THE PROBLEM:
Early 20's people don't really have a good option for clear and easy resources on Australian politics.
INSIGHT:
Simplify these conversations into something engaging, yet thorough.
THE SOLUTION:
I've made a blog to be your key for those annoying, uninformed, forbidden "dinner table" conversations.
LINK:
https://roundthedinnertable.weebly.com/
from the about page:
You've sat down. Dad's brought home a hot chook from the shops, and a prepackaged salad (with none of that "fancy vinaigrette shit") has been tossed unceremoniously into a bowl, untouched. Your family ignores each other, staring at the television blaring behind you. Someone onscreen is talking about how the latest political scandal is fine, actually. The moment the ad break starts they turn their attention back to themselves and start launching into unfounded conspiracy theories about what they've just heard.
You collect your food and take it to your room while they squabble.
You're out at a bar with your mates, and one of them has brought his new girlfriend that he met during lockdown to meet you all. It's the first time you've spoken to her. Someone brings up how glad they were that they got vaccinated early, even with the botched rollout. She decides to launch into a tirade about how Covid-19 was designed in a lab to make pharmaceutical companies more money, by producing and selling vaccines. Your mate looks back at you bashfully while he squeezes her hand a little too tightly to be loving.
You head to the bartender to order something a little bit stronger.
Your phone dings, again. It's almost election time. Someone from high school has shared a post to your feed, and of course you read it. After all, it's right in front of you, and you're on your phone anyway, and what else is social media for? They've posted a gallery of unsourced memes lambasting the opponent of their preferred party. Some of them are clearly sensationalist disinfo. You spend another 10 minutes reading through the comments.
You wryly laugh react the post and keep scrolling, until you share one of these posts yourself, the only difference being that the teams are swapped.
You're never surrounded by enriching, unbiased political discussion. It can't be helped. The political scene on social media is dominated by inflammatory short-form statements that nobody could be bothered backing up or refuting, headlines nobody wants to click on, and people who really, really want attention but couldn't be bothered doing any of the homework required to deserve it. The media landscape is an oligarchal shambles that caters to whichever entity will splash the most money at the companies who run the show. Luckily, I'm a uni student doing this pro bono. I'm paying to get the degree I'm making this for. It's just very convenient that I have a passion for writing, Australian politics, and being supercilious. Nobody is sponsoring me to write any of this: I'm just using researched, empirically proven facts to make the points you wish you could throw at the uninformed you come across, without sounding like a robot or a complete tosser. Sit down, and stay a while. I've brought food for thought. Let's chew the fat. Tuck in. I promise I'm done with the clichés.
You collect your food and take it to your room while they squabble.
You're out at a bar with your mates, and one of them has brought his new girlfriend that he met during lockdown to meet you all. It's the first time you've spoken to her. Someone brings up how glad they were that they got vaccinated early, even with the botched rollout. She decides to launch into a tirade about how Covid-19 was designed in a lab to make pharmaceutical companies more money, by producing and selling vaccines. Your mate looks back at you bashfully while he squeezes her hand a little too tightly to be loving.
You head to the bartender to order something a little bit stronger.
Your phone dings, again. It's almost election time. Someone from high school has shared a post to your feed, and of course you read it. After all, it's right in front of you, and you're on your phone anyway, and what else is social media for? They've posted a gallery of unsourced memes lambasting the opponent of their preferred party. Some of them are clearly sensationalist disinfo. You spend another 10 minutes reading through the comments.
You wryly laugh react the post and keep scrolling, until you share one of these posts yourself, the only difference being that the teams are swapped.
You're never surrounded by enriching, unbiased political discussion. It can't be helped. The political scene on social media is dominated by inflammatory short-form statements that nobody could be bothered backing up or refuting, headlines nobody wants to click on, and people who really, really want attention but couldn't be bothered doing any of the homework required to deserve it. The media landscape is an oligarchal shambles that caters to whichever entity will splash the most money at the companies who run the show. Luckily, I'm a uni student doing this pro bono. I'm paying to get the degree I'm making this for. It's just very convenient that I have a passion for writing, Australian politics, and being supercilious. Nobody is sponsoring me to write any of this: I'm just using researched, empirically proven facts to make the points you wish you could throw at the uninformed you come across, without sounding like a robot or a complete tosser. Sit down, and stay a while. I've brought food for thought. Let's chew the fat. Tuck in. I promise I'm done with the clichés.
