Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust : The Jimmy Savile Scandal

The epidemic of scandals unleashed by the Savile Scandal highlights the precarious status of relations of trust. The rapid escalation of this crisis offers insights into the relationship between anxieties about childhood and the wider moral order. This book explains why western society has become so uncomfortable with the exercise of authority. "Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust" examines the sociological meaning of the sudden transformation of Jimmy Savile, the cultural icon, into the personification of evil. The epidemic of scandals unleashed by the Savile Scandal highlights the precarious status of relations of trust. The rapid escalation of this crisis offers insights into the relationship between anxieties about childhood and the wider moral order. This exploration of the emergence of a moral crusade explains why western society has become so uncomfortable with the exercise of authority. This is a work of public sociology that seeks to explore the social dimensions of a cultural drama as it unfolds. Through situating this scandal in a wider historical perspective this study outlines the distinctive feature of a 21st century moral crusade Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction: Scandals, Panics and Crusades....Pages 1-11 Jimmy Savile: Man, Monster, Celebrity....Pages 12-26 Remembering the Past: Good Old Days — Bad Old Days....Pages 27-39 Childhood at Risk: How Children Became So Precious....Pages 40-52 The Inflation of Abuse and the Rise of the Victim....Pages 53-65 Modern Demonology: Ritual Abuse, Conspiracy and Cover-up....Pages 66-80 The Crisis of Authority and the Cult of the Judicial Inquiry....Pages 81-93 Conclusion: How the Moral Crusade Harms Us All....Pages 94-98 Back Matter....Pages 99-108 "Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust examines the sociological meaning of the sudden transformation of Jimmy Savile, the cultural icon, into the personification of evil. The epidemic of scandals unleashed by the Savile Scandal highlights the precarious status of relations of trust. The rapid escalation of this crisis offers insights into the relationship between anxieties about childhood and the wider moral order. This exploration of the emergence of a moral crusade explains why western society has become so uncomfortable with the exercise of authority."--Back cover