Candidate Number: Y3832068 Words: 2100 Drawing on examples, discuss the ways in which the media are able to create ‘moral panics’ The term ‘Moral Panic’ was first introduced to sociological debate in Stanley Cohen’s book Folk Devils and Moral Panics where he characterised it as an ‘episode, condition, person or group of persons’ which become ‘defined as a threat to societal values and interests’ (Cohen, S, 1972, p9). Cohen argued that the mass media’s often sensationalised, exaggerated and stereotyped representations of people or events contribute to the creation of certain demonised individuals or groups within society which he dubbed ‘folk devils’ (Cohen,S, 1972, cited in Goode & Yehuda 1994, p24). Furthermore he believed this results in a ‘deviancy amplification spiral’ resulting in negative social and political reactions and the propensity of labelled groups to identify with and reflect their stereotypes (Cohen, S, 1972, p9). There is however debate regarding the importance of the media in moral panic and its role in influencing attitudes and behaviours in general (Baldock et al, 2007). This essay is an attempt to re-examine the relevance of Cohen’s theories on the media moral panic and link them with the concepts of Moral regulation and social control.
A particular Simpson’s episode, To Surveil With Love, satirises how certain aspects of American society react to issues on terrorism and surveillance. Surveillance has gained acceptance under the guise of terrorism through the fear mongering of politicians and the media and the associated hysteria created. The idea of surveillance is sparked with Homer sparking “panic!” at the train station. The exaggeration of the people’s reaction satirises the panic that is expressed in the real world in these situations. The lady that is presented to create this hysteria is shown to satirise a wealthy American citizen – in the way she is dressed.
These camera are recording our every move, are they really used for our protection or are they used against us? Now days, television which have inbuilt spy-camera that are strikingly similar to the ones shown in 1984 by Gorge Orwell are being sold around the world. Orwell portrays the effects of a totalitarian government and their greed for more power and control. One condition that Orwell states is physiological control. This is also seen today as our own governments try to control us by political propaganda and fabricated news, which is also seen in the novel.
On the other hand populism, generally refers to the notion that criminal justice policies are based upon the needs of the public. These are often based around common sense understandings and draw upon the experiences of victimisation, so as to instil a sense of security within an increasingly insecure landscape.
The media influences these groups through many ways, such as imitation by creating a deviant role model encouraging “copycat” behaviour. Another way that the media influences crime and deviance is through arousal from watching violent or sexual imagery. Moral Panics are created by the media through labelling. The labels that the media places on groups influence the public creating a moral panic due to the over exaggerated reaction by society
The book, which I choose to analyze for my paper was Dealing Crack: The social world of streetcorner selling by Bruce A Jacobs . The book goes into detail on the lives of crack dealers and tries to attempt reasoning as to why they do it. What their life styles are like and how lawmakers and the police react to what they do. In this paper I am going to analyze the rational theory to the differential association theory in attempt to see which one is more effective in proving how crime is committed and what policies work the best for the public based on the styles of these theories. One of the major theories portrayed in the book was rational choice.
Edelman also say that politicization is the creation of a state mind about what is personal or private and what is subject to open discussion and public authority. Symbols are sometimes words or statements, but sometimes we fight over symbols that are actually items. When the terrorists attacked The World Trade Center, a symbol of global American capitalism, in 2001, the public-private boundary was shifted, at the same time, for terriorists, it represented something very important because an attack on that specific building with all
In your essay you will discuss how today’s media affects the motives and actions of not just society, but of the individuals within it. Using the resources provided, explain how media today has created a world where violence is
There are many key ideas and concerns that are evident in the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. Through the novel, Huxley explores in great detail the concepts of the dangers of rampant consumerism on society, the price of perfect harmony and the dangers of unchecked scientific advancement. Through the use of literary techniques such as parody, satire and diction, Huxley shows the implications of these concepts and how it may cause humanity to become much like the world described in “Brave New World”. Firstly, in the novel “Brave New World”, Huxley explores the implications that rampant consumerism can have on society. Huxley warns that if humanity follows a system where people are encouraged to purchase goods and services in the
ORAL: News as a source of ‘misdirection’ (News as a form of propaganda – with a focus on the US) Introduction: * Introduction to news and the role its purpose in society (communicating messages of world events – entertainment, source of shock and information – reflect beliefs) * Introduce sensationalism in the news: what it is, why the news is sensationalized (focusing on the profit incentive and ‘misdirection’ in the media (propaganda – referring to Chomsky’s idea of over emphasis on a particular story and the media’s way of completely ignoring stories that put domestic power interests in a negative light) * Introduce pairs of events that were objectively similar except for the alignment of domestic elite interests. Examples to attempt to show that in cases where an "official enemy" does something (like murder of a religious official), the press investigates thoroughly and devotes a great amount of coverage to the matter, thus victims of "enemy" states are considered "worthy". But when the domestic government or an ally does the same thing (or worse), the press downplays the story, thus victims of US or US client states are considered "unworthy." Lead to the focus on the US invasion of Iraq and The Gulf war) Body: * Give a framework on first example (US invasion of Iraq), describing the situation from all perspectives (against and pro US) show how the media voiced messages, molding public opinion to support the war. Show change in tone of US and non-US coverage.