David Jobling
Book Review - Us and Them
July 5th 2008 02:34
Peter Manning is a former executive producer of the ABC current affairs program Four Corners and has worked as a reporter for a range of publications and media, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Bulletin and was editor of Nation Review.
He is now Adjunct Professor of Journalism at Sydney's University of Technology, and a sought-after commentator on media issues. 'Us and Them' is essentially his personal reaction to media portrayals of 'people of Middle Eastern appearance' and while providing great insights into the machinations of the media, it also offers an overview of contemporary events, perspectives and realities.
Instead of running with the pack and buying into the hysteria that has grown since 9/11, Manning decides to go on a journey of discovery through the Middle East and make up his own mind about issues of concern to him. Consequently the focus of his book tends to sway between an unexpected travelogue and easily absorbed lecture on people, places and political events. We discover that being a tourist in Damascus can be a frustrating thing if you like to climb a mountain and look at the view, not because of potential terrorism but because of pollution.
We learn that the definition of a resident in Jerusalem means having 'family unification' papers, agreeing that your 'centre of life' will be in Jerusalem and among other things you must not live anywhere else (particularly the West Bank) for more than seven years. If all that doesn't sit well with you, you are required to leave. This sort of information unfolds in a compelling way as Manning tells it.
He doesn't criticize so much as reveal what he discovers through various academic contacts and personal experiences, hence the unexpected travelogue quality of the book. It is most certainly a good read and offers a respectable point of view that appears unbiased. It's the media, particularly the Australian media, who are served a few points of order. The ridiculous reactions to all people of a certain look are pointed out here and there in ways that certainly make their point clearly and in a stable, rational way. Students or observers of the Middle East and its conflicts will get clear insights that may well illuminate some of the darker more difficult to absorb realities. Highly recommended. Random House, $34.95 -- David Jobling
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