To Catch Who? Moral Panics in Contemporary Television Media

My thesis looks at the creation of moral panics surrounding childhood, sexuality, and media proliferation of “stranger danger,” in American culture. I have chosen to analyze the television program “To Catch a Predator” to illustrate the ways in which these “stranger danger” narratives are related to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Baker, Crystal L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Book
Language:English
Published: 2011
In:Year: 2011
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
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Summary:My thesis looks at the creation of moral panics surrounding childhood, sexuality, and media proliferation of “stranger danger,” in American culture. I have chosen to analyze the television program “To Catch a Predator” to illustrate the ways in which these “stranger danger” narratives are related to childhood sexual moral panics and how these two phenomena work to encourage viewership and consumerism in American culture. The exacerbation of “predator” moral panics in reality television maintains the fear of invasion of secure suburban space largely due to the portrayal of African American men as threatening and/or violent within “To Catch a Predator’s” narrative