Moral hysteria and audience

Moral hysteria is a feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. There have been many examples of moral hysteria throughout history.


50s
Things that challenged the social order:

• Elvis gyrating his hips
• Rock and roll was "the devil's work"
• Showing skin was considered very provocative

60s

• Beatles claim they are "bigger than Jesus" this offends the Christian population
• Widespread use of drugs amongst celebrities and fans
• Communism
• Artificial contraception introduced. People feared that this would lead to promiscuity

70s

• Heavy metal artists like Black Sabbath were becoming mainstream
• Punk was popular, with messages about rioting and violence, people feared that this would lead to anarchy
• Widespread use of drugs like cocaine

80s

• Stock market boom lead to a 'greed is good' mentality
• David Bowie's cross dressing was extremely controversial
• Elton John was one of the first openly gay celebrity
• AIDS was becoming more common

90s

• Raving, along with widespread use of ecstasy became popular
• Grunge movement started, with bands like Nirvana
• First labour government for 18 years in 1997

00s

• Paranoia about terrorism and wars
• Rap artists became more mainstream, with untraditional messages
• Eminem became very popular
• Recession