‘First Contact’ Got Mixed Reviews Last Night, Was Accused Of Being “Racism As Entertainment”

Last night the second season of First Contact began and while many people watched it, it did not necessarily attract the reaction that SBS may have anticipated. The show involves six white celebrities — including One Nation co-founder David Oldfield — visiting Indigenous communities for 28 days and confronting their (often racist) views about First Australians.

Today First Contact seems to be receiving some of the same backlash as Go Back To Where You Came From and Struggle Street, with people questioning whether the show is educational or just straight exploitative.

Some viewers thought First Contact was valuable in provoking important conversations about issues that many white Australians choose to ignore, others believed it was thoughtlessly broadcasting racism (particularly in a montage of some participants spouting hateful and ill-informed views in the first portion of the episode) and facilitating epiphanies at the expense of non-white people.

Fair to say that the reaction was mixed.

#FirstContact. One thing that resonated strongly in the 1st ep: why do we not universally celebrate the oldest living culture in the world?

— Zan Rowe (@zanrowe) November 29, 2016

Nope can't watch the famous white people have their misconceptions broken down by Indigenous trauma as a form of entertainment #FirstContact

— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) November 29, 2016

Caring about a c grade celebrities opinion on my people, trauma and culture is the last thing I have energy for today #FirstContact

— meriki (@MerikiKO) November 29, 2016

So nice that so many people care about white people learning things. I wish they cared as much about black people's trauma #FirstContact

— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) November 29, 2016

#WhitePrivilege is #Indigenous people having to share their trauma & suffering on TV to teach white people not to be racists. #FirstContact

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) November 29, 2016

Centuries of #Indigenous communities trauma doesn't exist for entertainment of white people to learn how to be human beings. #FirstContact

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) November 29, 2016

If you need to watch a reality show to get how this country has fucked over #Indigenous people then that's the problem itself #FirstContact

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) November 29, 2016

i cant believe oldman went on the show, went to someones elses country and then just refused to participate in anything? #firstcontact

— Nayuka Gorrie (@NayukaGorrie) November 29, 2016

The opening of #FirstContact is cringeworthy already. The celebs' words must be so damaging toward Aboriginal people. I'm sorry.

— Carly Findlay (@carlyfindlay) November 29, 2016

Poverty porn using trauma of our people as entertainment for white people #FirstContact

— Amy McQuire (@amymcquire) November 29, 2016

@amymcquire again media preying on our peoples despair and disempowerment. #FirstContact #DefineAboriginal @NITV

— Sean Gordon (@SeanGordon5) November 29, 2016

Racism as entertainment #FirstContact

— krysta (@Worimi_) November 29, 2016

It will be interesting to see how the other two parts will be received, and if the overwhelming reaction will continue to be that forcing Indigenous Australians to relive their trauma for educational purposes is the very definition of white privilege.

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First Contact season 2 will continue at 8.30pm tonight and tomorrow on SBS and NITV. Check back later today for Junkee’s review.