Moral PanicsOpinions on personal and social issues are growing in number and can be found in all forms of media. Themes of sex and its regulation by all forms of personalities and institutions influence the public's perception of normality. Societal controversies that result in increased public reaction are a moral panic. The reactions that result in these mass panics can be triggered by simple facts about a certain taboo, and as generations change, so do the norms of that society, creating a flow of opinions that can generate violent reactions. Judith Levine, the controversial author of “Harmful to Minors,” believed there was an argument against the public viewing the sexual habits of minors as corrupt. One of many moral panics, the moral question of adolescents and children learning about sexuality, has sparked controversy because the current lack of information provided to young people was as detrimental to their lives as their elders thought that it was beneficial to keep sex away from younger minds. Many moral panics have occurred since humanity brought civilizations together, as larger human groups will give rise to larger factions and groups, each assuming their own rights over what they believe. An interesting and popular example of a group being victimized because others believed their culture was threatened was the groups of people being burned since the 1500s. Initially occurring primarily in Massachusetts and burning primarily women, the witch trials from Salem killed twenty people. Although burnings had occurred since ancient times in Europe, the Salem witch trials popularized the idea that the burnings were engineered in the colony. The European origin of colonialism can, however, explain this activity. These trials occurred when...... middle of paper...... mass culture was a moral panic. These panics arise from worry about the unknown. Hostility is a response to threat, and it requires consensus for the masses to accept it. Of course, this means that there must be disproportionality, such that the threatened group is larger than the accused. Finally, volatility takes over when the need to eradicate the threat becomes necessary, as in resentment and those who do not want to change feel threatened.BibliographyKuzma, Cindy. “Sex, lies and moral panics.” Alternet. http://www.alternet.org/story/26131/sex,_lies,_and_moral_panics (accessed May 13, 2014). Levine, Judith. Harmful to minors: the dangers of protecting children from sex. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. Wikimedia Foundation. "Witch hunt". Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt (accessed May 13, 2014).