"Everybody knows society

has gone to the dogs..."

Moral Panics

KCB102 - Week 3, 2013

Dr Stephen Harrington

Why did we just do that pop quiz?

• For fun!

• A quick introduction to Media Moral Panics

• Showing Moral Panics in a historical trajectory

• Key themes around sex, violence, drug use, language

• Often concerns with threats to existing social values

(youth, moral decay, and disruption)

Threats to existing social values:

•Plato (?), 4th Century B.C: "What is happening to our

young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey

their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets

inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying.

What is to become of them?"

•On Novels and Women in the 1700s:

“Many young girls, from morning to night, hang over

this...to the neglect of industry, proper exercise, and to

the ruin both of body and soul<The increase of [this] will

help to account for the increase in prostitution and for the

Example 1: The Gutenberg Bible

• Middle ages, 500 - 1500 AD (Dark ages)

• Catholic Church as 'Mass Medium'

• Low literacy

• Priest as conduit for "god's message"

• Sole interpreter of the bible

Example 1: The Gutenberg Bible

• Johannes Gutenberg, circa 1450

invented the printing press

• Printed his own Bible...

• ...To the great anger of the

Catholic Church (heretics)

• Spawned the reformation

(Luther), the enlightenment, etc.

Example 1: The Gutenberg Bible

Catholic Church:

• Existing power

• Concentrated power

• Emphasis on priests'

interpretations of

bible

• Relied on illiteracy

Example 1: The Gutenberg Bible

Gutenberg:

• Emerging power

• Diffuse/broad power

• Bible as inherent 'word

of god'

• Spawned high literacy

New medium...

• Decentralisation of power

• Democratisation of access

Response?

• Fight against it!

• Printing press on wheels

Example 1: The Gutenberg Bible

Example 2: Comic Books

• 1934 first comic book for mass distribution: Famous

Funnies

• First visual mass medium: democratises reading further

• In 1953-54, 75 million sold per month in America

• Existing vision of American culture: innocent, peaceful,

morally good, domestic, well-ordered, progressive

• This vision: violence, monsters, crime, bad people,

corruption, chaos

Example 2: Comic Books

Fredric Wertham: 'Seduction of the Innocent'

• Batman and Robin: Gay

• Wonder Woman: Into Bondage

• Superman: Un-American

• 1954: Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile

Delinquency

• Comics as major cause of juvenile crime

Example 2: Comic Books

• Clash between 'High' Culture and

'Low'/Popular Culture

• High art: power of small number of individuals

to decide what is 'right' and worthy to

consume. Importance of 'educating' the

'masses'.

• 'Low' culture: power of the 'masses' to decide

what they want to consume, regardless of

elites.

Example 2: Comic Books

Example 3: Big Brother

• ‘Moral’ disruption

• Sex

• Nudity

• “Lowest Common Denominator”

• ‘Turkey Slap’ incident

Example 3: Big Brother

• Democratisation of access/power (contestants,

voting etc.)

• Blind anger:

• “I have never seen it, but it is terrible!”

• “Don’t watch it, nor should anyone else!”

• Re-enforced existing social (conservative?)

attitudes

Example 3: Big Brother

Some key features of media moral panics:

• Almost always about young people (protection

discourse)

• Often arise when power is decentralised or

democratised

• Always about maintaining existing social order

• Emotion (fear) over reason

• Dissipate over time!

Conclusion:

• Always be a little skeptical

• Where is the real concern?

• Who is being challenged?

• What beliefs/values are at stake?