Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics : Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-Rap, 1830–1996

The international controversy (highlighted in Britain by the Bulger case) over the relationship between video nasties and crime is one that has a long prior history. Do books, films or magazines create a corrupting environment which encourages crime and moral decay? Dr. Springhall has written a highly perceptive and entertaining account of how commercial culture in Britain and America has been viewed, since its inception during the Industrial Revolution, as a force likely to undermine national morals. There has been wave after wave of scares: from the Victorian penny gaff theatres and penny dreadful novels to Hollywood gangster films, and American horror comics. A final chapter refers to video nasties, violence on television, 'gansta-rap' and computer games, each in turn playing the role of folk devils which must be causing delinquency. Why particular issues suddenly galvanize public attention, and why so many people have associated delinquency with entertainment, form the fascinating subjects of this groundbreaking book. This book sets out to show that modern-day fears about the supposed moral threat posed to the young by violent movies or interactive computer games have their roots in nineteenth-century anxieties about the ill effects, of popular forms of amusement on the "children of the lower classes." These concerns stretch in an almost unbroken line through successive "moral panics" in both Britain and America, as throughout history there have been attempts to shift the blame for social breakdown onto the entertainment forms of the age: penny theatres, "penny dreadfuls, " dime novels, gangster films, horror comics. All these are discussed, evaluated, and placed in context. A postscript refers to "video nasties, " violence on television, "gangsta rap, " and computer games, each in turn playing he role of "folk devils" which must be causing delinquency. The book argues that since "moral panics" over popular culture are perennial, this tells us a great deal more about adult anxieties -- fear of the future, technological change, and the erosion of moral absolutes -- than about the nature of juvenile misbehavior.

This book sets out to show that modern-day fears about the supposed moral threat posed to the young by violent movies or interactive computer games have their roots in nineteenth-century anxieties about the ill effects of popular forms of amusement on the "children of the lower classes." These concerns stretch in an almost unbroken line through successive "moral panics" in both Britain and America, as throughout history there have been attempts to shift the blame for social breakdown onto the entertainment forms of the age: penny theatres, "penny dreadfuls," dime novels, gangster films, horror comics. All these are discussed, evaluated, and placed in context. A postscript refers to "video nasties," violence on television, "gangsta rap," and computer games, each in turn playing the role of "folk devils" which must be causing delinquency. The book argues that since "moral panics" over popular culture are perennial, this tells us a great deal more about adult anxieties—fear of the future, technological change, and the erosion of moral absolutes—than about the nature of juvenile misbehavior.

The International Controversy Over The Relationship Between Video Nasties And Crime Is One That Has A Long Prior History. Dr Springhall Has Written A Highly Perceptive And Entertaining Account Of How Commercial Culture Has Been Viewed. 1. Penny Theatre Panic: Anxiety Over Juvenile Working-class Leisure -- 2. 'penny Dreadful' Panic (i): Their Readers, Publishing And Content -- 3. 'penny Dreadful' Panic (ii): Their Scapegoating For Late-victorian Juvenile Crime -- 4. Gangster Film Panic: Censoring Hollywood In The 1930s -- 5. 'horror Comic' Panic: Campaigning Against Comic Books In The 1940s And 1950s -- 6. Mass Media Panic: The 1980s And 1990s -- App. I. Jack Sheppard In Victorian Popular Culture -- App. Ii. American Dime And Half-dime Novels -- App. Iii. Hank Janson Paperbacks Of The 1950s. John Springhall. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 196-208) And Index. "John Springhall has written a highly perceptive and entertaining account of how commercial culture in Britain and America has been viewed, since its inception during the process of industrialization, as a force likely to undermine juvenile morals. There has been wave after wave of scares: from Victorian penny 'gaff' theatres and 'penny dreadful' novels to Hollywood gangster films and American 'horror comics'. A final chapter refers to 'video nasties', violence on television, 'gangsta-rap' and computer games, each in turn playing the role of 'folk devils' which must be causing delinquency. Why particular issues suddenly galvanize public attention, and why so many people have associated delinquency with the 'effects' of 'sensational' entertainment, form the fascinating subjects of this book."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-10 Penny Theatre Panic: Anxiety over Juvenile Working-class Leisure....Pages 11-37 ‘Penny Dreadful’ Panic (I): Their Readers, Publishing and Content....Pages 38-70 ‘Penny Dreadful’ Panic (II): Their Scapegoating for Late-Victorian Juvenile Crime....Pages 71-97 Gangster Film Panic: Censoring Hollywood in the 1930s....Pages 98-120 ‘Horror Comic’ Panic: Campaigning against Comic Books in the 1940s and 1950s....Pages 121-146 Mass Media Panic: The 1980s and 1990s....Pages 147-155 Conclusions....Pages 156-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-218 'Language of the most disgusting kind is uttered, and plans of robberies, no doubt, concocted', claimed a letter to a London newspaper in 1838, urging suppression of the penny theatre 'nuisance'.