How synthetic are moral panics? A moral panic, like Dungeon's and Dragon's in the 80s or the CRT and LGBT content in schools more recently tends to involve a 'threat' to children. Something evil, incomprehensible (and probably sexual) is coming to get the kids.
This causes people to spring to action without thinking, & it makes anyone critical of the panic seem like a creep.
A moral panic could happen at any time, in any place-- but are there wider conditions that make a panic more likely? 1/