There are many kinds of panic.

恐慌有很多種。

And one of the most terrifying one of them all is moral panic.

而其中最可怕的之一就是道德恐慌。

Moral panic is defined as public anxiety or alarm in response to a perceived threat to the moral standard of the society.

所謂的道德恐慌指的是：當一個社會的道德規范感受到一個可見的威脅時，人們對這個威脅表現出的公開不安和警惕。

The road to moral panic has several stops.

通往道德恐慌的道路上有很多站。

The first is concern.

其中的第一站就是“擔憂”。

This concern spreads from person to person, and is amplified by cultural forces until rational concern becomes irrational fear.

這種擔憂會從一個人傳給另一個人，并且會被文化力量增幅放大，直到最終理性的擔憂變成了非理性的恐懼。

People come to believe something terrible is happening. Something they cannot see. Something they can’t control.

然后人們就會開始相信，有什么可怕的事情正在發生。這是一種他們看不見的東西。這是一種他們無法控制的東西。

It has come for others. It will come for them.

這個東西已經發生在別人身上了。而它總有一天會發生在我們自己身上。

The result of this can be very dangerous because, whether or not the threat is real, the response certainly is.

這種現象的結果可能會很危險，因為，不管那個威脅是真是假，人們采取的應對行為顯然都是真的。

And it is often excessive.

而且這些應對行為常常是過激的。

For example, you may know the disastrous witch-hunt in the Western history.

比如，你可能知道西方歷史里那段災難性的“女巫狩獵”運動。

Too many innocent people died in it.

有太多的無辜的人因它而死。

So ask yourself: What’s more terrifying? Fear? Or the frightened?

所以，問問你自己吧：到底什么更可怕?是恐懼本身?還是那些感到恐懼的人?