Labor Minister John Carey is again calling out poor online behaviour and abusive language in public debate.
It’s the second time in six months Carey has addressed homophonic comments directed at him as Minister for Planning and Lands, Housing and Works and Health Infrastructure.
Late last week Carey posted a screen shot of comments from Perth man Dean Edwards, who is a vocal opponent of the Perth Park Raceway development.
In a blacked out comment Edwards called Carey a “f**king vile queen” and said voters would remember his support for the raceway development at the next election. In a second post Edwards referred to Minister Carey as a “vile egomaniac a**ehole” and suggested he belonged behind bars.
“Words are powerful and what we say on social media actually matters.” Carey said in response to the comments, resharing them with his audience.
“As a publicly elected official, I am resilient, but what we do know is that for younger, more impressionable people it can have profound effects on them that last long after a comment has been made.
“I respect that people have vastly different views on a whole range of policy issues, and I welcome honest debate.” Carey said.
“Personal attacks, especially those targeting race/sexuality or other personal characteristics are just unnecessary.
“This is why I will always call it out. And I’m asking you to do so as well.” he said to his 15,000 followers.
However this incident is different to the last time Carey and colleague Hannah Beazley, the Minister for Communities, called out hate speech directed at the LGBTIQA+ communities.
This time it came from within our own community. Carey’s followers quickly pointed out that Dean Edwards himself is gay, and some questioned if a different context exists when the insults are between gay men.
Speaking to OUTinPerth Edwards said he had not used the right language for a social media space.
“I used the wrong audience, and that’s my fault, and I get that.” he said, but stressed his comments came from frustration at the government’s brush off of people opposed to the race track development.
“I’m an idiot, I’ve used the wrong words.” Edwards said. He describes himself as a lifelong Labor voter, but says the current government’s ministers are more into lecturing people than listening to them.
“They’ve run roughshod over the whole process.” Edwards said of the government’s racetrack development,
Over the weekend Carey’s Labor colleague David Scaife also reported that he’d experienced everything from abuse to death threats over the government’s new demersal fishing ban.
Scaife had defended the government’s fishing ban arguing it was allowing for sustainability, but soon he was forced to delete his post completely.
“I had to delete and limit comments on yesterday’s post after being told I deserved ‘execution’,” he said.
“I have a thick skin and tolerated most of the language, but death threats are too far and I’m calling it out.” Scaife said.
Opposition leader Basil Zempilas has also voiced his thoughts on the standard of public debate saying people need to “pull their heads in”.
“People involved in that sort of behaviour should pull their heads in,” he said.
“There’s no place for it. It’s unacceptable. They should be ashamed of themselves.” Zempilas said.
The regular online abuse is not limited to the world of politics. Drag star Dean Misdale also posted a video this week highlighting that their recent Fringe World production attracted a torrent of abusive comments, but when they appeared alongside other Fringe World artists in a video with Premier Roger Cook the abusive comments directed a Misdale increased dramatically.
“People who are leaving these comments, I don’t even think they know why they are mad.” Misdale said. “Its moved on from just being generic homophobic to stuff to ‘Go back to Israel'”.
The entertainer said they were at a loss to understand why they were now getting antisemitic comments given that they are not Jewish, and have never made any public comments in the conflict in the region or Middle Eastern politics.
“What does that have to do with me doing a drag show? I’m not Israeli.” Misdale said, noting that they deliberately don’t speak about politics that they don’t have a full understanding of.
The acclaimed entertainer also noted that they’d received comments calling for society to emulate 1930’s Germany. A time when gay and lesbian people were victims of the holocaust and branded with a pink triangle in concentration camps.
“I just wish a lot of people would just shut-the-f*ck up.” Misdale said. “If it doesn’t concern you directly, why do you feel the need to spew hate on the internet, you sad, sad, people.”
