The most popular example when detailing the moral panic perspective
is that of Cohen's (1972) folk devils, or Mods and Rockers; names used
to identify two such subcultures of, in this case, British youth during
the 1960s. Mods, or Modernists, were identifiable as “well-dressed [and]
fashion- conscience...listened to...The Beatles, the Who...and...rode motor
scooters” (Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1994, p.23). This was in contrast to the
Rockers who were “tougher, more politically reactionary, more classically
delinquent...[stemming] from a working-class background, and often rode
motorbikes” (Ibid.).
On Easter Sunday, 1964, in a small township named Clacton, England,
a rumour circulated that a bartender refused to serve alcohol to a minor.
With an abundance of adolescents and young adults loitering on the street,
a scuffle soon manifested and factions (of Mods and Rockers) were formed.
Motorcycles went up and down the street, windows were smashed on the local
dance hall and a few beach huts were destroyed; damages were £500.
When the police arrived, they overreacted, arresting over 100 youths (Cohen,
1972, pp.29ff; cited in Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1994, p.22).
To many these occurrences would be a rather colourful read without media sensationalism. However, this exhibition of neglect for private property was conducted by youths, demonstrating a, supposed, moral tear in the fabric of society. As such, so as to attempt to establish the status quo, the media proceeded to omit details and greatly dramatised the preceding night’s events. Propaganda-like articles, to establish a negative rapport between youths and the community, were used containing such words as riot, and orgy of destruction. One story claimed that windows of all the dance halls were smashed - true, although only one dance hall existed and only a few windows were smashed (Cohen, 1972, pp.32-3; in Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1994, p.25). Editorials on youth violence, and interviews featuring Mods and Rockers ensued (pp.29ff; cited in Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1994, p.22). This dramatisation by the media, portraying youths as threats to law and order, and the safety of the community, created a moral panic in society. That is, community sensitisation had transpired - the public concern was such that when any deviation from the norm, by young men or women, arose, the same “exaggerated and sensationalistic stories were repeated” (Ibid., p.23).
Community sensitisation became significantly apparent the following
year at Clacton. Events or disturbances that were predicted to become a
concern by the police was divulged to and reported by the media. The sensitisation
was illustrated in a local paper whose vignette read, “Seaside Resorts
Prepare for the Hooligans’ Invasion” (Ibid.). On more than one occasion,
fervent police action lead to resistance by a group of youths, leading
to an exchange of blows, resulting in the youths’ arrest. For Cohen, these
events were due to “sensitisation and escalation processes...central to
the public’s reaction to the Mods and Rockers” (1967, p.280; cited in Goode
and Ben-Yehuda, 1994, p.24). All of this merely stemming from the media’s
portrayal of youth as threats to law and order and the safety of the community.