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I've just returned to Australia after 15 years living all around the world, and I find it all fascinating and I have a bit of perspective on this. The Australi

by grecy 5y ago

I've just returned to Australia after 15 years living all around the world, and I find it all fascinating and I have a bit of perspective on this. The Australian media have a very strong influence on people's lives - they daily create some uproar or other that people get addicted to, wound up about, and then forget. Two weeks ago it was the nuclear sub deal with USA (and dropping France), then it was some state leader resigning, then it was how Covid was badly handled, then it was... You get the idea. Anyway, what the media doesn't do is report on things the government doesn't want them to, like all the new surveillance laws being passed. Or when they do, it's very much labelled as "in your best interest" and "think of the children" and all that. Even if there is a 10 second mention of how this might be stepping on our privacy, there are quickly a line of experts saying that is not the case and that is clearly wrong. I watched a random segment about people protesting covid restrictions and they dropped the nugget "using encrypted communication apps on their phone to coordinate". My Dad immediately jumped to the conclusion that encrypted communications the police can't read is obviously a bad thing. So the Australian media works hand-in-hand with the government to keep everyone distracted, and to paint a very one-sided picture. It was fascinating to watch the whole "Facebook and Google must pay Rupert Murdoch money every time anyone posts a link to one of his news sites" play out from abroad, then come here and see what Australians know about it. The Australian law literally says Google and FB have to give money to Rupert Murdoch, but Australians think it's about getting FB and Google to pay their fair share of taxes. I've talked to dozens of people who say things like "That money will help build schools and hospitals, Facebook can certainly afford it." (which is utterly untrue) I find the majority here are severely misinformed, because the media inside the country is very controlled (And of course Australian don't know that, and get offended if I try to point that out or discuss it)

clouddrover 5y ago
> My Dad immediately jumped to the conclusion that encrypted communications the police can't read is obviously a bad thing. Then I think the problem here is your dad, not the media. Your dad's lack of clear thinking or otherwise is his responsibility. You can't run around in square circles claiming that it's all the media's fault for your dad's supposed wrongthink. There are two possibilities: 1. Your dad is a dumb, unsophisticated, unthinking lump who has no ideas of his own and who is easy for the evil Media to manipulate. 2. This is his genuine opinion. Either way, he gets to take responsibility for himself. And you get to respect him enough to engage with his point of view rather than invoking The Media as a pantomime villain.
- arc-in-space 5y ago
  There is a third possibility. Sometimes people make mistakes due to a limited perspective. One might argue this is merely a variant of your second option, but in that case the media would be very much at fault.
- grecy 5y ago
  I used my Dad more as an example of how "the average Australian" thinks and is processing all of this, not really to focus on him alone. He was a High school Maths/Science teacher for 40 years, and I'd generally consider him to be very thoughtful, intelligent and good with reasoning. He has been exposed solely to Australian media for essentially his entire life - he lives on an island that is very far away from the big wide world, and his thinking on topics like this reflects what I consider to be "The average Australian", which is why Australians seem "complacent" as the title says.

by grecy 5y ago

clouddrover 5y ago

> My Dad immediately jumped to the conclusion that encrypted communications the police can't read is obviously a bad thing. Then I think the problem here is your dad, not the media. Your dad's lack of clear thinking or otherwise is his responsibility. You can't run around in square circles claiming that it's all the media's fault for your dad's supposed wrongthink. There are two possibilities: 1. Your dad is a dumb, unsophisticated, unthinking lump who has no ideas of his own and who is easy for the evil Media to manipulate. 2. This is his genuine opinion. Either way, he gets to take responsibility for himself. And you get to respect him enough to engage with his point of view rather than invoking The Media as a pantomime villain.

arc-in-space 5y ago
There is a third possibility. Sometimes people make mistakes due to a limited perspective. One might argue this is merely a variant of your second option, but in that case the media would be very much at fault.
grecy 5y ago
I used my Dad more as an example of how "the average Australian" thinks and is processing all of this, not really to focus on him alone. He was a High school Maths/Science teacher for 40 years, and I'd generally consider him to be very thoughtful, intelligent and good with reasoning. He has been exposed solely to Australian media for essentially his entire life - he lives on an island that is very far away from the big wide world, and his thinking on topics like this reflects what I consider to be "The average Australian", which is why Australians seem "complacent" as the title says.