Items

• 
  2020-05-23

  #Keepourmobsafe

  HUM402 The Australian Government has launched a campaign to #keepourmobsafe. This image is of a screenshot of an ad for the campaign, which the government is using to educate Indigenous Australians regarding the risk of COVID-19. The ads appear to be targeting Indigenous Australians living in remote communities, giving them tips on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 and utilising indigenous artwork and slang to appear 'relatable'.
• 
  04/13/2020

  Racism and Covid-19

  This image was a part of a Facebook post. It is evidently racist and indicates an underlying suspicion of the ‘Chinese’ community which has arisen out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussion of the cause of the Covid-19 outbreak, particularly regarding its supposed origins in a wet market, has contributed to a growth in anti-Chinese sentiment and ethnocentric thought in Tasmania. The image depicts a toy bat on a plate, with the caption describing it as a ‘Chinese meal’. This refers to the belief that bats are commonly eaten in China and that such practices caused the Covid-19 outbreak. The last line of the post is also evidently racist, with the name ‘Sum Ting Wong’ often being derogatively used by racist individuals to refer to Chinese and other ‘Asian’ people in Australia. It must be noted, however, that not all Tasmanians believe such horrid tropes. I immediately was horrified when I saw this post, and others I have showed it to have reacted in disgust. Nevertheless, it sadly still represents a faction of the community who have reacted to Covid-19 with suspicion and racism. From my personal experience, I feel as though this racism has reduced to some degree in the community, as the virus has spread throughout the world and beyond China.
• 
  2020-05-17

  #KeepOurMobSafe Campaign

  The Australian Government has launched a campaign to #keepourmobsafe. This image is of a screenshot of an ad for the campaign, which the government is using to educate Indigenous Australians of the risk of Covid-19. The ads appear to be targeting Indigenous Australians living in remote communities, giving them tips on how to stop the spread of Covid-19. The campaign utilises indigenous artwork and slang to appear 'relatable'.
• 
  2020-03-29

  Pandemic Monopoly

  HUM402 The image depicts the creation of Pandemic Monopoly by a Hobart resident. The homemade board game uses toilet paper as currency, referring to the toilet paper shortage seen across Tasmanian supermarkets. The board game presents players with the opportunity to 'own' key Hobart locations. However, instead of mortgage, houses and hotels, the game allows players to buy hospitals and clinics to place on the properties. Centrelink, the Australian governments social security service, features heavily on the board game, indicating the rise in unemployment due to the pandemic. Whilst being used for comical purposes, the game also critiques the Tasmanian governments early handling of Covid-19 crisis via a chance card, which states "You have a fever, dry cough and Pneumonia to boot but despite having all of the symptoms, you haven't knowingly come into contact with a known carried so they won't test you for Covid-19. The Royal Hobart Hospital sends you home. Get out of iso [isolation] free." This refers to the Tasmanian government in early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic refusing to test individuals who had not been in contact with a known case, or had not left the country.
• 
  2020-03-29

  Pandemic Monopoly

  HUM 402 The image depicts the creation of Pandemic Monopoly by a Hobart resident. The homemade board game uses toilet paper as currency, referring to the toilet paper shortage seen across Tasmanian supermarkets. The board game presents players with the opportunity to 'own' key Hobart locations. However, instead of mortgage, houses and hotels, the game allows players to buy hospitals and clinics to place on the properties. Centrelink, the Australian governments social security service, features heavily on the board game, indicating the rise in unemployment due to the pandemic. Whilst being used for comical purposes, the game also critiques the Tasmanian governments early handling of Covid-19 crisis via a chance card, which states "You have a fever, dry cough and Pneumonia to boot but despite having all of the symptoms, you haven't knowingly come into contact with a known carried so they won't test you for Covid-19. The Royal Hobart Hospital sends you home. Get out of iso [isolation] free." This refers to the Tasmanian government in early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic refusing to test individuals who had not been in contact with a known case, or had not left the country.
• 
  03/31/2020

  Tasmania Police Top Ten shave-offs

  HUM402 The image is a screenshot of the Tasmania Police Top Ten Shave Offs. This is one in a series of ten images which depict Tasmania Police Officers who have had to shave off their facial hair in order to wear protective personal equipment safely.
• 
  2020-04-25

  Social Distancing at the Supermarket

  This photo depicts a supermarket in Tasmania, Australia, where social distancing measures are being enforced. Red tape is used to create a line where customers have to queue prior to entering the store. The staff member to the left of the image is counting the customers as they enter the store to enforce the customer limit.