Media Influence on Crime and Deviance: The Case of Mods and Rockers in the 1960s

Moral Panics How do the media create crime and deviance?

Stanley Cohen Stanley Cohen Stan Cohen is a famous sociologist who works in London.

The book The book The study we are concerned with is about riots between Mods and Rockers in the 1960s.

How it started. Small groups of London boys went to holiday resorts near London for the Bank Holiday. There was a scuffle between two groups. This was over-reported in the press as being gang fighting.

Reality and Reporting The fight between the two gangs resulted in several broken windows and the destruction of some beach huts. There was no news that weekend so the media reported the fight in national newspapers, suggesting there had been large scale riots and wholesale breakdown of public order.

An example of press reports What view of the riots did the press have?

Excitement Older people were made to feel frightened of the young people moral panic. Young people were made to seem dangerous and excitingly attractive to other young people folk devils

Mods and Rockers The press described the groups and explained how they acted and what they did. This scared the authorities. It also told the young people what to do and how to act. Young people then bought the fashions and styles.

Mods

Rockers The Rockers wore winklepicker shoes, tight jeans and leather jackets with polished studs. They rode large motorcycles such as Triumphs, BSA's and Norton's

Rockers going to the seaside

Police reactions How did the police respond to the young people?

Developments Official reactions were to have a huge clampdown on young people who were seen as wild and dangerous. Young people started to act in a way that was expected of them and went out looking for trouble and excitement.

The press reaction More exaggerated stories were printed. The police and courts were praised for being firm with the young people. Young people were attracted to the excitement.

Then Hippies arrived Hippies were very strange and some were politically active. There were riots against the Vietnam War. Hippies used drugs as well! Mods and Rockers got boring and the media stories stopped. They reported hippies instead

It all began again! Hippies became the new Folk Devils that everyone was afraid of. There was a Moral Panic about how hippies behaved. Young people were attracted to be hippies

Mods and Rockers Now, Mods and Rockers are seen as harmless fun. This is an advert for a nostalgia dance for both Mods and Rockers.

The sociological conclusion The media benefited from the Mods and Rockers they sold more papers. The young people concerned acted in a way they were expected to. The mass media created the deviant behaviour and the riots by making a fuss about what happened.

Tasks: Complete the following sentence: Folk Devils means a group of people that are blamed for Examples of modern Folk Devils are:

Soccer out of control Label/ highlight your newspaper article with the following characteristics of a Moral Panic: exaggeration inflated language prediction demands for action

Modern Day Moral Panics Write down 3 examples of problems that the media exaggerate.

Panic!!! Write a newspaper article about a criminal or deviant act that happens today. Your article must include: - exaggeration - inflated language - prediction - demands for action

James Bulger Was this a moral panic?

Moral Panics How do the media create crime and deviance?