Communicating Differences: Media, Whiteness, and Islamophobia

This essay discusses the increasing communal differences fueled by media sources in Australia. It explores the role of media in promoting whiteness and Islamophobia, and analyzes the arguments presented by Sunrise TV show and different scholars. The concept of othering and its impact on social differences are also examined.

COMMUNICATING DIFFERENCES
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Introduction
Communal differences are increasing with the creation of social identities (Chalmers & Dreher,
2009, p 140). Media sources of various types are fueling such differences. Australia is a
culturally diversified country with a large number of different communities that promotes
diversity. Australians are known to attach greater importance to racial and cultural history
according to Starks (2018). Australia has been known to distinguish other’s background from
their own. The concept of othering is a term that demotes diversity framework and formation of
contemporary communities. Othering rather focuses on racialization, gender, sexuality,
multiculturalism, and class-based inequalities. The current critical discussion includes ways in
which Sunrise TV shows projects Muslim voices along with analysis from different scholars
exploring key argument and identifying similarities and differences between them.
Argument
Australia has had settler colonialism and Indigenous identities, recently there is a large number
of the immigrant population in the country. This essay will discuss issues of intersection,
whiteness, and Islamophobia in the current analysis. With the increasing number of immigrants
from the varied social construct, there has been rising intersectional issues from contemporary
Australian politics and news media (Butler, 2013, p 21). All forms of media frame subject in a
certain manner. In the diverse social framework, there is an issue in classifying a group of people
based upon a single shared identity. Violence is not a recent occurrence in Australia and it has
been happening since prolonged time. Riots and protests are presented visibility by the
Australian news media through their reporting. Whiteness is regarded as a social construct which
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is based on dominance and power. The critical whiteness theory states that the power of
whiteness is racialized to transform into political, social, economic and cultural behaviors. The
power of whiteness is regarded in norms, values, and cultures as being normative natural. They
act as standards for evaluating other cultural groups and individuals, who are regarded as being
inferior, according to Henry and Tator (2006, p 55). The concept of othering has become popular
in the global context and especially in Australia, it is being used to create social differences and
distinction. Most of the violence is currently attributed to being conducted by Islam terrorist
groups. Newspapers such as News Ltd, Daily Telegraph, the Courier-Mail, the Herald Sun and
the Advertiser are continuously focusing on associating Muslims with terrorism, violence, and
radicalism. Islamic Sciences and Research Academy and Islamophobia Register expressed that
politicians opinions and media expression has the key role in persecuting Muslims.
David Koch of Sunrise accused One Nation leader Pauline Hanson on the empowerment of white
supremacy (Stevens, 2019). Koch appeared furious while accusing the federal senator. The
television show highlights white supremacy and Pauline tried to defend herself by expressing her
concerns regarding the families who have lost lives in the attack. Koch directly accused Hanson
of being indirectly responsible for the terrorists attack, by fueling such hate speech against
Muslims. Paul Hanson is a prominent figure in the government, her speech is bound to impact
the other cultures residing within the same country. Anti-Muslim comments made by the
politician received significant coverage, which later led to an increase in Islamophobic incident.
Tamana Daqiq notes that a spike in Islamophobia could be anything from pulling off
headscarves, spatting of individuals, physical or verbal abuse. The above statement issued
against Muslims can be seen in many media forms across Australia. At first author's work with
supports, Koch's point of view will be analyzed and their dissimilarities will be understood.
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Political intervention regarding a community on the media creates panic regarding the entire
community as a whole. Given loads of presentations being made over a substantial period of
time, a pertinent idea can be influenced. The identity and representation of the cultural
community of Muslim are presented by the media according to them. Dreher (2003, p 121) states
that the manner in which media distorts statement, as a federal election campaign which aimed
fought on the border protection was twisted to ‘war on terror' by global news reporting on
September 11th. Media dictates terms, reinforces prejudices, influences attitudes which in sum
total causes fear. The scholar here tries to support Koch’s point of view made that media did
twist the news against the Muslim community. Koch tried to point out in the right manner that
Sunrise was not supporting the speech made by Hanson. But Hanson was trying to support
whiteness, with the sense of superiority and dominance over minorities. Hence the author's work
offers several similarities in attitudes of Hanson but is dissimilar for Koch, as he is media
personnel does not twist the incidence of blame an entire community.
The concept of whiteness prevails when media and politicians generally try to evaluate Muslims.
Though Koch is in media but he offers a dissimilar view and Hanson speech can be supported by
the Critical Whiteness theory. She tries to generalize the behavior of some terrorist Muslim by
the inclusion of the entire community (Essentialism and Pathologising). A few instances of
Muslim terrorist activities has been pathologized as the cultural tendency, according to Poynting
et al. (2004). She tries to extend her justification to further problems being faced in parts of
Australia while discussing with Koch. The discussion by Koch offers a sharp contrast according
to most scholars work in othering. Koch does not generalize an entire community and offers a
sound argument. The above author's work offers a sharp dissimilarity to Koch again but is
applicable for Hanson, who has a more pathologized view for the entire Muslim community.
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Most print media and also television media which pathologizes the Muslim community is owned
by people, who regard themselves as white. Therefore, it can be understood that the works of the
scholar have significant practical implications, though Koch's interview offers some
dissimilarities.
Media plays a significant role in the creation of ideas about social differences through the
practice of othering. Muslim is a popular culture with a major worldwide population, othering of
Muslims has created a fundamentally different form for them. The othering has led to a potential
threat to the Muslim community by associating them with the cultural norm of terrorism and
extremism. While violence had a long history in Australia, since the colonial invasion, media is
regarding such violence as new in the country. Media is creating the concept that with Muslim
population emergence, there has been a rise in violence in the country (Churchill, Baltra-Ulloa &
Moore, 2014, p 50). The debate of Hanson with Koch took place before the gunman announced
himself as white in the social media. However, prior to the confession, all forms of media was
connecting the attack with possibly a Muslim man. The Muslim culture has been seen to be a
threat to the Australian cultural norms, as newspapers and media discuss it. Muslims has been
regarded by various media as being deceptive which is regarded as essentialized. Hall (1997, p
334) rightly points out that difference is considered by taking into positive aspects. Hall also
mentioned about binary opposition where diversity was a manner in which a culture's difference
was understood. In his work, he states that in binary form, one is the dominant. The contrast of
white against Muslims can be understood anthropologically. As Marry Douglas points out that
social groups have their own classificatory systems. Therefore, in the binary, both white and
Muslims are socially different as they have their own cultural forms and classifications. In
Hanson's argument, such dominance can be seen, however, in sharp contrast to media, Koch does
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not offer a point of view based upon binary. Therefore, Hall’s work can be said to have
dissimilarities with Koch from Sunrise.
Conclusion
To conclude, it can be said that the role of media is prominent in communicating cultural
difference. Most prominent Australian media states their point of view which supports whiteness
and are against Muslims. The intersectional attributes of the multiple social identities create
oppression and exclusion which is immeasurable. The Muslims as the community is oppressed
and excluded in Australia. Some of the political figures have a significant role to play in such
oppression and exclusion. The role of the media in creating panic amongst the general population
against the entire community cannot be overemphasized. Though Koch of Sunrise offers a
contrasting argument and acts as an example that media needs to follow. The concept of
otherness and intersectionality creates more violence than harmony within a country.
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References
Butler, J., 2013. For white girls only? Postfeminism and the politics of inclusion. Feminist
Formations, pp.35-58.
Chalmers, S. and Dreher, T., 2009. Safeguarding masculinity, protecting" our" borders: the
banality of sexual violence in the public sphere in Australia.
Moore, R., Baltra-Ulloa, J. and Churchill, B., 2014. Diffi cult conversations: race, class and
gender in White Australia. In Routledge International Handbook of Race, Class, and
Gender (pp. 39-46). Routledge.
Starks, D. 2018, ‘“Where are you from?” is a complicated question. This is how young
Australians answer’ The Conversation, July 12th 2018, viewed at:
https://theconversation.com/where-are-youfrom-is-a-complicated-question-this-is-how-young-
australians-answer-99644
Stevens, K (March 17, 2019). ‘This Terrorist manifesto reads like One Nation immigration
policy’: David Koch explodes in fiery Sunrise interview with Pauline Hanson over Christchurch
terrorist attack.’ Daily Mail. Retrieved from <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
6820053/David-Koch-explodes-Sunrise-interview-Pauline-Hanson-Christchurch-terrorist-
attack.html>
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