In an article published on SBS on the 21st July this year, “Yes, Islam isn’t a race, you are still a racist’, Ben Mcleay has manifested his aversion to people who portray Muslims as radicals. It is solely an opinionated commentary which was published during the height of the issue's prominence, as there was much debate going on after the Nice Attack, which was also in July. This piece was written in response to those who support the racial comments made by Sonia Kruger and Pauline Hanson. SBS perpetuates a progressive angle, as the target audience is 16-35 year olds, which constitutes in majority, the younger generation, who are generally less conservative in nature compared to the older generation. The online text type supports the intended…show more content… My article does have a progressive angle on the issue which has been contrived through the author’s ideology. Mcleay’s background has impacted on the perspective of the article. Ben Mcleay, is a satirical writer for SBS, which has significantly contributed to the tone of the article as it is informal. Though he has no hidden agenda, Mcleay aims to breakdown the cultural stigma present in the society, that inhibits Muslims to be accepted as a part of the Australian community. He has used humour, as a disguise to the issue, to lure his audience and then persuade them to agree with his viewpoint that Muslim radicalisation is inimical to our society. Due to Mcleay presenting a ultra-left perspective supporting Muslim integration, this is not a balanced article. To shape this representation, he has used his attitudes, values and beliefs. Firstly, Mcleay utilised the value of unity effectively, to trigger an empathetic response from the audience to agree with his stance. He has highlighted that, “Muslims are victims... [therefore] it’s a war between extremists and every single person, of every faith and colour and creed… A war you and me alike have to fight.” This influences the audience's perception of Muslims to be innocent and victimised, therefore invoking sympathy and positioning the audience to feel obligated to support them. Secondly, Mcleay further constructs his argument through his belief that Muslims are not a threat. This is achieved through referring to…show more content… To exemplify this, Mcleay has integrated informal language throughout the article. The purpose this, is to create a closer relation with the audience which implicitly builds on the Australian cultural values of friendliness, informality and mateship. This is identifiable when he discloses the ludicrously of Pauline Hanson’s argument and that “for some reason people are jumping to her defence claiming it’s actually super objective, extremely rational fear… not the racism she’s been famous for since around the time Jurassic Park came out.” This creates a sense of openness, to establish solidarity and rapport between the audience and Mcleay. Due to the decreased social distance, it would be easier for the audience to be manipulated by the author, and adopt his sentiment. Another technique employed by Mcleay to persuade his audience, is the use of satirical tone. Satire is a powerful art form that is used to highlight the deficiencies in the society and presented them to be absurd and ridiculous. This makes the article entertaining which lures a greater amount of audience. As the issue is disguised under the humor, its’ creator is protected from culpability from the implied criticism, thus it an effective tool for dissenters to challenge the social stigma. Mcleay uses satire when he states the
