Same-sex Marriage
When reporting on the issue of gay marriage, Kevin Rudd plays a controversial part. Rudd used to have a strong negative opinion of this issue however lately his opinion has changed and he now supports gay marriage. The Australian media have reported on this not by discussing the issue but by discussing Rudd’s change-of-heart. This method of reporting positions the reader to have a strong opinion of Rudd and not the issue itself.
When describing Rudd’s parliamentary strategy, one news article, ‘Kevin Rudd: My shift on same- sex marriage’ (The Australian, 2013) the author, Brad Norington refers to Rudd’s decision as “a difficult personal journey” which suggests that Rudd struggled to reverse his opinion on same-sex marriage. This places the reader to sympathise with Rudd and to admire the struggle that he went through to change his long-held position.
In the same article, Norington includes snippets of Tony Abbott’s opinion on same-sex marriage. “Like Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott is opposed to same-sex marriage.” The fact that Norington only includes small parts of Abbotts view positions the reader to perceive Abbott and his views as inferior to Rudd’s. Abbott’s opinion of same-sex marriage is represented in the article ‘Same-sex marriage push a ‘fashion of the moment’, says Tony Abbott’ (The Australian, 2013) the phrase “fashion of the moment” suggests that people wanting to legalise gay marriage will soon lose interest in the topic.
While the number of people seeming comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage is increasing, the number of concerns being raised is also increasing. The use of language from both texts positions the reader to value the right to make their own decisions. The variety of opinions from the members of parliament give the reader a chance to make an informed decision on whether they believe that same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia.
Norington, B. The Australian (May 212013) [online] Accessed: 06/09/13 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/kevin-rudd-my-shift-on-same-sex-marriage/story-fn59niix-1226647250264
AAP. The Australian (August 14 2013) [online] Accessed: 13/09/13 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/
Whether same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia is a often debated topic, and was of high profile during the previous federal election. The article you discussed in this blog however, annoys me greatly as it is a prime example of the negatively represented politics, where personalisation is used rather then the issue. The public shouldn’t be informed of Rudd’s ‘personal journey’ when deciding his opinion on the matter. Instead, the focus should be on his policies if elected. For me personally, I believe that people of the same sex should be allowed to get married in Australia. Some may reject my opinion, saying that it will ruin the sanctity of marriage, to this i strongly disagree. If two people love each other, and want to spend the rest of their lives together why should they not be allowed to make their relationship legalized? I understand that it may offend religious people, but it doesn’t effect other people! The only difference is the opportunity for Australia to give equality for all regardless of their sexual status and protect one another legally if something was to happen such as a death or illness. I personally value equity, freedom, the right to happiness, and protection for all Australians, and I believe that if we don’t legalise gay marriage, it is representing homosexual people as ‘wrong’. I am proud to admit that I believe that same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia, as I believe that everyone has the right to feel accepted among society.
The issue of gay marriage has been controversial from the beginning, reporting on the issue often illustrates bias articles not leaving two much room for interpretation which often uses language features such as quotation. The first article in The Australian appears to be “for” gay marriage, aiming to influence the readers values, however the second article is seemingly impartial.
The article by The Australian where the text creator includes “Like Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott is opposed to same-sex marriage” which suggests to me that although Tony Abbott’s opinion is accounted for, however it is undermined compared to Kevin Rudd’s big step forward. I value equality and the idea that people of the same sex should be allowed to get married, as we’re becoming a new generation of change and acceptance. Kevin Rudd’s stance on same-sex marriage is admirable and other politicians should follow the bravery in which Kevin Rudd has shown.
In the second article by the Australian quotation is used in order to state Tony Abbot’s opinion his comment “fashion of the moment” I find to be unreasonable as same sex marriage is about love not a trend it affects people’s lives and as a society people are becoming more accepting and understanding of complex issues, therefore the support of gay marriage is increasing. Although Abbott’s quote is intended to suggest that people will lose interest in the topic (that being his argument) it also is a controversial statement.
The support for gay marriage has been increasing over the years, and it appears that Australia is seemingly ready to accept the change. Reporting is an influential part of a person’s opinion of the topic and it appears to be changing with society.