No doubt, gentle reader, you’re acquainted with both the
media pile-on directed towards Ben Roberts-Smith, and the consequential outrage.
Taken in isolation, this situation is patently
ridiculous, and it is unfair, given that the material that is the subject of
the pile-on is subject to a confidential ADF inquiry.
The pile-on is of course, unreasonable and unfair to
Roberts-Smith, but it is hardly a new phenomenon.
Consider the cases of Emma Husar, and the character
assasination following accusations of bullying and misuse of staff, and Yassmin Abdel Magied being abused to the point of being forced to leave the country after
her Ill-considered remarks about ANZAC Day.
There is a striking similarity between these three
situations, and some clear differences.
The similarities include the publishing of a whole range
of allegations that grow one upon the other, are amplified and value-added in
social media, and are scurrilous in the extreme.
There are, however, some differences, and they’re related
to gender.
In the case of Husar and YAM, there is a characteristic
of the pile-on that is salacious, and almost pornographic.
In the case of Roberts-Smith, the pornography is
violence.
What this reveals is the mindset of those to whom this
material appeals, and the level of gutter journalism in which many of our
tabloids and shock jocks are prepared to operate.
Sad and shameful......
