Talk-Back Radio Racism
Radio Show Presenters And The Engineering Of Racist Public Opinion Regarding Indigenous Issues
Aboriginal issues are perceived negatively by the wider public because of media portrayals, with talk-back radio hosts the most blatant culprits.
We often wonder where all the anger and ignorance comes from when we see public outrage and misinformation regarding any native title victories for Aboriginal people. Well, look no further than Western Australian talk-back radio.
For example, one talk-back radio presenter was recorded over a period, and was found to rely heavily on the following expressions regarding native title and Indigenous issues: 'we're all in this together', 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander', 'thin end of the wedge', 'stop the rot', 'the chooks are coming home to roost'. These framed his racist views as practical everyday wisdom, insulating his target audience in comfortable layers of solidarity based on ignorance and hatred.
Unfortunately this is not limited to one rogue DJ. Australian talk-back radio has been found predominantly to reinforce the following beliefs about Aboriginal social issues.
- Aboriginal people get too many handouts.
- Aboriginal people get more than the whites.
- Land rights are just one more handout.
- Aboriginal people are like spoilt children.
- Aboriginal people don't use the land.
- Drinking rights are to blame.
- Aboriginal people drink their money.
- Aboriginal people were immigrants like the rest of us and thus don't deserve land rights.
- Equal opportunity = equal treatment.
- We are not responsible for the past.
- We don't owe them anything.
- Aboriginal families are like leeches and drain away each others' resources.
- Real Aboriginal people = full-bloods.
- Full-bloods are gentle people; part-Aboriginals are grizzlers.
- Part-Aboriginals have bad blood and are whingers and stirrers.
- Do-gooders are to blame; Aboriginal people are being manipulated by communists.
- Aboriginal people are problems and Aboriginal people have problems.
- The answer to the problem is to round them up...
The research that informed this article can be found at http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/CRCC/gambling/talk_back.html
