic, and how can you tell if there really is an actual problem or even crisis? Fortunately, the sociologists have also got advice on that. There are several features of reporting or discussion that should lead you to suspect you are dealing with a moral panic.
These include but are not limited to the following: reporting rumor, anecdote, hearsay, and accusation as though they are facts; making quantitative claims without specific figures to support them or with figures that turn out to be false or misleading; media reporting that what other outlets are saying is the entire story; a particular kind of rhetoric and use of certain tropes (such as medical metaphors or apocalyptic imagery and language); having the same incident or story recycled; claims of the existence of a conspiracy without any actual people being named; moralistic language aimed at an unpopular or identifiable minority group. Conversely, if you find calm, serious argument and figures that can actually be supported, then you should take the argument seriously even if it turns out to be wrong.
The notion of a moral panic is a powerful one that explains much of what goes on in popular mass media, public discussion, and, all too often, actual policy. It is a valuable intellectual tool to use to protect yourself against unwarranted and dangerous anxiety and being taken advantage of by deluded or unscrupulous hucksters.
***
About the Author
Dr Steve Davies, a Senior Fellow at AIER, is the Head of Education at the IEA. Previously he was program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason University in Virginia. He joined IHS from the UK where he was Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Economic History at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has also been a Visiting Scholar at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at Bowling Green State University, Ohio.
A historian, he graduated from St Andrews University in Scotland in 1976 and gained his PhD from the same institution in 1984. He has authored several books, including Empiricism and History (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) and was co-editor with Nigel Ashford of The Dictionary of Conservative and Libertarian Thought (Routledge, 1991).
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#1 cause of moral panic in America, the Democrat party.
You just say that because you are panicaphobic!!!
QUIT IT, YOUR SCARING ME! 😐
FYI, JM has sunshine mint 1 oz. rounds with the anti counterfiet mark on them on sale! 10 1oz. rounds is cheaper that 1 10oz. bar! Iv’e gone to just buying SMI sunshine mint products because they are well priced and have the anti-counterfiet features. The bottom price is still hanging around so better stock up! 6 months from now you’ll be sorry if you don’t….
1.3 BILLION FOR 55 MILES OF BORDER FENCE
THAT’S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I EXPECTED FROM BABY BOOMERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cNDlAVsXJc
WATCH THIS VERY EXCELLENT VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfmvZRxK_gQ
ENOCH POWELL WAS A GREAT STATESMAN
drug war
porn tax
anti-prostitution
age of consent and cruisy school teachers
police state
musical lyrics and violent video games
These moral panics are associated with conservatives.
It would never have occurred to me, to ask someone for anonymous, gay sex, in a filthy, public restroom, then arrest them for saying yes.
I don’t want to know about Weiner or Bezos plz ftlog.
Also, we don’t stereo-typically worry about the citizenship status of white anglophiles. “With Open Gates” and “Farewell to Manzanar” were technically examples of moral panic.
Own it, if you believe in it.
I have always looked like kind-of gorilla-ish, tbh, but can do one-armed pull ups. Got around, on foot, for most of life, so did not struggle with running, per se.
But, why is there a moral panic about PE. A thousand rules about how to undress and shower, in front of meat gazers and chickenhawk coaches.
How do arts and civics classes prepare me for a stem field, or vice versa.
A moral panic about the questions I am supposed to ask recruiters and parasitic hiring managers, is supposed to conservative.
To Quote an old friend of mine: “When in danger or in doubt; run in circles, scream and shout” But would someone please give me a list of what I’m supposed to panic about? I’m getting rather confused. Global warming, the new Ice age, Trumps hair, being a deplorable etc. It’s all so confusing, Perhaps a daily E-Mail or a net posting?
Here’s a link to a very interesting number considering the State of The Nation, which may be the first indication of a financial panic:
https://www.businessinsider.com/auto-loan-delinquency-number-record-new-york-fed-2019-2
🙁
Millennials are now officially the fattest generation ever in the history of the world.
Fat people are revolting. Disgusting stuffed pigs. I cant stand to even look at them. God I hate fat people.
That’s OK when the great famine comes we’ll boil your bones for soup/
The recurring theme was that a racial minority were pushing drugs onto respectable white girls to turn them into degenerates who wanted to have sex with the minority in question (Chinese or Mexicans or African Americans).
Um.
I mean I don’t know about a grand conspiracy, but I can tell you in the San Pedro and Long Beach area in the 90’s… it was a well known fact that the easiest way into a chick’s pants was up her nose.
Of course… said chicks already had monkeys on their backs the size of King Kong. And there was no discernable racial pattern to this, it was very random…
But the general behavioral theory is quite sound, I assure you.
You’d shake your head in bewilderment at the types of dudes these chicks were banging. And it was pretty obvious why.
Rellik, you hit that ball straight out of the park. I could flip some libturd the bird and he/she would have a meltdown, LOL!
And get you fired from your job, then have you on CNN wearing a MAGA hat claiming you are in the KKK.
I think more people should wear red hats regardless of what’s written on it or even a plain red hat. Just to poke the bear. :p
You instigator! Yer stirin’ the pot and rattlin’ cages.
Blah, blah, blah.
9/11? This is a “powers that be” issue. It is both the left and the right involved in this creation.
What is there to panic over when there is no discernable morals to start with, or are the misidentifying of cultural marxism as being amoral when it is all of society that is amoral? Such is congnitive dissonance. When the whole society engages in virtue signalling trying to attain some moral high ground none can claim, id guess that would then be a moral panic.
This runaway train called panic is a real phenomenon, 911 being a classic example. The incident was real enough but the panic which followed was an exaggerated fear prompted by government and the media. As a result we are still fighting wars and giving up our freedom.
.
@ Honeypot.
Very good points.
It is being repeated again with anti-Russian hysteria, especially in the UK where Brexit is being used as cover for war preparations, presumably against Russia.
Da Joos!
I do not panic – I act
I have a real problem with people who panic – They are worst than useless and Piss me off.
It would be nice to run around in circles screaming.
I could give many example of reaction in a crisis and non action that I have experienced as I am sure a lot of you can
When the shit goes sidewards for some reason – I get calm and move and take control
I Have done this since I was a teenager – not a brag just fact
I think there are different people and we are made different. I don’t Know but think that conservative folks are more to be action folks while liberal snowflakes would be the run around screamers
You have never in your life been afraid of your imminent death.
Pity the nation that needs heroes. Think about that one.
I have :
We have a lot of heroes – Some recognized and a lot not recognized.
What we need most is just some plain old fashion real men
Snowflakes and metrosexuals need not apply
I have “moral panic” about our busted guberment in DC that can’t get shit done…it’s an insult to the true “American” people to “negotiate” for 1.3B for the border wall. That’s a win? Golfclaps to big balls TCruz’s idea to use the seized 14 BILLION from that asshole El Shorty to fund the wall…let’s see if it happens…have my doubts
“One is the idea that there are online communities that deliberately lead young people into committing suicide (the Blue Whale Challenge). This has been a major panic in Russia since 2016.”
It’s considered socially-inappropriate, to blame the victim.
Then again, tell me that they needed online access.
Also works with cinnamon, light-yourself-on-fire, selfie-disaster, and other challenges.
People consuming unknown research chemicals, for a recreational high, confirm what we know about taking candy from strangers. Why was your mental child left unattended.
I confess absolute ignorance regarding the Blue Whale Challenge,I’ve never even heard of it. Can someone please enlighten me? Just curious.
Link to explaining it:
https://www.philly.com/philly/health/kids-families/The-blue-whale-challenge-A-dangerous-suicide-game.html
Thanks Ft. Gosh what a crazy world we live in now.
Weather people making a big deal out of snow. It’s New England jeez. They gotta be from some warm state where if a flake falls it deemed a disaster. They need to stop with their softening of society. I drove a rig in it no problem. Worked an 11 hour shift and came home and shoveled my 4 car driveway. If you can’t handle snow don’t cum up here and complain go to Florida deal with the heat crowds and bugs.
Wonder how that moral panic thing is working with Muslims in London?
well here I am when is the shyt going to hit. Seems to me it was supposed to be about 10 years ago BUT we are still going along with big debts and government gone wild. Is the Shyt ever going to hit ?
Isn’t the latest one about vaccinations?
Laws are currently being written and re-written
You mean like the 9/11 false flag followed by 18 years of war against Muslims. As if Muslims are a threat to the liberty of 100 million armed Americans on US soil. Get a grip. When has that happened in history?
The ability to think critically has been indoctrinated out of Americans. Small pockets still exist. For example, take a look at children in an area where homeschooling is the norm. It’s like going back 2-3 generations.
That was a really long article…and I got bored.
We got trouble, right here in River City!
I’m talking about POOL!
Taken from the musical “MUsic Man”.
Aborted babies kept alive for body parts business!!!
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/19/planned-parenthood-kept-aborted-babies-alive-to-ha/
Unbelievably EVIL!!!!!!