Ignore the feigned outrage of the Abbott gang and their News Corpse cronies over Zaky Mallah's question on Q&A, writes Dr Martin Hirst, the real outrage was how bad Steve Ciobo's answer was.
So, the ABC apologised for letting Zaky Mallah ask a question on Q&A (see image
Don’t apologise to me, unless it’s for your craven backflip.
Seriously, what's the fuss?
A fomer jihadi wannabe, who says he now hates ISIS, goes on one late night talk show and confronts a Liberal politician who is desperately trying to keep his head in the sand and “La, La, La” his way to the next election.
Liberal MP Steve Ciobo would rather be on television shouting “Look over there, a #TERRORISMs!” instead of confronting difficult questions about the disastrous policy porridge that his Dear Leader is foisting on the country.
But, an outrage such as a minister being confronted by a young articulate muslim asking embarrassing questions cannot go unpunished.
Watch the full exchange between @zakymallah and @steveciobo on @QandA. The ABC will now review Mr Mallah's appearance http://t.co/0neRuNkRx3
— ABC News (@abcnews) June 23, 2015
The prime minister weighs in, the press secretaries get on the phones and, in a matter of moments, the Newscorpse drones have launched, ready to save the nation from one small man with a beard.
So now the messenger and the message host must be obliterated.
Why? Because Zaky Mallah was speaking truth to power and the powerful don’t like the truth.
In order to stop the truth being spread further the powerful have to stop the truth being talked about.
"Steve Ciobo, a cardboard cutout Liberal from the Gold Coast" http://t.co/j8DUMS0L0W
— Zac Spitzer (@zackster) June 24, 2015
Two brutal, but effective methods are used:
The first is to assassinate the messenger.
If the messenger can’t be locked up, or shot, or taken out by an armed drone, well, it’s inconvenient, but he can still be shut down by character destruction.
2nd edition: #Murdoch does his best to pull #Melbourne into the gutter with him & #Abbott. @KieraGorden #auspol #ABC pic.twitter.com/14PpBDbdrL
— Sir U Bet I’m Gone (@johndory49) June 23, 2015
This method is simple:
Concoct a bunch of lies, photoshop up some fear-inducing images of boys with beards and guns; then unleash the dogs on social media to tear the messenger down. This is even more effective when you can coordinate across several of the #Newscorpse bunkers to make sure that there is a wide field of withering fire laid down.
If only the #ABC could be more balanced like #Newscorpse. pic.twitter.com/6dz5jcJdTH
— Feed The MSM Chooks (@geeksrulz) June 24, 2015
This is a good distraction, people tend to keep their heads down – lest it get blown off in the crossfire- meaning there’s few folk actually checking the inconvenient facts.
For example, if you actually look at Mallah’s question – the reason he was in the audience – it is a good one.
Mallah reminded the Liberal cloneclown on Q&A that it is Abbott Government policy driving youngsters into the arms of ISIS.
Despite the denial, bluster, confected hurt feelings and angry outbursts from Abbott and the #Newcorpse drones, this is demonstrably true.
Every time there’s another “LOOK OVER THERE, A TERRORISMS” alert issued and Abbott blabbers “The ... err ...death cult ... err... the ... err ... death cult is coming”, more and more racist dribblejaws come out from under their rocks to abuse anyone who vaguely looks like a Muslim — you know, people in turbans and stuff — and the more unhappy, angry and upset young Muslims become.
Who can blame them? I don’t — I’d be pissed off too if I was subject to constant vilification. Shit, if it got bad enough I might even take up arms myself.
This is the line that so outraged Liberal mouthwash salesman Steve Ciobo:
'The Liberals have just justified to many Australian Muslims in the community tonight to leave and go to Syria and join IS because of ministers like him,” Mallah said, before Tony Jones finally stepped in to take some control of the Leftie lunatic asylum.'
The comments about the Q&A audience being a 'Leftie lunatic asylum' are from a long-term #Newscorpse bunker dweller who is constantly high on Rupert’s koolaid, the delightful Rita Panahi.
But let’s just reflect, for a moment, on what a quality bloke, the Gold Coast-based MP Steve Ciobo actually is. Do you remember the time he talked about "slitting” Julia Gillard’s throat on ABC Lateline — the show that comes on straight after Q&A.
Well, if not, check out this piece on Independent Australia. At the time, then Opposition leader Tony Abbott defended Ciobo, and the Murdoch rags were not calling for the ABC to be censured for allowing such appalling and violent comments to go to air.
The selective and confectionary nature of the current outrage is appallingly obvious to anyone who’s not a Libtard troll, Newscorpse cellar-dweller or rusted-on Abbottite.
The second offensive method of shutting down uncomfortable questions that you won’t answer, is to launch another broadside at the ABC for simply doing its job. This is a tried and true method that works well because the ABC has been kicked so often that it is frightened and cowers in the corner just waiting for the next whipping and, well…
Here it comes…
Unfortunately, the ABC today is terrified of its own shadow and cannot grovel low enough, or quickly enough, to appease the bullying Abbott machine. So, to take advantage of the ABC’s weakness, the usual suspects line up to demand an inquiry.
This works even better when #Newscorpse gets one of its handy superannuated Colonel Blimps to do it .
Opinion: ABC must confront how out of touch it is from the mainstream. http://t.co/Pa7SaFlYnh #qanda @chriskkenny pic.twitter.com/VfgNaOGpCp
— The Australian (@australian) June 24, 2015
Then in jump the rent-a-crowd cronies who are mothballed on a retainer of whisky and whores and who are always willing to do their master’s bidding.
After the dogwhistling is finished, the cronies can sit back and relax as Two Punch Tony weighs in, citing the evidence of newly manufactured “public opinion” on which the wet paint clearly shows the Murdoch paw prints and traces of slobber.
Kill the real story — that it is government #TERRORISMS policy bullshit propaganda that is driving youngsters into the arms of ISIS — and carpet bomb the ABC as you do it. Two birds with one stone, not a bad day in the propaganda war.
And to top it off, getting more pictures of men with beards and guns on the front page of the Hun, the Curious Smell and the Terrorgraph means one less day of scrutiny for the Abbott government before the next election.
But here’s a thought…
If, by some small chance there’s a backlash against the #Newscorpse lines and people are not so accepting of the fear-mongering and bullshit, then get another of the company’s useful idiots to tweet that the whole thing is “satire”.
I kid you not. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present David Penberthy.
Am loving the free speech purists firing up about the courier’s brilliantly satirical splash re that qanda wankfest pic.twitter.com/xFEtpjJ2gA
— David Penberthy (@penbo) June 23, 2015
David the only wankfest here is going on between your ears.
Go over to the koolaid dispenser right now and help yourself to a great big drink.
“Satire” — brilliant comeback, you deserve it.
Go on, have another.
“Chin, chin.”
Read more by Martin Hirst on his blog Ethical Martini and follow him on Twitter @ethicalmartini.
One journo stands up for Zaky Mallah's appearance on QandA, where's the rest? http://t.co/2SF2uehxCK pic.twitter.com/L1wXOnS0uO
— Ethical Martini (@ethicalmartini) June 24, 2015
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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We should note that Grahame "Kick Gillard to death" Morris was also on #QandA last night. https://t.co/FU0G97Nwe9 https://t.co/ALfG1lFjKq
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) June 24, 2015
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