Moral Panic In Australia

We cannot condone the fact that grandmothers such as 78-year-old Josephine Cesnik was beaten and threatened in her own home earlier this year. Mrs. Cesnik died nine days later, afraid of seeking help because she feared her attacker would return and kill her. We cannot condone the fact that eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez Urrutia-Shu was raped and murdered in a Perth public toilet in June 2006. Mrs. Cesnik’s family was robbed of a loving grandmother, while the Urrutia-Shu family lost a sweet, quiet little girl. These cowards have completely shattered many lives, while the both the Howard and Rudd governments have the audacity and hypocrisy to allow 6 members of the Bali Nine to be executed by firing squad overseas! A twisted life allowed to continue cannot redeem the innocent life taken, nor can it repair the lives destroyed.

Why did Australia lead the world into Depression in the late 1920s and suffer its effects so gravely and for so long?

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,

0n the 11th of December 2010 tensions grew between two communities. What started out as a brawl fight between two teenage groups with different views ended with a deadly set of attacks destroying the social cohesion of our country. These attacks were the acts of cowards and the Australian public shouldn’t in any way be supportive of something that completely disagrees with the safety of our people. Were these acts right? Did hundreds of people need to be injured? The answer to both these questions are NO. So how did this event that stunned the nation start? Well the cronulla riots weren’t planned and meetings weren’t held for it, however a text message outlining the hatred felt towards the Lebanese community was sent. The message contained phrases such as “lets show these wogs this is our beach and they aren’t welcome

The WA government believes that the shark cull will be in the best interest of swimmers and beach dwellers. An apparent increase in shark attacks in recent years has served as an instigator to legislate shark culling. It is apparent that the WA Government is trying to persuade their publics by their use of statistics. Seven fatal shark attacks in Western Australia over the past three years has people in Western Australia snubbing their beaches and running to swimming pools instead (The Advertiser, 1 February 2014, p1). The government uses fear of death as a motivating factor to influence public opinion in relation to their decision. Though this is not illegal, ethics do come into play.

Critcher, C (2008) Moral Panic Analysis: Past, Present and Future Swansea University: Blackwell Publishing. Available from: http://www.penelopeironstone.com/Critcher.pdf [Accessed 2

The attack can be seen as catastrophic, as the main effect was on our sense of national vulnerability. In addition to the consequences, the attack was a turning point in Australia’s war effort and had caused a deep reflection on the cost of nationhood.

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.

The context in which the Australian Criminal Justice system has failed the people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands are significantly diverse. In the below summary I will highlight the current stressors in todays society which will correlate with those from the colonial era. Before the beginning of the European colonial era in 1788, Cunneen (2001), discusses one of the most crucial concern that has remained predominant and significantly controversial in the history of Australia is the issue of injustice, specifically when it comes to the level of integrity through which Indigenous peoples fundamental human rights are established.

According to Jewkes (2001: p.74), moral panic is referring to public and political reactions to minority or marginalized individual who appear to be threat to the social values and interest. Moral panic is mostly the consequences when by the media amplify the deviancy and public responses. The ‘bikie gangs’ is presented in a stylised and symbolic fashion by the mass media (Cohen, 2004: 1), fear against ‘bikie gangs is among the Australian society. General public concern about their safety on road and in other occasions because the media tells them that the ‘bikie gangs’ involve in other criminal activities. Moral panic now is not simply a social phenomenon of fear towards crime, but rather a social phenomenon of contemporary media structure,

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)

A mental illness is an issue that affects one’s behaviour, emotions, thoughts and ability to interact with others (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing 2007). Common mental illnesses in Australia include anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders and personality disorders, with the most prevalent being anxiety disorders and depression. Anyone can develop a mental illness, although suffering from a chronic medical illness, experiencing a highly stressful or traumatic event, having a blood relation with a mental disorder or drug and alcohol use can increase one’s risk (Mayo Clinic 2015).

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

“Things will never be the same.” (Miller, Stone & Mitchell, 2002, p. 3) Law enforcement has undergone dramatic changes as a result of the devastating events in the United States on 11 September 2001 (9/11). This essay will examine how law enforcement, specifically within Australia, has shifted its policies and strategies to fight the post-9/11 terrorist threat. An analysis of police actions towards terrorist related incidents since 9/11, displays how law enforcement agencies have demonstrated their

How did the sociologist Stanley Cohen define the concept moral panics? What, if any, is its continued relevance? Discuss with reference to sociological research.