Question

Explain the term moral panic, social bulimia, what is the role of media in our understanding of gangs?

Answer 1

A moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.A Dictionary of Sociology defines a moral panic as "the process of arousing social concern over an issue – usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media".

The media are key players in the dissemination of moral indignation, even when they do not appear to be consciously engaged in crusading or muckraking. Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety, or panic.Stanley Cohen states that moral panic happens when "a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests."

The concept of social bulimia can be applied fruitfully to both sociology and criminol- ogy, and we have discussed several instances where he used this lens to illuminate what he felt were the driving forces of the phenomenon.

You may recall our discussion of the role economic deprivation plays in the formation of gangs. The point of that discussion was that, being economically deprived, some youth will venture into illegal ways of earn an income. Movies and videos which show gang members enjoying the fruits of their illegal activities (i.e., drugs, sex, a nice apartment or house, money, cars, power, guns) suggest, in some children's minds, ways to reach the goal to which most American's aspire - financial success and all it entails. The ways in which that income is earned often entails the use of violence.

By watching mass media portrayals of gang member behavior, some children learn of illegitimate ways to acquire goods and services. They learn how to lay in wait to "hit" (execute) someone. They learn what a drive-by-shooting looks like - how it's done and how to possibly get away without getting caught. If they watched American History X, they learned how to "curb" someone.

If you didn't see American History X, here's what it shows - in full color and in all its gory detail. A Skinhead (a Caucasian gang known for its ideologically-based hatred of African-Americans and other minorities) is shown forcing an African-American youth to lay face-down in the street perpendicular to the curb. The youth's mouth is then forced open and pushed down until the curb is in his mouth. The skinhead then stomped on back of the young man's neck, fracturing his jaw, shattering his teeth, and breaking his neck.