This book describes and analyzes the cognitive, moral, and social framework in which a phenomenon is defined and treated as a public problem. Using drinking and driving as a case example, the author presents a perspective on the study of public problems which emphasizes the role of language and ritual in creating a sense of order and authority in human behavior. Consistencies and inconsistencies between public ceremony and routine performance for those concerned with drinking-driving behavior are explored. Concepts from cultural anthropology and literary criticism are employed to demonstrate the central role of metaphor, rhetoric, and ritual in the "science" of auto safety research, in the communication of the "facts" about drinking-driving to the public, and in the legal ceremonies enacted in traffic court.
Abstract