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MORAL PANICS

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Today you will...

Learn what a moral panic is and how

it is created.

Understand who is targeted by moralpanics

Apply this knowledge to whathappened in 1964 between the

Mods and Rockers.

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Copy down this definition: A moral panic is when:

[a] condition, episode, person

or group of persons emergesto become defined as a threat

to societal values and

interests.

Stanley Cohen, 1972

EMEMBER HIS!!AME STAN

UBLISHEDTUDIES IN THE

970s ON MORALANICS

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How does a moral panic occur?

Problembecomes known

and defined.as a threat

Problem isreported andrepresented

in a stylisedand

stereotypical.way

Sociallyaccredited

people providetheir

diagnosis( ,doctors,politicians

religious)leaders

Ways ofcoping evolve

and solutions.get reported

Threat usuallydisappears asquickly as it

,arose as medialike to move onto

.something else

DEVI

ANCY

AMPL

IFIC

ATIO

N

hi k f l i h

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an you think of any examples in the

news recently of a moral panic?

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Four main target groups of moral

panics: Those who commitserious criminal acts. From

muggers and rioters (young working class mencan be stereotyped as yobs) to murderers andsex offenders.

Those who stray away from normalorganisational procedures or breakconventional codes of conduct in theworkplace. These could be strikers andpicketers.

Those who adopt patterns ofbehaviour, stylesof dress or ways ofpresentingthemselveswhich are different to the norm. Examplescould be the punks of the 1970s or Teddy Boysfrom the 1950s.

Themiscellaneous

groups of people whofail toconform to consensual, conservative ideals

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M o r a l P a n i c s a n d M u s i c It is 1964 on an English beach at Easter in the

small seaside town of Clacton. The weather

is cold and wet as usual. Two groups of kids

the Mods and the Rockers get into a

fight.

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