‘Does the way we talk about new arrivals like the parakeet reflect deeper fears about outsiders?’ asks Chris Packham Credit: Channel 4
Do you dislike the way parakeets monopolise the bird feeder, peck at your fruit trees and make an awful din? I’m afraid you might be racist. At least, that’s one of the arguments made by Chris Packham in Invasion of the Parakeets (Channel 4), a barmy documentary which draws a parallel between green parrots and asylum seekers.
“Does the way we talk about new arrivals like the parakeet reflect deeper fears about outsiders?” he muses. No, but don’t let that stop your flow, Chris. “Certain sections of the media choose words like ‘alien’ and ‘invasive’, stirring up fear of the newcomers,” he goes on. I’ve checked the cuttings library and, oh dear, The Telegraph is guilty as charged.
