How do moral panics form a fragment of cultural identity?

A moral panic is the increased concern about something by a population that appears to be a threat to social order. The concern about the negative impact this group may have on society increases the hostility towards them, thus making a clear division between ‘them’ and ‘us’, and looking at them as ‘folk devils’. This divides the collective cultural identity our country might have had, leaving fragments of different groups holding their own ideologies and opinions on the matter. These fragments may then form their own cultural identity as they may feel collectiveness in this group, through similar ideas and morals, thus forming a part of his or her personal identity too.

Raving and ecstasy is a perfect example of how something seen initially as harmless can then be blown up by the media into a huge moral panic. It emerged in the late 80s/early 90s when all non-stop dancing and clubbing, in places such as Ibiza was getting increasingly popular. The younger generation were getting immersed in it, with huge secret raves were being organised on fields, miles away from towns and cities. Partying and drinking was one of the main ingredients for enjoying and rave and the third, becoming more and more popularly used, was ecstasy.

Ecstasy was being used frivolously within the younger people, as the rave craze grew larger it was known as the defining feature to rave culture. The media could be partly to blame for it’s huge popularity after commercialising the rave subculture, for example when the newspaper The Sun discovered rave, they even marketed their own smiley faced t-shirt, a logo that was becoming well known as a symbolism for rave. The fact ravers now even had their own iconic symbol increased the collective identity of this subcultures fragment. If they wore this symbol it made them feel like they belonged. Rave formed a part of these peoples personal identify too. The Sun newspaper soon became hostile when the moral panic was uncovered.

The emergence of the moral panic came to it’s highest peak when Leah Betts collapsed in her home on her eighteenth birthday after taking an ecstasy tablet, and subsequently went into a coma. Pictures of Leah on a life support machine where plastered all over the newspaper headlines. For the media her death was ‘ a potent image of innocence corrupted by a dangerous and malevolent subculture.’ From here the subculture of people involved in raves were seen as folk devils and threats to society, along with this they were seen as ‘wrong and foolish’ victims to the mythical drug dealers. This hostility grew, forming fragmentation in the British culture. Many of the younger generation were feared and seen as foolish and putting them selves at danger, whether any one knew they were attending the raves or not. Young people, or ravers were stereotyped as dangerous along with raves too, being deemed responsible for all deaths like Leah Betts’.

As a result of this moral panic, and an attempt as resolution, drug education was increased, such as the national strategy ‘Tackling Drugs Together’. Along with this the Public entertainments (drug misuse) act passed with out opposition. The police were given more power and new age travellers were attempted to be suppressed.

Although this moral panic eventually faded away, it had persisted for almost ten years, with volatile outbreaks within it. Generally the raves moved to clubs and media interest soon disappeared, but the stereotype and fear of the younger person who likes to party, still lives today, causing a separation in within our culture, particularly between ages.

Another moral panic that formed a fragment of cultural identity was the Aids epidemic. It was fist discovered by gay men in San Francisco and spread across the globe. This then caused the public perception to turn on homosexuals, prostitutes and drug users. The media made these groups, particularly homosexuals, seem like ‘folk devils’, along with their other label as a deviant minority. People began to view it as a gay plague and a majority in a poll were in favour of compulsory testing and the isolation or sterilisation of those infected.

This view of Homosexuals was incredibly wrong. Many became scared to socialise with gay people and there was an awful lot of prejudice against them. What had stemmed from a disease common in homosexuals was now completely their fault in some people’s eyes. This formed a fragment of cultural identity with Homosexuals being seen as folk devils. At this point they could have found a collective identity together, thriving on the fact only they could understand the prejudice each other were going through, as the thing that bought them together.

Aids faded as an issue and became a cultural and health related issue, people presume that if it does heighten again, the media will not be reporting it as an epidemic, as compared to when it was first discovered. It is now taught about in most schools and people now know about things like contraception that can help prevent it. Although the moral panic has faded away it has still given long-term implications for discourses about homosexuality and if still a key point of debate for those with homophobia.