moral panics and disproportionality: the case of LSD use in the sixties
Deviant Behavior July 1, 2008 Erich Goode 49 citations
Critics of the moral panic concept wrongly judge it by inapplicable standards, such as the disaster analogy. Using LSD use in the 1960s as an example, the author argues that introducing a new, potentially harmful drug does not create an immediate threat like a burning building, nor does a natural disaster involve a folk devil or deviant. However, the supposed threat of LSD did involve sensitization, stereotyping, exaggeration, rushed judgments, sensational anecdotes, and bogus claims. The moral panic notion remains valuable for illuminating social processes and should stay in sociology's conceptual toolkit.