Moral Panics

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Moral Panics

Postby shadylady » Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:35 am

No Halloween For Sex Offenders?
I'm continuing the discussion on Moral Panics from the old forum to this one. That thread was called "Technopanics and Other Unfounded Fears" but the topic was basically Moral Panics of all kinds. This Halloween ban thing is a perfect example of the type of reaction that results from people stuck in moral panic mode.
OLD THREAD:
Technopanics and Other Unfounded Fears
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby panamint_patty » Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:25 am

Bill Maher On Child Predators
As long as you're restarting the moral panics thread, then we might as well include this video. It's one of the most insightful tirades on this topic that I've ever seen!
:prof:

ALSO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STs4DqOxdbI
NOTE: I had to hunt up another copy of this video since the one I posted was deleted!
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby panamint_patty » Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:27 am

From Rainbow Parties to Butt-Chugging: A Timeline of Moral Panics in the Last Decade
Some will find this article humorous and others will find it alarming. If you find it alarming, get help!!!
:laugh:
We know: it's hard to keep track of all of the many moral panics we've encountered over the last ten years or so. Which is why we've collected all of them into a handy, convenient timeline that will help you determine which violent, drug-fueled sex act is currently sweeping through your teenager's school.

LINK: http://gawker.com/5891061/from-rainbow-parties-to-butt+chugging-a-timeline-of-moral-panics-in-the-last-decade
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby desertrat » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:27 am

RE: Bill Maher On Child Predators
Some real zingers in that monologue! My favorite is about Rush LImbaugh having puppies!
:laugh:
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby panamint_patty » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:27 am

Are Wetland Preserves Simply Dead-Body Dumping Grounds?
This video is pretty pertinent to the topic of this thread. It's a parody, but it illustrates how people who are stuck in moral panic mode think, complete with legal enforcement of their crazy ideas! (Notice how the sane person gets abducted/arrested at the end of the video.)
Panamint_Patty (from the old forum) wrote:Ridiculous? Not as bad as some of the discussions they have on "real" news shows!

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Re: Moral Panics

Postby mrfish » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:27 am

Scientology Minister Accused Of Molesting Thetans
For those who need something new and different to feel outraged about, here's a completely imaginary problem. It's bad enough that most social problems are hugely exaggerated and that imagination is required to believe all the claims, but this takes things to the level of TOTAL IMAGINATION!!!
:laugh:
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby shadylady » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:27 am

Porn Before Puberty :roll:
A girl in this video says that boys at her school view porn on their phones while at school. It's not surprising that school staff doesn't catch them since it's so easy for kids to hide what they're doing. That's probably why it's a good idea for schools not to allow cell phones at school. Not that porn is that big of a deal, but plenty of people are upset at the idea of young kids viewing porn. IMHO, it's not as bad as a lot of the stuff they're exposed to in popular media. This video clip is a little over-the-top in a few places. Just before four minutes a girl in this video melodramatically proclaims, "We are the pioneers!" PLEASE! Porn is not new and kids looking at porn is nothing new either. It's a little easier to get nowadays with the internet and all, but it's just not that big of a deal!
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby wildrose » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:27 am

Sociologist: Razor blades in Halloween candy is an urban myth
Most perceived threats are either grossly exaggerated or entirely mythical. People just like obsessing over things and our media preys on this desire. That's not to say that a small number of people don't do bad things, but the perceived threat is about one hundred times greater than the real threat!
The concept of the mysterious or creepy neighbor who puts razor blades in children's Halloween candy is an urban myth, Joel Best, a sociologist at the University of Delaware, is quoted as saying on the Miller-McCune news website.

LINK: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/10/sociologist-razor-blades-in-halloween-candy-is-an-urban-myth/1#.UIwEV4aoZ8E
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby a2z » Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:51 pm

Anti-Pornography Guy Politicizes 10 Year Old Girl's Murder
Excellent article exposing the flawed logic used by those who assert that the availability of porn somehow correlates to an increase in sex crimes. Actually the reverse is true: The greater the availability of porn, the fewer sex crimes that are committed!
Well, for sex-crimes in general, they're dropping, and fairly significantly so. In the last 20 or so years, the United States has seen a 15% drop in forcible rape rates. That's despite the growth of internet use, and likewise the growth in viewing pornography, and also despite a culture change in which reporting rape and sex crimes is only becoming more acceptable.

So, despite the increased availability of porn and the increased eagerness with which people report sex crimes, there seems to have been an overall reduction in sex crimes. Hmmm... sounds like the best thing for society would be to simply make more porn available!
:thumb:
LINK: Anti-Porn Guy Politicizes Murder
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Re: Moral Panics

Postby a2z » Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:26 pm

The False Allegation Epidemic
There are a huge number of rape cases that are overturned each year as a result of DNA analysis of evidence. The problem is that often these men have been in prison for several years before their cases get reviewed. Somewhere between 40% and possibly as many as 75% of reported rapes (and molestations) are actually false accusations. Law enforcement sorts some of these out, but nonetheless the public is duped into believing that sex crime is a major problem when exactly the opposite is true: the false accusation of sex crime is the real problem.

Old Video Dead:
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