Voice and Representation

I always feel hesitant to give my opinion on what other cultures should be doing. I'm aware of my own privileged status as a white male, and tend to get irritated with others like me for speaking out on issues that are either none of their concern, or they can't possibly fully understand.

However, given that, I have some general thoughts on culture and the Arts and the merits of distinct voices being given an opportunity to tell their stories. Essentially, I see opportunities for everyone to benefit in a number of ways. The mainstream / dominant culture is broadened and benefits from seeing other perspectives, while the minority / indigenous culture is empowered and given a voice. There are also opportunities for collaboration - as was pointed out in the Raheja reading - a valuable process in terms of both strengthening relationships between the participants and also the results it can generate (Raheja 2011: 195). Collaboration is also a learning experience and has its own value to the individual as well.

Another perhaps overlooked aspect of the Arts is that given the general lack of funding, any program or endeavour that creates opportunities to work shouldn't be rejected out of hand, purely because it doesn't live up to an ideal of how we as the mainstream feel about how indigenous people should be represented / should represent themselves. Deborah Mailman's character in The Secret Life of Us for example, was a strong character that happened to be Aboriginal, yet was multi-faceted and had depth beyond that.

In my experience, indigenous and non-indigenous artists (both actors and musicians) tend to understand that to be paid to create is a privilege that doesn't extend to everyone that would like the opportunity. Individuals can always say no, but shouldn't necessarily be judged too harshly for opting for the money every now and then.





Raheja, M.H. 2010. Visual Sovereignty, Indigenous Revisions of Ethnography, and Atanarjuat  (The Fast Runner). In Reservation Reelism : Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty, and  Representations of Native Americans in Film. University of Nebraska Press. Ch. 5, Ebook.

Framing the Media.

I am obsessed with framing. Looking for bias, looking for silences. Commercial networks, and even the ABC, are so consistent in the way they frame stories that it feels as though I am unrepresented and left without a voice on so many national issues. This lack of engagement is frustrating, though for me it arises out of a sense of feeling completely out of touch with mainstream Australia. I imagine it would be a lot worse if I was part of a minority group that, as a result of media portrayal, felt stigmatised, completely misrepresented and completely misunderstood.

It is here the media have to weigh up their responsibilities. Are they to the public, owed fair and balanced reports, with experts providing facts? Or is the media responsible to its owners, to its advertisers and its shareholders, whereby the public are presented with populist reports that re-affirm existing opinions, a dash of celebrity news and a healthy side of sport. It is a comfortable formula, and it is a cheap (non expensive) formula. International stories can be syndicated (from other media organisations owned by the same media group), the political narrative is overly simplified and crime is committed by monsters who need to be kept off the street.

It is the nature of the media machine though. A half hour spot in prime-time is so valuable in terms of viewers (potential consumers) that a low risk approach has to be taken to maximise the opportunity for the companies that are spending money, buying expensive advertising during the commercial breaks of the program. Not only that, but half an hour doesn't allow for context or in depth analysis of more than a couple of stories anyway, particularly when the subject is 'youth crime' or 'religious extremists.' Instead, broad generalisations - that are so far from the truth as to not really mean anything -  abound, and viewers are given an appraisal of events that can do more harm than good.

Given this, it is little wonder that minority groups are the targets of vicious attacks, both on line and physical. It is a nasty underbelly that exists not only in Australia, but across North America, Europe and Scandinavia, and it will take a courageous politician or media figurehead to stand up to it and discuss why it's so damaging.