Colin James: Time to rein in the online vitriol over the Kaufland land sale debate
THE divisive sage over a German supermarket giant’s bid to buy a community-owned oval in Adelaide’s northeastern suburbs has descended into online insults and accusations — and it won’t help anyone’s cause, writes Colin James.
- Supermarket giant’s last-ditch bid to buy public park
- Growing backlash at sale of green space in TTG
- Legal action threatened as Richardson Reserve debate rages
COMMUNITY debates often bring out the best — and worst — in people.
The divisive saga over a German supermarket giant’s bid to buy a community-owned oval in Adelaide’s northeastern suburbs has been no exception.
Like many issues in this digital age the majority of the arguments for and against allowing Kaufland to turn Richardson Reserve at Wynn Vale into a supermarket have been waged on social media, most particularly Facebook.
Insults have been exchanged, nasty accusations flung about and baseless claims posted on various community-driven forums. All up it has been, as Tea Tree Gully Mayor Kevin Knight aptly said to me last week, a “tawdry” debate.
On Tuesday night, more than 200 people are going to cram into his council’s chambers to hear the fate of Kaufland’s proposal to provide enough money to move a soccer club from often sodden, unplayable pitches and outdated clubrooms to a spanking new facility several kilometres up the road.
Modbury Vista Soccer Club is a community-focused sporting club with 700 members, many of them children who love playing soccer. Through no fault of its own, the club has been dragged into an acrimonious debate over its future.
Much of the vitriol on Facebook over the future of Richardson Reserve has been directed at the soccer club. Much of the remainder has been levelled at Mr Knight and several senior council executives.
All of this is most unfortunate — and totally unwarranted. The soccer club didn’t ask for Kaufland to offer $13.8 million to buy its home ground for the past 27 years.
The council would have been derelict if it hadn’t investigated the proposal and sought community feedback.
Many among the big crowd turning up at the Modbury Civic Centre have already been to council meetings, asking questions and expressing their concerns. This is democracy and freedom of speech in action.
Where things have been getting out of control has been on Facebook where, as happens so often, people seem to lose all control of their sensibilities, logic and manners, posting defamatory and hurtful remarks.
When Tea Tree Gully Council voted last month not to live-stream the meeting, it was not about censorship, it was about trying to make sure it wouldn’t get sued over commentary it could not control.
Those attending tonight’s meeting include some who have been among the most prolific posters on Facebook in recent months.
One can only hope they can restrain themselves and, for the first time in months, show they are capable of respecting someone else’s opinion.
