The passage discusses the concept of moral panic as defined by theorist Stanley Cohen. Cohen proposed that a moral panic occurs when a condition, episode, or group is seen as a threat to societal values. The media plays a large role in fueling moral panics by overreacting to behaviors seen as challenging social norms, which helps define and communicate those behaviors and portrays them as a model for others. Examples of things that have caused moral panics in Britain include the film Kidulthood, which portrays youth as deviant, irresponsible, hedonistic, and unaware of consequences.

1. MORAL PANIC KIDULTHOOD

2. WHAT IS MORAL PANIC? Theorist Stanley Cohen suggested in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics, 1972, that a moral panic occurs when a “ condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.“ The media, according to Stanley Cohen, play a massive role in enforcing moral panic – even if it just simply reporting the news.

3. HOW DOES IT WORK? According to Cohen, the media overreact to an aspect of behaviour which may be seen as a challenge to existing social norms. However, the media response and representation of that behaviour actually helps to define it, communicate it and portrays it as a model for outsiders to observe and adopt. So the moral panic by society represented in the media fuels further socially unacceptable behaviour.

4. EXAMPLES OF MORAL PANICS A moral panic sends society in to mass hysteria over a particular issue or event that occurs. The public believe that whatever is reported upon is occurring everywhere. List events or issues that you believe to be moral panics in Britain.

5. KIDULTHOOD – MORAL PANIC Kidulthood portrays young people as deviants. They are irresponsible , lead hedonistic lifestyles and appear to have no concept of the consequences of their actions. List the things you have seen or heard in Kidulthood that could cause moral panic within our society.