Should we listen to despicable views? - Għandna nisimgħu veduti ta' stmerrija?

 

A whole brouhaha has just erupted about an interview on Australia’s Sky News on Sunday 5th August, with Blair Cottrell, a right-wing extremist and fascist who, on other occasions, suggested that photos of Adolf Hitler should be attached to classes the country over, and that Hitler’s book Mein Kampf be distributed to all students, and that women should be controlled by giving them a clip on the ears every so often, amongst others.

 

This person has also been found guilty by a court of property damage, inciting and ridiculing Muslims.  He still has another case before the courts.

 

The said interview was conducted by the ex Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Adam Giles, during his regular program The Adam Giles Show.

 

I did not see the interview unfortunately, firstly as I’m not a Foxtel subscriber, and secondly as the interview was swiftly removed from the Sky News website when the latter took account of the predominantly negative reaction by the public to the broadcast and even by other presenters of the same station.  Apart from that, Sky News also apologised for the interview even having been carried out and declared that Cottrell’s views were not those of the station, suspended the Giles program and said it made some changes to its editorial structure.1

 

To be really clear, I find both the beliefs and the actions by Cottrell abhorrent and disgusting.  Violence against women, or any other group, are not acceptable.  Denigration, discrimination and inciting against groups, mainly minorities, based on their culture, religion or ethnicity go against all principles of tolerance and empathy I have learnt in my life.

 

So was it a mistake for the views of this known racist to be broadcast?

 

I say the mistake was not in broadcasting the views, but that the interviewer Giles throughout the program did not challenge Cottrell’s views and gave the impression of being sympathetic with them.  At the end of the program, Giles even wished Cottrell every success in his endeavours!

 

Public broadcasting and their programs on current affairs, especially on moderated platforms which project a high standard, are an important location where ideas of all types are not only presented, but discussed and analysed by those competent enough to identify their main points, and how they measure up against social, cultural, religious and other dimensions, in communities, societies, countries and even the world where applicable.

 

The presenter, not the guest, has a moral obligation to listeners and viewers, to represent their views and confronting these with those of the guest, to search for truth, to offer constructive criticism, not to permit generalisations without an analysis of whether declarations are applicable, and so on and so forth.

 

If this critical approach is not taken, then the program becomes one of propaganda, where the presenter, and the station, would in fact be making the views of the guest their own.

 

I would not like to be isolated from views that are at odds with mine, which to me would represent censorship.  Nevertheless I expect that such views, and not only these, be presented in a critical and analytical way.  In this way I can feel comfortable that while watching, I am learning and not being indoctrinated.

 

Today there is a huge problem with the internet and social media, where people congregate in groups of like-minded people, and so end up only hearing views that largely agree with their own.  This does not augur well for development of a person’s critical mind, which will be so useful in other decisions that need to be made in life.  Without the skill of critical thinking, a person can be manipulated that much easier.

 

The solution, in my opinion, for all of us is to seek out those sources of information and analysis, not necessarily neutral, but ones that systematically tackle all subjects with a search for truth and a reference to universally agreed values of human rights.

 

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Bħalissa qam kjass fuq intervista li saret fuq Sky News tal-Awstralja nhar il-Ħadd 5 ta’ Awwissu li għadda, ma’ Blair Cottrell, estremista tal-lemin, faxxista li drabi oħra ssuġġerixxa li ritratti ta’ Adolf Hitler għandhom jiddendlu fil-klassijiet tal-pajjiż kollu, li l-ktieb ta’ Hitler Mein Kampf jitqassam lill-istudenti kollha, u li n-nisa tikkontrollahom billi ttektikielhom ma’ widnejhom xi kultant, fost ħafna affarijiet oħra.

 

Dan il-bniedem instab ħati wkoll f’qorti li wettaq ħsara fuq proprjeta u li xewwex u rridikula lill-Musulmani.  Għad baqagħlu wkoll każ quddiem il-ġustizzja.

 

Din l-intervista saritlu mill-ex Ministru Prinċipali tan-Northern Territory Adam Giles, waqt il-programm regolari tiegħu The Adam Giles Show.

 

Jien l-intervista ma rajthiex sfortunatament, l-ewwel għax m’iniex abbonat fil-Foxtel, u t-tieni għax l-intervista tneħħiet mill-websajt ta’ Sky News meta dawn tal-aħħar irreaġixxew għar-reazzjoni predominantement negattiva tal-pubbliku għax-xandira, u anke ta’ preżentaturi oħra tal-istess stazzjon.  Mhux biss, imma Sky News talbet skuża talli l-intervista saret u stqarret li l-veduti ta’ Cottrell mhumiex dawk tal-istazzjon, issospendiet il-programm ta’ Giles u qalet li għamlet xi bidliet fl-istruttura editorjali tagħha.1

 

Biex inkun ċar ħafna, jien insib kemm it-twemminiet u kemm l-imġieba ta’ Cottrell aborrenti u ta’ min jistmerrhom.  Il-vjolenza kontra n-nisa, jew kull grupp ieħor, mhux aċċettabbli.  It-tmaqdir, id-diskriminazzjoni u t-tixwix kontra gruppi, aktarx minoranzi, abbażi tal-kultura, reliġjon jew etniċità tagħhom imorru kontra kull prinċipju ta’ tolleranza u empatija li tgħallimt f’ħajti.

 

Allura kien żball li xxandru l-veduti ta’ dan ir-razzista magħruf?

 

Jien ngħid li l-iżball ma kienx li xxandru l-veduti, imma li l-intervistatur Giles matul il-programm ma sfidax il-veduti ta’ Cottrell u ta l-impressjoni li kien simpatetikujissimpatizza magħhom.  Fl-aħħar tal-programm,  Giles spiċċa biex awgura lil Cottrell kull suċċess fit-taħbit tiegħu!

 

Ix-xandir pubbliku u l-programmi tagħhom fuq l-attwalità, speċjalment fuq pjattaformi mmoderati u li jipproġettaw ruħhom li huma ta’ kalibru, huwa post importanti ħafna fejn idejat ta’ kull tip jiġu mhux biss ippreżentati, imma diskussi u analizzati minn min huwa kapaċi li joħroġ il-punti prinċipali tagħhom, u kif dawn jitkejlu ma’ sitwazzjonijiet soċjali, kulturali, reliġjużu u aspetti oħrajn, fil-komunitajiet, soċjetajiet, pajjiżi u anke d-dinja jekk applikabbli.

 

Il-preżentatur, mhux il-mistieden, għandu l-obbligu morali lejn is-semmiegħa u l-ispettaturi, li jirrappreżenta l-valuri tagħhom u jikkonfrontahom ma’ dawk tal-mistieden, li jfittex il-verità, li joffri kritika kostruttiva, li ma jitħallewx isiru stqarrijiet ġeneralizzati mingħajr xi analiżi jekkjew l-istqarrijiet humiex applikabbli, u nista’ nibqa sejjer.

 

Jekk din l-attitudni kritika ma ssirx, allura l-programm isir wieħed ta’ propaganda, fejn il-preżentatur, u l-istazzjoni, ikunu fil-fattbiss qiegħdin jagħmlu tagħhom il-veduti tal-misttieden.

 

Jien ma nixtieqx inkun iżolat milli nisma veduti li ma jaqblux ma’ tiegħi, li għalija tfisser ċensura.  Madankollu nistenna li veduti bħal dawn, u mhux dawn biss, jiġi ppreżentati b’mod kritiku u analitiku.  Hekk inkun inħossni komdu li qiegħed nitgħallem u mhux niġi indottrinat.

 

Illum hawn problema kbira bl-internet u l-midja soċjali, fejn in-nies aktarx li jiffurmaw gruppi ma min jaqbel magħhom, u allura jispiċċaw li jisimgħu biss veduti li jaqblu ma’ tagħhom.  Dan ma jawgurax tajjeb għall-iżvilupp ta’ sens kritiku fl-individwu, li jservih tant tajjeb fid-deċiżjonijiet li jrid jieħu fil-ħajja.  Mingħajr sens kritiku, bniedem iktar faċli li jiġi mmanipulat.

 

Is-soluzzjoni, fl-opinjoni tiegħi, hi li lkoll infittxu dawk is-sorsi ta’ informazzjoni u analiżi, mhux bilfors li jkunu newtrali, imma li jaffrontaw is-suġġetti kollha sistematikament b’tiftix għall-verità u  b’referenza lejn il-valuri universali maqbula tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem.

 

1https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/sky-news-blair-cottrell-interview-wrong/news-story/1daaadeba84b7f71d0c4fed38c0559ec, retrieved 14/8/2018

1https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/sky-news-blair-cottrell-interview-wrong/news-story/1daaadeba84b7f71d0c4fed38c0559ec, retrieved 14/8/2018