This afternoon I participated in a University of New South Wales O-Week event, titled ‘Terrorising Ourselves: A panel on the politicisation and media representation of terrorism!’,
The panellists for the event were:
Michael Hing (comedian and host)
Sarrah La Marquand , editor , NewsCorps
Dr. Eyal Mayroz , lecturer Conflict Studies, Uni of Sydney
Osman Faruqi – writer, The Guardian, Crikey
Tasneem Chopra, Cross Cultural Consultant
John McCarthy – former diplomat to US, Middle East and SE Asia
Issues summarised in this robust conversation in which all panellists shared strong opinions, included:
The ‘click bait’ culture dictating how media triages the terror threat
That the clash of civilisation as a theory of colonial convenience, justifies a necessary course of actions from the West, from invasions, armament to a sustained ‘War on Terror’ between Us and Them
Australia’s inarguable complicity in the destabilisation of the Middle East and the consequences of that here
Islamophobic acts of violence perpetrated against Australian Muslims borne of media representation and failed leadership
Perspective in the prospect of terror against existing dangers of alcohol fuel violence, violence against women
…and much more.
All up, this was a passionate conversation. And while I refrained my eye roll and face palm urges more than once, I’m grateful that audience responsiveness to this issue was significant and on point.
Thank you, UNSW. I’m liking the frontiers Oweek explores
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