Fear and Prejudice
June 29, 2012 at 4:50 pm | Posted in Australia, History, Politics, Psychology, Social Responsibility, Society, War and Conflict, Ways of Living | 6 CommentsTags: fear, hatred, human-rights, julia gillard, manipulation, politics, racism, xenophobia
I received an email this morning from someone I will call James – one of those circular ones that play on the fears and prejudices of people to stir up emotions that suit their cause. It came from the U.K. and I live in Australia, but these things spread like a pandemic.
This one stirs up xenophobia, nationalistic pride and fear against, mainly, Islamic migrants and the ‘fact’ that they aim to make ‘our’ nation into something it’s not.
The theme of the email is, “Speak our language, appreciate and conform with our established culture and customs, leave your own where you came from, or don’t come here at all”.
To support their cause , the writers of the email have quoted a speech they attribute to our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. In the speech, Ms Gillard is purported to have said words to the effect of, “If you don’t want to be like us, don’t come”.
Now, Ms Gillard is too intelligent to say such things. If she had, it would be in all the media outlets and shouted out by some to support their cause or by others to denounce her politically.
I am tired and saddened by items such as this, sent on through hundreds and thousands of personal computers by people who are too eager to pass on their own fears and prejudices. In doing so, they are supporting and propagating those fears and prejudices in others. So, I wrote back to James – and all those to whom he sent the email (he didn’t BCC them!).
Hi James, and the others on your list to whom this email went out.
I just wanted to make a few comments on this email and others like it that have been circulating for some time now.
Julia Gillard did not say the things attributed to her (even if she ever thinks some of them at times, she wouldn’t say them publicly). This is a speech by some American, in which Gillard’s face and Australia’s name have been substituted for political reasons.
Have a closer look at it and you will see that it describes the US culture and political system, not Australia’s. For example, Gillard is an atheist, and wouldn’t base a speech on the Christian foundations of our nation (all that is American).
Whilst many people will agree to varying levels with what’s written here, false attribution is dishonest and destructive. It is part of the whole fear-driven agenda of one section of society to get support for their own desires and, because it is fear based, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The fact that these emails are so popular is in itself proof of that.
I urge all people to look behind these email campaigns to find the truth. The speech was probably made by someone, but it was not Gillard, and that is one of the things that make the whole campaign severely suspect.
Those who wish to control public opinion find that fear is their best weapon, and this is an excellent example of their rallying cry. Regardless of what any of us believe, we need to use intellect and reason, not emotion, to work out the truth of any of those beliefs.
Regards, Linda
I don’t know whether my reply to James and his friends will make any of them think a bit more deeply about what they hear and read. I may even be cut off from James’s mailing list because of it. But it had become too much – constantly receiving such destructive correspondence, and being unable t do anything about it.
But this time, I have done something – the email I sent, and this blog entry, may just get somebody somewhere to examine the bases of their thinking.
Do you receive emails like this? Do you read them? Delete them right away? Respond to them?
Do you like to receive such communications? Do you like to have your own beliefs supported? Or do they make you question what you believe and why?
© Linda Visman 29.06.2012
My second Y.A. novel
Available from Amazon.com
Linda Visman's blog
Share Your World
A to Z Blogging Challenge Survivor 2015
I survived A to Z 2015
2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge
2014 A-Z Blogging Survivor
2014 A-Z Blogging Challenge
Search this blog
Posts by the month
Blogroll
- A to Z Challenge Blogging from A to Z Challenge
- Buy Ben's Challenge Click here to buy a copy of Ben’s Challenge from Amazon.
Links - Writing
- Anne R Allen's blog
- Between Fact and Fiction
- Broadside Blog
- C.S. Lakin's Live, Write, Thrive A blog on writing by a great author
- debbie Robson Researching and writing a historical novel
- Erika liodice – Writing the Dream
- Live to Write – Write to Live
- Magdalena Ball
- Memory Writers Network
- Straight from Hel
- Women's Memoirs
- Writer Unboxed
- Writing Our Way Home
- Writing Our Way Home
- Writing Through Life
My Books
- Buy Ben's Challenge Click here to buy a copy of Ben’s Challenge from Amazon.
Other Links
- A to Z Challenge A to Z April Blogging Challenge
- ABC News Australia
- Northern Rivers Geology Geology of the Northern Rivers of NSW Australia
Writing Memoir
Topics I’ve written about
Wangiwriter’s posts
Blogs I Follow
- Foxgloves and Bumblebees
- L.T. Garvin
- Echidna Tracks
- Lake Macquarie Branch, Fellowship of Australian Writers
- irevuo
- The Faery Whisperer
- sketchings
- Learn Fun Facts
- backstorypress.com
- roughwighting
- Half Baked In Paradise
- Hoax-Slayer
- The Curry Apple Orchard
- barsetshirediaries
- Cee's Photography
- Leigh Warren :: Country Music Outlaw
- Diane Tibert
- Looking Back
- Explore China
- Repurposed Genealogy
Recent Comments
Tags
1950s 1950s Australia adventure Albion Park Rail Alzheimers Anzac Day art Australia Australian birds Baby Boomers beauty Ben's Challenge birds blogging book review books camping cancer Catholic schools challenge children Christmas community creativity Dapto Dapto High school death depression dreams education England environment family flowers friends frustration gratitude health history Illawarra inspiration kookaburra Lake Macquarie Lake Macquarie NSW literature memories memory nature noisy miner Oswaldtwistle poetry polio positive thinking procrastination publishing Rainbow lorikeet reading recycling relaxation religion research responsibility rubbish Sisters of St Joseph Society trees Wangi Wangi war Wollongong words work writer's block writing WWII Young Adult fictionJoin me on Goodreads
Find me on Facebook
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.