Edward RussellExtremism seems to be a term thrown around lightly – at least by the Australian government. “Preventing violent extremism and radicalization in Australia” a thirty-two page long report aimed at informing “the Australian community about how individuals might become engaged in violent extremism through the process of radicalization and provides information on how to help them disengage from violent ideologies.” However upon closer inspection, it become apparent that there might be party based agenda’s at play.
Page thirteen seems to be one of the most blatant pieces of propaganda in out time – Case Study Karen. A fictional Australian you used by the government as a case study and an example of what can go wrong. “Karen grew up in a loving family who never participated in activism of any sort.” So were equating that loving families do not participate in activism or question society and that activism is damaging. “Karen became involved in the alternative music scene, student politics and left-wing activism.
In hindsight she thinks this was just ‘typical teenage rebellion’.” This hit me hard, being an alternative music loving, left-wing politics student. The government is implying that left-wing views, such as sustainable environmental policy and social progressivism and equality are the basis of extremist violence. Pretty convenient coming from a right-wing conservative government. The case study goes onto explain Karen’s awful and damaging experience campaigning for environmental policy, dropping out of uni and living in a forest camp (where are these forest camps and can I come live there?) to the “painful transition out of radical activism, where Karen struggled to recover, define her identity and her role in society.” In a nutshell, how she ruined her life by thinking and acting this deviant way.
While I don’t know if I would include disrupting logging activities, spiking trees and sabotaging machinery as violent protest, I would certainly not condone violent protest as an effective form of lobbying. However, it is clear that Australia is (embarrassingly) falling behind in environmental policy, being the only nation to have repealed measures against climate change. It is apparent that this case study, which is aimed at reducing radicalism, has an underlying tone of needing to be socially obedient. Don’t question the government’s environmental policy, don’t listen to music not in the main stream, don’t hold left wing or opposing views, don’t stand for anything, protest or be politically active, don’t question the world, just listen to the conservative government and not politely.
