Outrage

Abstract: Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the internet age is constructed out of, and built upon, a set of talks Manuel Castells delivered at the University of Cambridge in late 2011, durin...

Abstract: necessarily add to the critique of news organisations as a whole, while also denying newscaster agency. A more important issue is the lack of theoretical or conceptual application in the text. Theory is mentioned in passing – the analysis of ideological interest is mentioned (p. 30), and moral panic theory is also signposted in the conclusion (p. 166). Aside from these references, there is no attempt to develop a detailed analysis of the ideological processes at work (the occasional mention of neo-liberalism, the Washington consensus and World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) policy do not do this). Neither is there an attempt to apply the stages of any moral panic approach to the data. Moreover, there exists no rigorous application or development of concepts of stereotyping, prejudice, immigrational racism or stigma, which seem to be fundamental to the critique presented. Although more theory would have been satisfying for this reader, the lack of academic or theoretical terminology does render the text highly accessible. The book will be of use to professionals working in the field and should be understandable to policymakers. One last criticism concerns the interview and focus group sample. This might have been added to through the inclusion on white Britons as a focus group. This population may have allowed the study to record the existence of a majoritarian discourse that mirrors media coverage of refugees. Overall, this text is a good example of what social science can add to our understanding of the social world. It takes the dominant ideological myths created on some of the most vulnerable, stigmatised people in society and begins to illuminate the structures that encourage these myths.

Abstract: How do observers respond when the actions of one individual inflict harm on another? The primary reaction to carelessly inflicted harm is to seek restitution; the offender is judged to owe compensation to the harmed individual. The primary reaction to harm inflicted intentionally is moral outrage producing a desire for retribution; the harm-doer must be punished. Reckless conduct, an intermediate case, provokes reactions that involve elements of both careless and intentional harm. The moral outrage felt by those who witness transgressions is a product of both cognitive interpretations of the event and emotional reactions to it. Theory about the exact nature of the emotional reactions is considered, along with suggestions for directions for future research.