Folk Devils and Moral Panics in Malaysian Context

Music Cannot Be Blamed for Crime and Violence Since the beginning of time, music has been the heart and soul for

It represents the collective fear of the society from the "other". I suggest that today moral panic is not simply a matter of exaggerated social problems, but it is a fear of losing control over the "other" and the fear of the truth about the "other". Moral panic intends to reinforce the boundaries between the "self" and the "other". My case study is the moral panic of pornography on the Internet.

In human societies there will always be issues or problems that occur which cause some form of reaction from those who feel that their values or societal equilibrium is being threatened. Stanley Cohen and Jock Young led the way in explaining the notion of moral panics and how they are formed and their consequences on society. There have been numerous of these moral phenomena over the years, which have gripped society in a vice lock of terror and more often than not, ignorance. This essay will discuss the concept of the moral panic and look at the case of HIV/AIDS which caused a huge conflict of morality within society. This essay will also analyse the failings of health organisations, politicians, and the

Simon Watney ([1988] cited in Moral Panics and the Media, 2006, p. 251-252) argues that in the example of AIDS “posed a significant challenge to any moral panic model”. He proposed five major criticisms: firstly, he argues that moral panics place blame on the state as a prime mover in moral panics. Whilst this may lend itself to be true in the case of the U.K. government, it does not consider that British society was naturally prejudice against the minority groups inflicted by the virus before its arrival. Thus, the campaign to warn the public on the virus did not directly influence the public into a moral panic but was instead a factor. Secondly, “a model which separates out individual moral panics cannot appreciate how they may overlap and reinforce each other”. Thirdly, it does not recognise the significance of dominant discourse. During the 1980s, Britain had already gained a significant prejudice against these minority groups – as mentioned above – and thus it may not be useful to describe the pandemic as a moral panic as the dominant discourse of society at that time was naturally homophobic and racist. Therefore, it can be argued that HIV/AIDS only heightened the social anxiety of, for example, gay people, because the anxiety was already in place. The fourth criticism to be made by Watney (1988) is that the theory does not allow for folk devils resisting the status. Folk devils are

36). They also characterized moral panics using the following five features: “Concern”, “Hostility”, “Consensus”, “Disproportionality”, and “Volatility”, which typically occur sequentially. Moral panic itself is defined by Cohen as when “a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests” (Burns and Crawford, 1999, p. 148). The subject and duration of a moral panic varies. It may be new or it can be something that has existed for a while but only for a certain time is it seen to be problematic. It can suddenly appear then quickly disappear or it may produce noticeable differences in law or in society (Burns and Crawford, 1999, p. 148). It can be proven both, the Burns and Crawford article entitled “School Shootings, the Media and Public Fear: Ingredients for a Moral Panic,” and the Brezina and Phipps article entitled “False News Reports, Folk Devils and the Role of Public Officials: Notes on the Social Construction of Law and Order in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.” fully demonstrate the social reaction to the event they are describing meets the definition of a “moral panic” according to the definition by Cohen (Burns and Crawford, 1999, p. 148) and Goode and Ben-Yehuda’s five features (Steeves and Milford,

Dawes explains the critics she got from other blacks who accused her of living like the whites since she had a liking for white’s bands such as The Violent Flame and The Clash. She had emotional attachment to music as she describes in the book. Before globalization and invention of internet technology, she worked hand to ensure she access the kind of music that she found pleasing unlike other kinds of music that other people liked listening to. Her interest led him to become a music journalist, which was a great success to her music interest which resulted in writing of this book. The book contains Dawes’ personal bibliography, an analysis of the culture of the blacks in a perspective of political history, and heavy metal artists especially the black females.

One such fad that was considered immoral would be the ‘swing kids’. Since jazz had become a major part of the cultural war that was raging along side the literal war, it's African

A moral panic is the public’s response to problems that seem threatening to the society. Moral panics are used by the media, however people are likely to panic out of proportion due the way it is upheld.

As mentioned earlier Stanley Cohen (1972) is one of prominent sociologists that devised the term ‘moral panic’. He defined the concept as ‘A sporadic episode which, as it occurs, subject’s society to bouts of moral panic, or in other terms, worries about the values and principles which society upholds which may be in jeopardy’ (Cohen, 1987; 9). The term ‘moral panic’ was introduced by Stanley Cohen (1972) in his book entitled ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’.

Challenge: Select and describe a “moral panic” against a perceived deviance. Analyse the role of the “moral entrepreneur” and “folk devil” in your selected case. Finally, explicate what it demonstrates about individuals and their socialization. (Length: 2 000 words)

Now a days, we are used to shocking lyrics and eye catching looks. It seems that every artist now is fighting to be so different that everyone is drawn to them. It was not always like this. In the late nineties and early two-thousands, most artists tried to fit in with the other blonde, processed pop stars that the industry was spitting out. When there was an artist who was not always happy and did sing about PG rated topics, they were blamed for what was wrong with the world, especially teenagers. In his article ‘I’d Sell You Suicide: Pop Music and Moral Panic in the Age of Marilyn Manson”, Robert Wright delves into and debunks claims that rock music, especially that of Marilyn Manson, is a main cause for teenage suicide.

In the article, “Moral Panics: Culture, Politics, and Social Construction” by Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda, the authors explore the meanings behind moral panics, what contributing factors ignite the panics, who or what may be the cause of moral panics and so forth all while with providing interesting examples. They also propose five criterias that goes into defining moral panics which are; concern, hostility, consensus, dispositionality and volatility. Concern is regarding a measurable or manifested heightened level of

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.

Michael Tonry in his book “Thinking About Crime” brings up the subject of moral panics (pg 86). A moral panic as defined by Stuart Hall is as follows

Typically researchers argue that certain groups develop as social threats not because they are intrinsically threatening, but rather because the moral leaders are fortunate in their efforts to display these groups as threatening (Ben- Yehuda 1986). However, (Cornwell and Linders 2002) argue moral panic evaluation theories can be an issue because most highlight ‘panic’ rather than evaluating systematic procedures that could spark the collective reaction of seeing certain individuals and groups as a societal threat, which could be rendered into reaction against this specific counterculture.