The issue of illegal immigration and increased number of asylum seekers
The issue of illegal immigration and increased number of asylum seekers has caused hysteria in the Australian public. Several boats carrying asylum seekers have arrived into the country in the recent past, causing significant concern among members of Australian communities. For example, Australia resettled approximately 5,211 refugees and set 1,852 people seeking asylum in community detentions in 2015 (Karlsen 2016 p.6). Australians have reacted in various ways to the government's policy to return asylum seekers to their countries of origin. This essay will address the question of whether the reaction to asylum seekers in Australia is an example of moral panic. I will argue that the reaction toward asylum seekers is a moral panic because it qualifies all the criteria for the moral panic theory. I will analyze the five criteria of a moral panic suggested by Goode and Ben-Yehuda (2009, p.37) - concern, hostility, consensus, disproportion, and volatility - to establish whether the response to asylum seekers in Australia reflects a situation of moral panic to the Australian public.
The problem of asylum seekers in Australia qualifies the first criterion of moral panic theory - concern
The problem of asylum seekers in Australia qualifies the first criterion of moral panic theory - concern. There is great concern for the increased number of asylum seekers in Australia because the immigrants cause loss of cultural and national identity, safety threats, risks of terrorism, and the potential of job losses (Martin 2015, p.304). The Australian society views asylum seekers arriving at the country by boat as serious threats of national security. According to Martin (2015), asylum seekers are causing great concern in Australian society due to the increasing danger of terrorism. The consequences of terrorism in western countries have led to precautious treatment of foreigners in most countries. Most asylum seekers in Australia come from war-torn countries in Asia and the Middle East that have traditionally been associated with terrorism. Martin (2015) postulates that Muslim refugees have been constructed as terrorists, causing public fear on people from Muslim countries. Goode and Ben-Yehuda (2009, p.37) suggest that concern as a criterion of moral panic theory should be manifested in concrete ways through media and public commentary, opinion polls, and proposed legislations. Australia's media representation of asylum seekers as potential threat to the country's security, economic performance, and national identity has caused public anxiety and changes in government policies (Laura, 2012). Thus, the reaction of the Australian public to asylum seekers is a moral panic because it causes genuine concern of security threats, terrorism, anxiety, and potential loss of national culture and identity.
The reaction of Australians to asylum seekers is also a moral panic situation because different communities in the country are hostile toward asylum seekers
The reaction of Australians to asylum seekers is also a moral panic situation because different communities in the country are hostile toward asylum seekers. According to Pederson and Hartley (2014), the Australian society propagate negative sentiments, prejudice, stereotypes, and discriminative practices towards asylum seekers. An opinion poll conducted in 2013 suggests that 60% of Australians support increased severe treatment of asylum seekers by the government (Pederson and Hartley, 2014). As a result, several Australians have been placed in community detentions with the support of local populations. This behavior shows that the Australian citizens are hostile to asylum seekers because they want them to be treated negatively. Members of the public also disseminate prejudice by accepting inaccurate information and myths about the association of asylum seekers with terrorists. According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda (2009, p.38), the criterion of hostility is achieved when a respectable society designates a certain group of people as an enemy. As suggested by Cohen (2002, p.4), deviance is a social construction among members of the society. Australians treat asylum seekers as enemies by supporting the government's harsh policies against refugees and propagating negative sentiments in public discourse. Therefore, the Australian society creates a division between the 'decent' citizens and 'deviant' refugees, leading to hostility that causes general moral panic.
There is also a general consensus in the Australian public that asylum seekers are a serious threat and concern to the entire society
There is also a general consensus in the Australian public that asylum seekers are a serious threat and concern to the entire society. According to Pederson and Hartley (2014), the Australian prejudice towards asylum seekers is associated with the perceptions of consensus and nationalism. A study carried out by the University of Western Australia showed that most Australians fly the country's flag on their cars as a show of patriotism and nationalism. The study also showed that most of the people who flew the Australian flag held negative views towards refuge seekers. Only 9.9% of the people who fly the national flag provided positive sentiments about asylum seekers (Pederson and Hartley, 2014). Thus, Australians have a strong consensus on national identity and prejudice towards asylum seekers. Goode and Ben-Yehuda (2009, p.38) postulate that a reaction qualifies as a moral panic if there is a widespread agreement in society that a certain threat is real and serious. In this regard, the reactions of the Australian society towards asylum seekers is a moral panic because members of the Australian public have a widespread consensus that foreigners are a serious threat to the society.
The Australian public reaction towards asylum seekers is also disproportionate to the threat posed by the refugees
The Australian public reaction towards asylum seekers is also disproportionate to the threat posed by the refugees. For instance, Duncan (n.d.) argues that Australia has not identified any potential terrorist among the people who have sought asylum so far. This statistic shows that asylum seekers do not present a serious threat of terrorism and national security as depicted by the negative sentiments in Australia's public discourse. Australia has the duty to protect refugees whose lives and freedom have been threatened in their home countries. The negative sentiments, hate, stereotyping, and discrimination by Australian citizens violate the human rights of asylum seekers who are genuinely fleeing from persecution. Furthermore, a large number of Australians support the government's mandatory detention policy (Pederson and Hartley, 2014). The policy allows government officials to detain asylum seekers and return them to their countries. This behavior shows a disproportionate mistreatment of asylum seekers by the Australian public. Thus, the response of people in Australia reflects a moral panic situation because the public behavior achieves the criterion of disproportionality.
The reaction of Australian society against asylum seekers is also a moral panic
The reaction of Australian society against asylum seekers is also a moral panic because it meets the criterion of volatility. According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda (2009, p.41), a behavior is a moral panic if it is highly unstable. The Australian public sentiments on asylum seekers is highly uncertain because it is influenced by media and news reports. When a negative event happens such as the terrorist attack in a German market in 2016 (Simon, Ellis and Pleitgen, 2015), the media news propagates a feeling of fear and anti-terror sentiments that create volatility in public opinion. Therefore, Australians change their views about foreigners based on media information, leading to increased level of volatility which shows the occurrence of moral panic in relation to the reaction of Australian public towards asylum seekers.
The reaction Australian society against asylum seekers is a good example of moral panic
The reaction Australian society against asylum seekers is a good example of moral panic because it has met all the five criteria such as concern, hostility, consensus, disproportion and volatility. The influx of asylum seekers into Australia has caused a major concern of terrorism, threat to national security, and potential loss of national identity. The public has also become hostile to asylum seekers through prejudice, hate speech, discrimination, and support of government policies against asylum seekers. These behaviors are both disproportionate and consistent across the country, leading to a high level of moral panic. Lastly, the reaction of Australian people to asylum seekers is volatile because it changes based on media reports and information.
References
Cohen, S., 2002. Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers, 3rd Edition. New York: Routledge.
Duncan, B., N.d., Why do asylum seekers panic Australians? CSSR, https://www.cssr.org.au/justice_matters/dsp-default.cfm?loadref=348#.W2mFP9IzbIU.
Goode, E. and Ben-Yehuda, N., 2009. Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance, 2nd Edition. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Karlsen, E., 2016. Refugee Resettlement to Australia: What are the Facts? Research Paper Series, 2016-2017. Australian Parliamentary Library. http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/4805035/upload_binary/4805035.pdf;fileType=application/pdf
Laura, S., 2012. Asylum Seekers, Moral Panics and Media Effects. Laura Sanford, May 31, 2012. https://laurasanford.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/asylumseekersandthemedia/.
Martin, G., 2015. Stop the boats! Moral panic in Australia over asylum seekers. Continuum, 29(3), 1-19.
Pederson, A. and Hartley, L., 2014. What underlies public prejudice towards asylum seekers? The Conversation, May 12. https://theconversation.com/what-underlies-public-prejudice-towards-asylum-seekers-23974.
Simon, D., Ellis, R., and Pleitgen, F., 2015. Berlin Christmas market: 12 dead, 48 hospitalized in truck crash. CNN, December 20. https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/19/europe/berlin-christmas-market-truck/index.html.
