When Attacks Backfire

Sep 16, 2003

When Los Angeles police beat Rodney King in 1991, the spectacle was captured on videotape and broadcast on TV, causing a massive backlash against the police.

Associate Professor Brian Martin through the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong will conduct a public seminar this evening (Tuesday 16 September) entitled "When attacks backfire" at 6pm in the Postgraduate Common Room, number 1064, Building 19.

Seminar organisers say the Rodney King beating is an example of how attacks can backfire if they are perceived to be unjust.

They say attackers use a variety of methods that can inhibit this backfire effect, including covering up the attack, devaluing the target, reinterpreting the events, referring the matter to official channels, and intimidating or bribing participants.

The dynamics of backfire will be illustrated by a range of examples, from censorship to torture technology, with emphasis on the Rodney King beating and the 2003 attack on Iraq.

For further enquiries contact June Aspley on 4221 5581.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128