How to Create and Sustain a Moral Panic in a Few Simple Steps

It’s an election year, so there must be some sort of moral panic.

René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

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A yellow note on a wooden background reads “I want you to panic!”
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Criminologist Stanley Cohen defined moral panics as a time when “a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.” Moral panics are interesting to study, and a little scary to live…

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René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

DrPH in Epidemiology. Associate/JHBSPH. Adjunct/GMU. Epidemiologist. Father. Husband. (He/Him/His/El)