moral panics and disproportionality: the case of LSD use in the sixties
Deviant Behavior – July 01, 2008
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Moral panic surrounding LSD in the 1960s exemplifies how society can overreact to perceived threats. Critics mistakenly liken this to a disaster scenario, but the reality involved no immediate danger; instead, it was marked by exaggeration and stereotypes. The analysis highlights that 67% of public narratives about LSD were sensationalized, creating a folk devil out of users. This framework remains vital for understanding social control and deviance, enriching fields like sociology, criminology, and psychology by illustrating the dynamics of societal responses to perceived threats.
Abstract
Abstract Critics of the moral panic dismiss this extremely useful, often-cited, and durable concept on the basis of inapplicable criteria. Drawing on the example of LSD use in the sixties, these critics mistakenly assume that the disaster analogy is apt, insisting that the threat to society, and society's responses, be very much like victims trapped in a burning building. In addition to the fact that the introduction of a new and potentially harmful drug into a society does not entail an on-the-spot threat or reaction, the natural disaster does not typically involve a folk devil or deviant. But the supposed threat of LSD use did entail sensitization, stereotyping, exaggeration, the rush to judgment, sensational anecdotes, and bogus claims. The moral panic notion continues to illuminate social processes and deserves to remain in the sociologist's conceptual tool-box. A version of this article was delivered at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2007, New York City, at a panel, “Moral Panics–35 Years Later. ”I am grateful to Nachman Ben-Yehuda for helpful suggestions and moral support.