An alternative voice in search of truth and justice.
28/11/2019
This week, somehow more so than previous weeks, has been a disaster for the Coalition. The party has been rocked by scandals, seen continued fallout from their indifference and neglect regarding the bushfires, and one of the most troubling Bills they’ve introduced got thrown back in the Senate. They may have a majority in the House, but true integrity can’t be deregistered.
26/11/2019
The Labor party has, historically, been the party of the working class and the Union movement. This year, however, following their “surprise” election loss, they’ve opted for a more distanced approach from one of their greatest backers. Both on a State and a Federal level, there has been cause for praise and alarm, regarding policies that Labor has supported, from the Unions.
25/11/2019
One of the few things I’m currently in uncertain disagreement with regarding anarchism is the idea of private property. In many cases, it is quite simple, but in others, like housing, and data, there are some discrepancies that it would be wrong to not address. Seeing as I have probably written more about anarchism in the past few days than I have since I started the site, now seems to be a good time to discuss them.
22/11/2019
Despite winning the election in May, the Coalition seems to still be stuck in a lot of their campaigning habits. The reason, in my opinion, is a relatively simple one, but it’s mind-boggling to think that a government can be so awful that, only six months into a third term, all they can think to do is self-promoting PR.
18/11/2019
One of the things any book, article, or academic course on the media will (or should) tell you is that one of journalism’s flaws is agenda setting. Who frames the news, where they get the news, and who they get that information from are just some of the factors that go into structuring what consumers get to read and comment on. Australia is no exception, and as fires rage across the country’s east, many voices are being choked out by segments of the media.
Continue reading “Propaganda: Selecting and Misrepresenting Voices”
10/11/2019
The phrase “ok Boomer” has taken the internet, and specifically social media, by storm. It has sparked a litany of sarcastic responses, offense, memes, and even a comeback to a heckle in New Zealand’s government. While I have enjoyed the jokes quite a bit, as jokes, and while there are obviously many Boomers to which it can be applied, it is worth noting that many of the assumptions and accusations made through the phrase are not definitive of, nor exclusive to, a single generation. Many of them are a class issue, or, dare I say, an intellectual one.
09/11/2019
I’ve recently started reading The ABC of Anarchism (originally Now and After and What Is Communist Anarchism) by Alexander Berkman, and while a lot of the references made do show the age of the book, published in 1929, there are still many relevant observations and similarities to the modern age. The main one, with its many facets, is that capitalism hasn’t really changed much over the years, other than finding more efficient methods of concentrating even more wealth into fewer hands.
26/10/2019
There is not a political party or personality that is above criticism. There will almost always be flaws and concerns that can be raised, always problematic positions and actions that should be challenged. You can be the strongest supporter of a party or person, but if you fail to acknowledge their failings then your support isn’t admirable, it is blind and narrow loyalty.
02/11/2019
I am currently reading Addressing Modern Slavery by Justine Nolan and Martijn Boersma, and it’s a shocking read. Not shocking in the sense that we don’t know it exists – everyone should know that it not only exists, but many of our choices as consumers are intimately linked with this wretched reality. No, that slavery exists isn’t revelatory – but many of the stories and statistics, the main one being that there are over 40M slaves worldwide, are heartbreaking. And very little is being done about it. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone either.
Continue reading “Addressing Modern Slavery: A Reflection Pt.1”
13/10/2019
My political communications lecturer was at pains to differentiate between propaganda and political public relations, but even using the definitions provided to us and the reasoning for it, I’m not sold on it. It’s the only unit I’ve actually done on a political topic, and I am already starting to see how universities frame this kind of content to fit the mould that the mainstream media and academics slowly adjust to. It actually makes me interested in doing further study into it just to observe how a course on these issues is carried out.
Continue reading “Political Public Relations is A Form of Propaganda”
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