Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Cohens moral panic

Moral Panic - "a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges as a threat to scoietal values and interests"

Features of a moral panic:
  • Concern - behaviour of a particular group is seen as a threat
  • Volatility - the situation erupts dramatically
  • Hostility - "folk devils" are constructed to create a diversion
  • Consensus - widespread acceptance of this threat
  • Disproportionality - wild exageration of the evidence
Stanley Cohen in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics lead the way in determining what a Moral Panic was and created a public interest in the idea. An example of a Moral Panic is the drug and alchol fuelled lifestyle of Kurt Cobain. The Rock and Roll Lifestyle is a life which many Legendary young Rockstars lived. The idea of living fast and dieing young. this can e a heavy influence on teenagers life as they see their heroes smoking weed, and shooting up heroine which has a serious effect on society today.

However we can all agree he was a legend.

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