1. Wotevva… The Representation of Teenagers

2. Key terms Deviance Folk Devil Moral Panic Stereotypes Jock Young ‘The Drugtakers’ (1971) Stan Cohen ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ (1972)

3. How might different audiences respond to this photograph?

4. How does this shop notice make you feel?

5. The terms ‘folk devil’ and ‘moral panic’ are widely attributed to Stanley Cohen who in the early 1970s produced a detailed sociological investigation of the Mods and Rockers, subcultural groups that appeared during the 1960s. In his opening chapter, Cohen argues that: "Societies appear to be subject... to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.... The moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible"

6. 4 key terms Deviance Folk Devils Moral Panics Stereotypes

7. Deviance Behaviour considered to violate society's norms and therefore to be unacceptable. Critics of the media would argue that the apparent consensus as regards those norms is partly manufactured by the media when certain groups' or individuals' behaviour is labelled as deviant Then the media fuels the public’s reaction to it with moral outrage on behalf of 'ordinary, decent people‘ – thus the media serve to legitimate the dominant ideology (system of beliefs), which in turn services the interests of those groups in society that already have power.

8. Folk Devils Hoodies Gangsta Rappers Asylum Seekers Benefit defrauders New Age Travellers Punks Mods and Rockers Folk Devil: term used by sociologist Stan Cohen to describe a social group targeted or demonised by the media because they apparently threaten society’s ‘commonly accepted’ values or morality. Folk devils are treated as scapegoats and hate figures whose behaviour is perceived as disruptive of mainstream values and ideology.

9. Moral Panic The term used to describes the way that the media might focus on the behaviour of a social group or an event and then amplify/ inflate the public’s reaction to it by sensationalised reporting and the use of stereotypes. Leads to public over-reaction and ‘panic’ at the supposed threat to society’s established values. Examples include: Gangsta Rap, Hoodies and Video Nasties.

10. Cohen's Phases of a Moral Panic (Basic Framework or Model) 1.Warning: Signs indicating imminent danger 2.Impact: disaster strikes, followed by an immediate unorganised response 3.Inventory: those affected form a preliminary picture of what has happened and their situation 4.Reaction: number of different "formal" responses try to help those affected to return the community to its former equilibrium

11. The Stereotypical ‘Hoodie’ Cohen argues that the exaggeration/ distortion of truth by the media is a significant characteristic of a moral panic. He suggests that "over-reporting" includes sensational, misleading headlines and melodramatic vocabulary. Another feature is that during the reporting stage of a moral panic, the mass media becomes responsible for perpetuating stereotypes. A word becomes symbolic of a certain status; objects symbolise the word; the objects themselves become symbolic of the status and the emotions attached to the status Hoodies seem to symbolise rebellious teenagers and the fear and revulsion attached to them. Hoodies has become a "general term of abuse" and loaded with wholly negative meanings.

12. Latest Hoodies News! ITN - Monday, April 16 Slash-proof hoodies made with material used in soldiers' body armour are going on sale. The black cotton tops cost around £65 and are lined with Kevlar, a strong synthetic fibre that is worn by members of the armed forces. The company behind the new range said the idea was to protect teenagers threatened by knife crime. "There is a real feeling among kids that the streets are not safe," said Barry Samms of Essex-based firm Bladerunner. "If we can make it trendy to protect yourself then we're doing something to help." Plans for stab-proof school uniforms are thought to be on the drawing board.

13. Other Moral Panics? ‘Unsuitable’ pop icons - Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Manson, Pete Doherty (Gangsta) Rappers – Snoop Doggy Dogg/Eminem Ravers – drug abuse Video Nasties – Child’s Play 3/Saw?Hostel Dangerous Dogs – pit bulls etc.