Moral panic
Moral panic refers to a phenomenon in which mainstream society experiences large amounts of fear and uncertainty fuelled by the perception that a particular moral institution (such as childhood innocence) or group of people (such as children) is under threat. The perceived threat often comes in the form of a socially excluded, alien group of people (pedophiles or sex offenders) and the ideologies and real life events attributed to them. Necessary to the incitement of moral panic is the rapid and efficient exchange of misinformation, by the media for example.
Quotes on moral panic
Don Pierce, a Sex offender GPS tracking expert on the possibility of surgically implanted GPS for sex offenders:
- "One of the things we want to make sure that we don’t do is something that feels good or looks good or causes the public to relax."[1]