Thread by @Vic_Rollison

I would like everyone to learn how to avoid playing the blame game on here. The blame game - modelled by Federal Libs and Murdoch media - is the worst way to deal with covid outbreak. It simplifies and distorts what’s happening, and undermines community confidence. A thread👇🏻

So what do I mean by blame game? I’ve found with my research that political and media narratives simplify complex situations and events into black and white versions of reality. This simplification can distort reality and also becomes a lens through which future events are seen.

A perfect example of this narrative simplification - led by Morrison and Murdoch - is that Andrews was entirely responsible for Victorian second wave due to security guard leak from quarantine and ‘failed’ contact tracing system. This simplified audience understanding of covid.

I wrote this thread in October about all the factors which were never or hardly discussed in the media during the simplified reporting of ‘everything that has happened in Victorian second wave is all Andrews’ fault’ - all these things are at play in NSW now.

https://twitter.com/vic_rollison/status/1317624376129286144

I said at the time that the focus only on private security guards and DHHS contact tracing would result in a complacent public who don’t really understand just how the situation in Victoria could happen anywhere in Australia. It has happened in many other cities 2nd/3rd waves too

This simplification was a result of the blame game. The human propensity to blame is strong, particularly when people are scared and anxious. We have to try to avoid snapping into a blame game over the NSW outbreak as it’s just as unhelpful to NSW as it was to Victorians.

It’s important to note that refraining from blame game doesn’t mean we can’t fairly and productively critique NSW and Fed govt’s covid policies. For instance, there are clear failures in aircrew mgmt which must be addressed. Media focus on this weeks ago would have been useful.

But, there is difference between highlighting real and obvious problems in covid policies, and simplifying everything about covid outbreak to one cause. I don’t have any time politically for Berejiklian or Morrison, but it’s not helpful to say ‘this is all your fault’.

There are so many moving parts in a covid outbreak, so much grey, that people have to accept luck and randomness play part too. Too many factors to list here, but one is contact tracers aren’t mind readers, can’t torture info out. Covid response only as perfect as people involved

Andrews was never given benefit of people’s understanding that highly infectious diseases spread - and can spread undetected - despite best efforts of public health systems. No system is perfect and any system can be improved. To write off a system like DHHS completely is unfair.

Time and time again I saw people in the media and with big profiles on twitter saying off the cuff things like ‘this is all Andrews’ fault’ and ‘Andrews should resign’. This was not only simplistic and unreasonable, but it’s also meant public are complacent about outbreak risk.

The other thing that happened with Vic blame game is people like me who called it out as unfair were accused of being ‘Dan Stans’ and protecting Andrews from criticism, and told we refused to accept scrutiny of the Premier. I have constantly been told I am the one who is biased.

This is yet another simplification. I said right from start of Vic outbreak that private security guards should not have been used. But I also said other states were using them, and so if there was anger at their use it should be fairly proportioned to other states (like NSW).

Calling out bias is not an argument for bias in the other direction. I wanted the blame game simplification to end so that not only did the Premier have fair scrutiny rather than attacks, but that the Victorian people and rest of Australia could be properly informed about covid.

I also constantly called for scrutiny of other leaders involved in the covid response so that public had a better understanding of who was in position of power to make crucial changes. For instance, more scrutiny of Federal govt over aged care. It never happened, because of bias.

I also understand why many in Victoria were really upset by the accusation that they as a people were inferior to NSW and that the covid second wave was all their fault. The ‘NSW gold standard’ comparison was toxic and humiliating for Victorians. That was Morrison’s fault.

But just because Morrison and Murdoch media (and many other outlets) sought to divide and compare NSW to Victoria, doesn’t mean it’s a good time to flip the blame game to NSW as revenge. That’s not fair on people of NSW and won’t help unite Australia as Morrison should have done.

So please refrain from playing simplified blame game. I’ve been accused of ‘wishing for the NSW covid outbreak’ - presumably warning of risk is easily simplified along with the rest of the blame game into something it’s not. We have to be above this toxic behaviour. Be kind🙏🏻 End