A confluence of trends is forcing vice out of the shadows. The Shades of Grey books, with plotlines tied to kinky sex, are bestsellers. A male stripper movie, Magic Mike, is a big hit. Two states in the US legalized marijuana in the 2012 elections. New kinds of lifestyles and living arrangements, while far from becoming mainstream, are finding greater acceptance and observance. Rudeness, too, has been become routine. Little is off limits anymore.

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• Moral Decline and Moral Panic