Folk devil
Outsider groups blamed for social problems in moral panics.
Folk devils are groups portrayed in folklore or the media as outsiders and deviant, blamed for crimes or other social problems. The pursuit of folk devils frequently intensifies into a mass movement called a moral panic, during which they become the subject of loosely organized but pervasive campaigns of hostility. Such campaigns can influence a nation's politics and legislation.
Quick Facts
- Introduced by
- Stanley Cohen
- Year of introduction
- 1972
- Original study
- Folk Devils and Moral Panics
- Original subjects
- Mods and Rockers
- Location of original incident
- United Kingdom
- Year of original incident
- 1964
Facts from the source article.
Concept
In 1972, sociologist Stanley Cohen introduced the idea of the "folk devil" in his work on moral panics, focusing on 1960s media coverage of Mods and Rockers in the UK. His research began with a 1964 bank holiday clash between these two youth groups on an English beach. Although the incident caused only property damage and no serious injuries, newspapers ran sensational stories. Cohen studied these articles and found a clear pattern of distorted facts, misrepresentation, and overly simple portrayals of both sides. He identified three stages in how the media reports on folk devils: symbolisation, where the group’s look and identity are reduced to a single, easy-to-recognize story; exaggeration, where facts are twisted or invented to fuel public outrage; and prediction, where future bad behavior is assumed. In the Mods and Rockers case, a larger police presence the next bank holiday led to more violence. Cohen observed that labeling these groups as violent troublemakers actually encouraged more deviant behavior among them.
Cases
The recurring pattern of campaigns against folk devils mirrors historical witch hunts and persecution frenzies. In predominantly Catholic and Protestant European nations, followers of the opposing Christian denomination were cast as folk devils. Minority groups and immigrants have frequently been scapegoated, as seen in the long antisemitic tradition of accusing Jews of sinister acts like blood libel, or in the Roman Empire’s blaming Christians for military defeats due to their rejection of paganism. Today, political and religious leaders in various countries often label atheists and secularists as deviant threats to social order. Some Christian groups once claimed that fifty million Americans had engaged in devil worship. Islamophobia is another instance, where post-9/11 Western reactions stereotyped Muslims as violent, hateful extremists posing a danger to peace and safety. More recently, certain politicians, pundits, and media outlets have sought to provoke fear by portraying transgender individuals as folk devils, branding them as “groomers” and pushing anti-LGBT legislation—such as bans on gender-affirming care, restrictions on transgender athletes, bathroom bills, and limits on drag performances—in response to the manufactured panic. A 2014 study applied Cohen’s moral panic theory to media coverage of the Columbine massacre.
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