Hmmm, seems like anything critical of another culture is 'xenophobic' or 'racist'. And it always seem to be a caucasian who is dubbed either xenophobic or racist. Isn't that a subtle form of racism?

I think Glenda hit the nail on the head. Too much hype and distraction by a media only interested in ratings and income. Seems the 'Australian public' (so, who polls the figures we get about her having 90% of the communities support anyway?) are happy to see 'foreigners' be dealt with by an outside justice system in our name (Bali) but not 'one of our own'. As the old adage goes - 'you can't have your cake and eat it'. Either we're supportive of this system or we are not.

Further, Glenda’s comments on the media being a propaganda machine are also spot on. Noam Chomsky has already tried to highlight this. What a perfect tool to distract the populous from the real issues that should concern this country (and the world for that matter). I only hope the freedom and hopefully impossibility to control the internet can grow to be a more truthful and realistic form of information dissemination and exchange.

As to cultural criticisms being xenophobic or racist… well, that I think is a little harsh. Perhaps ill-considered words on both sides? It is always hard to accept criticism and not feel someone is being spiteful for the sake of it. I do think that if one must criticise another country/culture then one must be involved in it to an extent to have a true understanding of it’s reasoning and activities. And Glenda did say ‘some’. Glenda does not state that all criticism is racist and xenophobic. But it has to be accepted that some of the comments made as a result of this incident do smack of unreasoned anger and are certainly racist in context. But only some.

This monkey now needs a banana (because they are good for the brain!)...

Tolerance people (and a little patience)…
JustDan

If you are really as concerned with fairplay and truth in reporting as you feign, why do you perpetuate the myth of the biological agent at the embassy? Could it be that you are equally guilty of choosing to use information in a way that suits your cause and bias?

Glenda Kwek, Your piece pretty well expressses my feeling on this matter re: the media.
I don't think that Miss Corby would have been found guilty in Australia. Too much doubt for a conviction. I also think that the DPP would have dropped the case as soon as Corby enlisted a high-profile lawyer. Their budget seems to determine their eagerness to prosecute. Also chances are with our soft penalties she may have pleaded guilty. Our legal system is pretty well driven by financial considerations. If anything Australia needs to tighten its laws and get a littler more serious with drug pushers and find a better solution to help users.
Back to the media. I also wonder if the public would be so forgiving and the media find the situation so newsworthy if Miss Corby had piercings, tatts and so on.
I also wish the media paid as much attention to the plight of the drug-addicted and their families. Drug pushers and their carriers are the most selfish and heartless people of all. They get their own happiness and security at the expense of others. They virtually sign death warrants for the kids that they supply. Especially the mentally ill.
And don't tell me it is only weed. There are plenty of drug-induced mentally ill out there. Marijuana is a very dangerous substance to those people (usually creative) who are predisposed to mental illness. Maybe, if the media showed the pain on the faces of the men and women who clean up after the victim of drug-induced mental illness falls under a train; and a mother's heart-wrenching look of disbelief, anger, that espression of the deepest pain and regret when she hears of her boy's death, just maybe we might see some more media attention the under-funded mental wards and the mentally fragile. Just maybe instead of sending mentally ill youngsters into group programs where un-reformed addicts supply and introduce youngsters to drugs - they might have individual treatment programs where it is impossible to score and sell.

Nice writing from Glenda Kwek. This is some comments on this related story.

As a matter of fact most Indonesians harbor no ill-feeling, thoughts of vengeance or any kind of interest at all in the affair other than viewing it as yet another drug smuggling case in a country already rife with drug crimes not to mention a host of other much more serious problems too numerous to mention.

However, even if Indonesia is a relatively new democracy & our legal system is still far from perfect, contrary to what some Australians seem to think, we do have a rule of law here, based on solid evidence (eg a bagful of marijuana). A more fruitful use of time and energy would be to find and get a confession from those who planted the drug in Ms Corby's baggage if that were the case, rather than taking it out on an entire nation that is quite happy minding its own business, thank you very much.

Perhaps the imagination of some of our best friends there have been influenced too much by telenovellas or reality TV shows, but it is hard to believe that they would descend to such depths of hysteria if, for example, Ms Corby were not a young, pretty female (and a beautician to boot!) but actually a fat, balding, middle-aged male drunkard without a future.

As for those Australians requesting the return of their tsunami aid donation (we note that Russell Crowe), I would suggest the Indonesian government did so forthwith, and every penny of it. Not because Mr Crowe's legs looked especially pleasing in a Roman tunic, but it would be embarrassing to keep a donation so insincerely given and with so many strings attached, not to mention the bad karma we have to carry if we were to spend money that is laden with so much ill-feeling and negativity. After all what country would want to face the ire of a silver screen gladiator?

And who knows, given Ms Corby's increasing popularity and political significance, we might see her as the next Prime Minister of Australia.

of course the media hype and spin was based on xenophobic emotional stirring. giving people facts reduces the height capacity of emotion. facts like highlighting the differing legal systems and government between australia and indonesia dont hit the emotional buttons.

is it racist to call racist behaviour what it is - racism? sounds like a smoke screen for abrogating responsiblity for being intolerant.

after all, intolerance for a legal system because it governs a nation of dark-skinned asian people is what this is about. and because that intolerance cannot affect the outcome of corby's case then the next thing that is affected is the assistance given to that nation of people and withdrawing that assistance as a form of power to make them feel the extent of that intolerance.