Actually the Ebola Panic almost perfectly encapsulates what I’m looking for - it wasn’t completely confined to right-wing media, but was heavily pushed by right-wing sources that thought they could damage Obama over it, and it had a more easily identifiable start and end than most panics, which as other posters have observed, tend to just go on and on until the public is tired of hearing about it
You’re right that the AIDS Panic was also not confined to right-wing media, but it was pushed by right-wing ideologues; I’m pretty sure Huckabee called for mass quarantine of people with AIDS, for example. It does get a little grayer in that many liberals fell for the panic
Also not sure it’s helpful to switch out a more easily searched/defined Critical Race Theory for the less easily searched/defined Woke even though both campaigns are clearly related, but thanks for the suggestion anyway
Many of the people in favor of anti-Shariah laws also seem to want laws influenced by their Christian beliefs. Like anti-abortion legislation or laws allowing prayer in schools.
I personally know people who think it was a call to arms. The zombie thing was a ruse.
The CDC getting in on it just lent credence to their claim the government was gonna come take their guns, ammo, food, money and push them into camps not fit for animals.
Low bar panic? yeah probably. But, still.
Some of these people are nuts
No, there really were Soviet spies that had infiltrated our government. Not that Tail Gunner Joe knew about any of them, but there was reality there.
But what I don’t get is the “threat” of such harmless stuff as Drag shows. I understand a parents worry their kid may be 'different"- gay, trans, a nerd, whatever. It’s wrong, but parents have many unfounded (and legit) worries about their kids.
Or now DeSantis wants us to believe Disney is “grooming” kids. For what? I mean, the Princess makeovers are kinda expensive…
While recent iterations of this have mostly been right-wing, I have to say that Democrats also jumped on this bandwagon in a big way. Hilary Clinton introduced the so-called “Family Entertainment Protection Act”, a rather obviously unconstitutional bill aimed at regulating video game content. The bill failed (and state laws that implemented the same provisions were struck down by the Supreme Court), but I still hold it against her.
Human trafficking seems to be a big one now, thanks to the RW movie that’s out now.
I follow a local police scanner page on Facebook, and every time there’s a police incident mentioned that involves a van, or an incident involving a child, you get a dozen comments from people who are sure it’s an example of human trafficking. “It’s real bad here in West Michigan,” is something they say almost like a mantra.
