A Love Affair: Media, Ben Cousins and Ice
Currently Ben Cousins and his drug use are
again in the media spotlight. But really, is this of any surprise?
Realistically, it was just a matter of time… Again. But on a wider scale
what message can be extrapolated from Ben Cousins and media representations of his
drug use? When we have characters like Ben Cousins getting around, what hope
does the average youth have?
The Ice Age
In response to
a rise in ‘ice’ debate in May 2007, the Victorian Government Department of
Human Services produced the ‘Ice:
It’s a dirty drug’ campaign, targeting those aged between 15-25 years who
consume the drug methamphetamine, or commonly termed ‘ice’. The minister for
mental health (Ms Lisa Neville) labelled the campaign ‘youth specific media’,
which exhibits youth acting out violently, picking at their skin creating
scabs, and also experiencing psychotic episodes.
The Victorian
Government campaign gave evidence of side effects, showing a non-glorified view
of drugs, yet failed to target reasoning behind youth’s drug consumption. The
campaign did not speak to youth in their language,
that they can understand. The campaign was subsequently a failure, as the key
targets were missed entirely.
The Real Face Of Ice: Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins’ drug use initially made
headlines when he was arrested in Perth due to suspected possession charges. Images
of him shirtless, sporting a new tattoo, low-rise jeans, and over sized
sunglasses were broadcasted throughout news media. This powerful image of
Cousins was reused by the Herald Sun five months later as an exhibit of
celebrity drug problems. The Herald Sun plastered shots of Cousins being
paraded around by police, showing off his newly inscribed ‘Such Is Life’
tattoo; his tattoo alone attracts the attention of youth.
As a response
to the barrage of media attention, youth, through their own forum, created a
discussion board and praise of the football star. The online social network Facebook sports two ‘groups’ entitled ‘I Wanna
Party With Ben Cousins’ and ‘Let Ben Cousins Play In
Melbourne So We Can Party With Him’. Through the media’s demonisation
of Ben Cousins he became a ‘hero’ to today’s youth as an icon of rebellion.
The dichotomy
is however, that the news media demonise the very section of society that they
should be coaxing to listen to their warnings against drug use. The media
accomplish this through their use of narrative. In Cousins’ case, the picture
speaks much more than the verbal content can. However, the verbal content of
news media speaks to a totally different generation than does the image of
Cousins. Drug consumption is inadvertently
promoted by news media, as such a significant portion of programming is
dedicated to drug representations. In promoting Ben Cousins as the leader of
the ‘ice’ drug subculture (attractive, famous, wealthy and gaining massive
publicity), which part of this is supposed to deter youth? The manner in which the
media demonise drug use is merely bait for rebellious youth. With one hand the
media demonises drugs, in news media, whose audience is older and therefore the
dominating force in society. On the other hand, film and television media such
as Scarface, The Soprano’s and Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas, Half Baked and
How High, exhibit drugs as ‘the party’
and the ‘good times’ in language that speaks directly to youth. Film discourse
speaks to young viewers in their
language, whereas the deterrence in news media speaks to a different
generation. This generation gap is replicated in the Victorian Government’s ‘Ice: It’s a dirty drug’ campaign.
Conclusion
In contrasting
images of the Victorian Government’s campaign, and the depiction of Ben
Cousins, it appears that the news media’s representations of Cousins speaks more
to youth about ‘ice’ and its’ effects than the acted images in the ‘ice’
campaign could ever tell.
And after all
is said and done, when will we start asking the real questions?
What is really going on with
you when you need to consume drugs every day?
What lead to your drug problem?
How can we help you to be happy without drugs?
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