Message from discussion Moral Panic

Path: g2news1.google.com!news2.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news1.optus.net.au!optus!snewsf0.syd.ops.aspac.uu.net!pit-transit.telstra.net!lon-in.news.telstra.net!news.telstra.net!news-server.bigpond.net.au!53ab2750!not-for-mail
From: David Moss <q0320...@mail.connect.usq.edu.au>
Newsgroups: aus.politics
Subject: Moral Panic
Message-ID: <MPG.20eb2605d8abcb8c98a820@news.bigpond.com>
Organization: The Australian Politics Resource
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-15"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
User-Agent: MicroPlanet-Gravity/2.60.2060
Lines: 68
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:33:53 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 144.139.177.247
X-Complaints-To: abuse@bigpond.net.au
X-Trace: news-server.bigpond.net.au 1182828833 144.139.177.247 (Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:33:53 EST)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:33:53 EST
X-Original-Bytes: 3953

A moral panic is a reaction by a group of people based on the false or 
exaggerated perception that some cultural behavior or group, frequently 
a minority group or a subculture, is dangerously deviant and poses a 
menace to society. (Wikipedia)

Moral panics are a product of mass media.
The media reports a statement or an event which generates a lot of 
public interest. The population become concerned about the situation and 
want to know more about it. The media responds by deliberately seeking 
out stories on the topic. This makes it appear the event is occurring 
more and more frequently. The situation rapidly spirals out of control 
as the new stories reinforce public concern, the public demands more 
information and the media goes all out to deliver stories that meet the 
demand.

Moral panic is a tool of trade for politicians. It is rumoured some 
political organisations have pre-packaged moral panics ready in case the 
opportunity arises where they can be used. Moral panics can be used to 
distract the public from an unpopular policy, to take media attention 
away from a successful opponent, or to manufacture an issue the 
politician for which the politician has a pre-arranged campaign 
strategy.

The recent media attention to illegal immigrants, weapons of mass 
destruction, terrorism and indigenous child abuse are examples of moral 
panics.

A moral panic is a form of mass hysteria. It differs in that moral panic 
is usually expressed as outrage rather than fear. Politically this is 
very useful because outrage lasts longer than fear and is more easily 
directed against opponents.

In particular, outrage implies a moral decision the person is forced to 
justify even after it has become apparent the initial perception of 
threat is unjustified. The outrage takes on a life of its own and 
continues to motivate the person even after the initial fear is found to 
be groundless.

The most recent example of this is the moral panic over weapons of mass 
destruction that led to the invasion of Iraq.

We are currently in the throes of another moral panic, this time centred 
on indigenous child abuse.

Rationality can do nothing to prevent this panic from running its 
course. Once a moral panic has begun it takes on a life of its own. It 
is unstoppable once underway.

All we can do is recognise the process and take it into account in our 
own thinking.

Hopefully enough people will keep cool heads during the panic to steer 
the situation toward an desirable and achievable outcome.

The politicians who started the panic hope to surf the wave of public 
opinion to electoral success later this year. are they skillful enough 
to stay on their boards, or of they will be displaced by more skillful 
surfers.

We can only hope the less fortunate members of our society, those in the 
bottom socioeconomic levels, are not too badly injured as they are 
scraped across the moral coral in the backwash.

-- 
DM
personal opinion only
The Australian Politics Resource
http://sunnybar.dynip.com/politics