My Questions For a Sustainable Australia (not a big Australia…and one free from boats *natch*…and any form of real democracy)
Just a thought, our journalists aren't complete morons, are they? No. Unintelligent? Certainly not. Misguided? Perhaps?
“Just doing their job mate?” (http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2870685.htm)
Most certainly.
But even with doing the bare minimum, as reporters often do these days, surely we want to know one simple question.
A question that has reared its head ever since the horrible crimes against humanity on September the 11th, 2001 and it has reared its head again with the upcoming federal election
Why do our journalists merely repeat the party line handed down by our governments and so called leaders to the letter? Why do our reporters let this go unquestioned and most certainly unchallenged.
Why?
It seems to me to be a simple question.
We know for sure that our journalists are far from stupid, so why do they not ask the simple questions I find myself asking when I have heard either Abbott or Gillard talking about so-called “boat people”.
Let’s face it, Abbott’s usage of the word “boats”, “stopping the boats”, “no more boats” is his Orwellian newspeak way of making you think - boat people. Without him having to use such questionable, slightly racist language, but invoking all the worst parts of our humanity where those words came from.
Be sure every single time Abbott says “stopping the boats” you can be sure he is saying “stopping those filthy boat people who are coming here to take your jobs and undermine your Australian way of life”.
When Abbott or Gillard are talking about “being tough on people smugglers”, “stopping the boats”, “being tough on border control: - it is all newspeak for “Stopping the boat people”.
Why, in interviews aren't politicians asked some simple questions by our journalists?
Questions like:
Why are you talking about Boat people when the reality of the actual numbers entering is such a non-issue?
What exactly are you trying to do by bringing this up?
What is the motive for this being such a large debate point?
Are you trying to distract us from real issues?
Are you trying to use fear to win votes?
These all seem like perfectly legitimate questions to ask, I have found myself asking these questions to my answerless radio when I have heard Mr Abbott or Ms Gillard “talking tough” on Asylum seekers…and I am sure you have too.
Not to mention the fear about Immigration!
Abbott’s talk of wanting to reduce immigration levels drastically (again: create fear + protect people from said fear = win votes) has been utterly destroyed TODAY on the front page of the Financial Review by business leaders.
Basically saying that, reducing immigration by such a drastic level will increase the cost of labour in the long term and therefore increase inflation drastically when you consider our population demographics, nice work Tony.
If you can’t tell, one of my favourite journalists is Robert Fisk, I highly recommend you read his work. But when discussing what the job of journalists is, his favourite definition is one given by Amira Haas (an amazing reporter from Israeli newspaper Haaretz). Here it is slightly paraphrased:
“Our job as journalists to monitor the centres of power and to question the narrative laid down to us by our governments and politicians, especially when they want to go to war and especially when they’re going to kill people to do it”
So why aren’t ours asking the simple questions we all are asking ourselves as it comes to election time?
Sure no one is dying (barring democracy) but last I checked, we’re still fighting a war in two countries we have no place being in and asylum seekers arriving illegally by boat to Australia is not an issue that is important nor significant enough to warrant this level of public debate.
It is a non-issue, the numbers reflect that. End of story. Go back to sleep Australia, enjoy Masterchef. You can thank our news media for the soothing, lilting bedtime music.
