Hate Speech Vs Free Speech

by BraveBirdDesign

This work has been commented by 1 curator(s). Read the comments

Title

Headline

Hate breeds violence

Concept author(s)

Liora Caplan

Concept author year(s) of birth

1981

Concept author(s) contribution

Conception, Design, Layout, Illustration, Copy Writing

Concept author(s) Country

Australia

Designer(s)

Liora Caplan

Designer(s) year(s) of birth

1981

Designer(s) contribution

Conception, Design, Layout, Illustration, Copy Writing

Designer(s) Country

Australia

Friendly Competition

Radical intimacies: dialogue in our times (2014)

Competition category

Visual communication practice

Competition subcategory

static

Competition field

academic

Competition subfield

student

Subfield description

RMIT (Melbourne CBD) Masters of Communication Design

Check out the Radical intimacies: dialogue in our times 2014 outlines of Memefest Friendly competition.

Description of idea

Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:

Inflammatory public speech rises steadily before outbreaks of mass violence. We need a way to identify dangerous speech and how it it is failing in our dialogue.

What kind of communication approach do you use?

I have utilised a handout brochure to convey my message. The tone is humorous and slightly mocking but with serious connotations.

What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?

These cartoons are familiar images often displayed in our visual environment especially in the news and media. First reactions are to laugh and not understand the text. Upon further inspection, the viewer realises they can understand the writing. Upon reading, the viewer starts to feel guilty that they shouldn't have laughed at these stereotypes. In raising awareness this will hopefully change people's opinions on what is hate speech and how it can affect our society.

What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?

I personally learnt the complications of the concept of free speech. I feel saddened that offensive constructs and racism is rife in our media and that we are mostly unaware of the negative effects in understanding other religions and beliefs.

Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?

It's multilayered in context and relatable. Everyone recognises stereotyping and is victim to it.

Where and how do you intent do implement your work?

I aim to print and hand out these brochures through the community such as train stations, universities, school and parks to raise awareness,

Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)

Curators Comments

Alex Jordan

Dear leora Caplan
first please accept that my english is very bad (not in reading texts but in writing) so I try to give my best but I cannot go in deep grounds with my poor basical expressions.

You have produced a typographically well designed little material and you know also how to use it in public spaces. But why I only see a human bomb caricature? A fanatic islamic self-destroyer. (and to add the caricatural proposal: hoping to come in heaven winning eleven thousend virgins ;-) )

You write too:"offensive constructs and racism is rife in our media and that we are mostly unaware of the negative effects in understanding other religions and beliefs."

Exactly. And I think, there is the starting point to all action as the one you want to do.
What are religions, political ideas, where are their roots, what did history make with that, how do we use today religions in political struggle? Surely not only with explosive belts...
By the way, If you had designed a woman with such a belt, you would have other interpretations, as like for example a palestinian lady whose childen or brothers had been killed by israely bombing on Gaza...

What I try to say is, that you should let the typographical perfection beside and try to find out visual illustrations of all these visual stereotypics which are implanted in peoples brains, those of both the actors and the victims.
The worldwide web is plenty of such pictures...
Take a look and then close the eyes and try to come to some visual traduction, illustration, sign, worlds -and maybe another form and content of your material which really can rock the user.
Simple stickers everywhere can agitate a lot...

I really think too, of you stay with your actual material the pict of an Australian racist (A strong young wafesurfer or his parents, "bormal people" for example) will be stronger for your intention too.

Also try to find out the past of Confucius who is again in vogue.He was not a political lamb...

Comments

BraveBirdDesign

9 years, 8 months ago

Thank you so much Alex Jordan for your comments. I particular appreciate the concept of stretching our concepts of visual illustrations of stereotypes implanted in peoples brains. I have particularly chosen to represent "seen" visual racist cartoons to avoid positioning myself as a political cartoonist. Although with your suggestion, it seems like a wonderful follow up project to depict the undepicted but over thought racial discriminations of our minds. This piece is directly squarely at suggesting that we need a way to identify dangerous speech and how it a precursor for violence. According to section 18c in the Australian Racial Discrimination Act its illegal for someone to do a public act which is reasonably, likely, in all the circumstances to offend, insult, humilate or intimidate someone based on their race. this includes artistic impressions that convery racial stereotyping and vilification in the media. If I were to create and perpetuate "new" illustrations, I would fear, I would be actively hurting people and further complicating our cultural understandings.

alex

9 years, 8 months ago

Bonjour. Right. BUT please take a distant look to the illustrations on your fine material. maybe you will discover an enormous difference between both the jewish with his money (classical nazi caricature), the arab ( and his bombing belt (todays arab caricature) and the others, the harmless chinese, pakistani... the degree is really not the same. It's a difficult, no?

amitiés

alex

alex

9 years, 8 months ago

I forgot the comment on the colour. why ONE is red? for formgiving reasons? ;-) I ask me a little if really you need illustrations with your well made typo crations. maybe you rather need SIGNS.

BraveBirdDesign

9 years, 8 months ago

Yes, Alex very very good questions. The typography is intended to be the primal source of frustration for my audience with the typical comment of "I can't read that, I don't understand" drawing parallel to not having patience or willing to look deeper and that with a closer look the "OTHER" languages are actually english letters stylised and they can read it it form sentences. The typography in most instances will be deemed as unidentifiable to my audience, overlooked, ignored if you may, just like the cultures they appear to represent. As I intend to spread these viral at major public transport stations, similar to the distribution of MX newspapers, I intended the illustrations to grab the attention of the audience with an identifiable object, albeit a disgusting stereotype. Often this graph is met with a laugh. Whilst you say that the Asian stereotype cartoon is harmless, that is the very essence of my intention. Why do you say it is harmless? Because he is happy? Or because the political issues of death and massacre or suicide are absent from this character? They are as harmful as each other as the continue to wedge distance between cultures by reinforcing offensive racial stereotypes that promote prejudice to principle victims. The smiling Asian character reinforces the a very real fear that a lot of ignorant people possess that Asians are plotting to become the master race, with such fears giving rise to the White Australia Policy that was specifically targeted at Asians.

alex

9 years, 8 months ago

and if ever you continues to spread the material in the actual form please add infos about the source of the illustrations. (under the illustrations).

for example: Melbourne Times, 4. 3. 2014

so long in Paris it is half past seven in the morning, I have to go in a printshop. Bye

BraveBirdDesign

9 years, 8 months ago

yes! thank you! I will!!! Great suggestion!!!! Bye. Say hi to paris for me.