There are many kinds of panic.

恐慌有很多种。

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.

所谓的道德恐慌指的是：当一个社会的道德规范感受到一个可见的威胁时，人们对这个威胁表现出的公开不安和警惕。

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“担忧”。

This concern spreads from person to person, and is amplified¹ by cultural forces until rational concern becomes irrational² fear.

这种担忧会从一个人传给另一个人，并且会被文化力量增幅放大，直到最终理性的担忧变成了非理性的恐惧。

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

然后人们就会开始相信，有什么可怕的事情正在发生。这是一种他们看不见的东西。这是一种他们无法控制的东西。

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

这个东西已经发生在别人身上了。而它总有一天会发生在我们自己身上。

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

这种现象的结果可能会很危险，因为，不管那个威胁是真是假，人们采取的应对行为显然都是真的。

And it is often excessive.

而且这些应对行为常常是过激的。

For example, you may know the disastrous³ witch-hunt in the Western history.

比如，你可能知道西方历史里那段灾难性的“女巫狩猎”运动。

Too many innocent people died in it.

有太多的无辜的人因它而死。

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

所以，问问你自己吧：到底什么更可怕？是恐惧本身？还是那些感到恐惧的人？