All posts tagged: Panics

True Crime To Stream and Read, From Moral Panics to Stolen Children

True Crime To Stream and Read, From Moral Panics to Stolen Children

Satan Wants You (Tubi and Amazon Prime) Using controversial recovered-memory therapy, psychiatrist Larry Pazder claimed to have unlocked his patient Michelle Smith’s abuse at the hands of Satanists who were stealing babies. The book he wrote, Michelle Remembers, is what ignited the Satanic Panic of the ’80s and ’90s, which may sound like a ridiculous and funny thing to anyone who didn’t live through it (or has since learned about the reality), but it led to many arrests and court cases accusing people of abusing children in Satanic rituals, many of whom were daycare workers. The documentary, streaming on Tubi and Amazon Prime, dives into how the book ignited a moral panic and how it’s still impacting society today. You can watch the trailer here. Source link

A History of Gendered Censorship and the Costs of Faith-Based ‘Porn’ Panics

A History of Gendered Censorship and the Costs of Faith-Based ‘Porn’ Panics

What happens when a small group of politicians’ faith-fueled crusade for a preferred American culture collides with free speech rights, queer rights and visibility, and secular governance? A recent rash of anti-pornography proposals, like outright bans on porn or age verification laws, provides further evidence that shows how far-right politicians are willing to turn moral panic into policy, no matter how unconstitutional and seemingly outlandish these proposals appear to be. For example, Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver—a Republican lawmaker characterized as racist, homophobic and a perpetrator of “abhorrent rhetoric”—went viral during September 2025 for leading fellow far-right state lawmakers in proposing a total ban on online pornography in the state’s digital space. Even some conservative audiences responded to news of the legislation with a refreshingly measured collective speculation on this bill’s overreaching free speech questions. House Bill (HB) 4938, Schriver’s proposal, is the “Anti-Corruption of Public Morals Act,” and it proposes sweeping criminal penalties and fines for what the bill defines as “prohibited material.” The proposed bill offers a definition of what forms of expression …