Idioms, Fallacies, and Paradoxes

Moral Panic

The feeling of fear spread among a large number of people when some evil threatens the wellbeing of society. The process of arousing social concern over an issue - usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media.

Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety, or panic. Moral panic happens when "a condition, episode, person, or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests."

Examples of moral panic incluet the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory paedophiles, belief in ritual abuse of women and children by satanic cults, the War on Drugs, and other public health issues.