[thechat] Matters of race, politics, and offence.

Paul Cowan evolt at funkwit.com
Tue Sep 17 18:57:01 CDT 2002


Hi all,

I thought some of you might want to see two interesting cartoons from
the Australian media of late, referenced on ABC-TV's Media Watch (ABC =
Australian government-run broadcaster, very similar to the BBC; Media
Watch = weekly 15-minute media discussion program).

One cartoon was effectively censored by the editor of the newspaper
in question for being 'Anti-US'; the other was published, rather
surprisingly, by a Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper.

The transcript of the section, with links to the cartoons, is at:
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/160902_s2.htm

Note that some will be offended, particularly by the first; personally,
as a member of the raving-loony bleeding-heart left, I find it to be
both a salient point and a well-made one.

As per discussions of racism (a VERY hot topic at the moment), you may
also be interested in another, rather more scandalous, newspaper
story from this week's Media Watch, involving the insertion of two
key words into a newspaper article about pack rape:
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/160902_s5.htm

(Background: there has been _mucho_ controversy about the media reporting
of a recent spate of pack-rapes in Sydney, by a group of self-identified
"Lebanese Muslims". The 'ringleader' was recently given a 55-year sentence,
almost unheard-of in Australia for such crimes. There has been much finger-
wagging in the media, and AT the media, as to the continual reference from
the very start of the offenders as being "Lebanese" -- as in, does it
matter?
Other rapes aren't described as being by "Caucasians" -- etc. More info
avaliable on request, if matters of gang rape aren't too weighty for thechat
on a fine day like today[*])

Very weighty matters, more levity next time, I promise.

Paul.

[*] actually, the weather here is shitty in the extreme. Welcome to
Melbourne.





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