Radio Reversal
Anna, Natalie, Han, Lamisse, Aleea, Jonathan and Helen
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Radio Reversal is a show that subjects aspects of everyday life to historico-political, theoretical, cheeky, irreverent, high brow, low brow, eye brow, warm-hearted analysis. Our aim is to see the world more clearly, think about what we'd like it to become, and how we can make that happen. We think that discussing these sorts of ideas is one way to lessen the alienation that affects many of us trying to make sense of a world that so often makes no sense of us. We also play loads of awesome music (sometimes thematic!) with great enthusiasm for requests and an emphasis on supporting local artists. It's fun!
Email us! radio.reversal(at)gmail.com. Find our podcasts on Substack.
12 September, 2024
Eco-Copaganda with Jonathan Sriranganathan
Tune in at 9am for this week’s episode of Radio Reversal on the road, as Anna and Jonno explore what we’re calling ‘eco-copaganda’ - the normalisation of using punitive and carceral tools to protect the environment, and the phenomenon of police making a big public show of pursuing specific environmental offences to help greenwash and legitimise their existence in society.
We talk about the policing of National Parks, including some reflections on their history as a mechanism of colonial dispossession, and the need to banish the eco-cop in our heads. We then take a look at a particularly striking example of eco-copaganda - the media circus that was whipped up last year when a guy took a platypus on a train to Caboolture. We explore the contrast between how police respond to specific, sensationalised cases of arguably low-level environmental wrongdoing, compared to how police much more commonly defend the interests of big companies that are destroying the environment.
And we think about carceral realism as it relates to the environment - the manufactured commonsense that there is no way to protect ecosystems other than imposing harsh penalties and using state resources to pursue ‘wrongdoers.’
You can also listen back to the show later via the 4ZZZ On Demand website (we’ll post the link in the comments).