Power of the media? You bet.

(Since Karipap News has been very quiet of late, here's an entry which was written and published days ago in my blog. Old news, but hey, it's better than nothing, yes?)

I've been thinking of late about an issue that had recently taken place in Melbourne. Some reports on a spate of attacks on some Indian international students actually made many Indians angry, and last Sunday, about 2,000 of them took to the streets with an angry demonstration and demanded that the government do something to purge racist antisocial behaviour out of the country (here).

Why, even this guy even lent his views by refusing to accept an honorary doctorate from the Queensland University of Technology (here).


I so f**king kick ass

The rally caused diplomatic concerns (mostly for economic reasons, duh) and prompted the Australian Primer, Kevin Rudd, to step in and declare, "Australia isn't racist" (here), in a effort, akin to trying to douse the sun with a bucket of cold water. The police is taking corrective anti-racism measures (here), which I think, IS ABOUT TIME.

Looking chronological at the reports of racially-motivated attacks in the Age, I would argue that the newspaper is one of the many key catalysts in the mobilisation of people, and I would presume that this infamous picture of Sourabh Sharma undoubtedly triggered off last Sunday's demonstration (here).


Photo: Penny Stephens

When used in a manner that conjures a sense of great injustice, words and images can be powerful tools in promoting social change.

Ironically, I think this is one of the reasons why Australia is a great country.

[updates and follow ups]

An Australian working in Japan is prepared to pay the airfare from India for the parents of a student who was critically injured when stabbed with a screwdriver at a party in Melbourne last month (here).