Australian identity is an ever-changing concept, arising as subject matter in copious debates, and often leading to speculation as to what it truly means to be an Australian. Stereotypes, defined as, “generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group” (Lippmann 1922, Allport 1954) are often picked up by outsiders and in turn proliferated through iconic texts; rarely privileging Australian identity and ultimately leading to fallacious and simplified conceptions. Recognised as a prevalent aspect of Australian life, stereotypes are incessantly perpetuated through means of media, leading to prejudice; moreover, silencing the true Australian identity.
The Aussie Bushman stereotype, exploited throughout a range of texts, often results in misleading and inaccurate representations of Australian identity. The typical Bushman is characterised by their easy going and fair go attitude; demonstrating the importance of mateship and the irrefutable need to be resourceful, physically strong, resilient and quick on their feet. This ideology is foregrounded in a plethora of texts, such as; Crocodile Dundee, The Men of The Open Spaces and The Australian Legend, all revering Aussie Bushman traits. It is undeniable that there is an inextricable correlation between identity and culture; as Australia becomes increasingly multicultural, the more prevalent changes in national identity become. Stereotypes often disprove this idea, providing falsified depictions of Australian identity and failing to encompass such cultural diversity. This, in turn, can be detrimental to the nation, resulting in prejudices and; ultimately, serving as a hindrance for globalization.
A stereotype commonplace when l...
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The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
There is a reference to our multiculturalism in the lines ‘All cultures together as one. Yet, individual until the game is won’. These lines acknowledge the fact that even though Australia is an increasingly Multicultural society, all Australians, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, share the same values, principles and national identity.
Stereotypes, which often is the foundation of racism, has negative effects on cultures all over the planet. These cultural generalizations are harmful and prove to be negative and untrue. The North American culture appears to be generally ethnocentric, which is clearly shown in this short piece. The short story “A Seat in the Garden”, a narrative by Thomas King, is a fictional piece which makes one realize how these interpretations are in many ways narrow-minded understandings of human experience. King’s piece touches the concept of stereotypes in a variety of ways. He speaks of the overall negative generalization of Aboriginal culture, the impact of the media regarding stereotypes, and how mainstream society continues to uphold these stereotypes.
Hannie Rayson’s play ‘Hotel Sorrento’ explores the changing nature of Australian cultural identity. Rayson successfully perpetuates and challenges common Australian stereotypes in order to establish how the Australian National Identity has changed over time. She presents these stereotypes through the characters expectations of gender roles, attitudes towards Australian culture and the theme of ownership.
The book "The Australian Legend", written by Russell Ward and published in 1958 speaks mainly of "Australian Identity". It looks at nationalism and what has formed our self-image. There are many aspects that are left overlooked however, as the Authour makes his assumptions. Significant parts of society are neglected consideration, these include those that weren't from the bush, non-British immigrants, the Aboriginal people and women. Also the use of romanticised and exaggerated evidence causes an imbalance in his conclusions.
The Indigenous youth of Australia still face many challenges growing up in a world dominated by white Europeans. This essay will discuss the stereotypes and marginalisation that young Indigenous teenagers must face. After viewing Yolngu Boy and Black Chicks Talking, there will be examples from the two movies on the stereotypes, marginalisation, interdependent and the connection the characters of the movies have with the Aboriginal culture and the dominant white culture.
Robert Heilbroner, in his essay “Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments,” justifies why the ideas stereotyped aren’t always correct. He goes on saying that stereotypes are “a kind of gossip” which makes us fit more into the life we think we need to live. He states examples of how names, nationalities an...
Thus, this creates connotations to patriotism and pride towards the country the reader lives in. Coupled with the large image of Australia filled with smaller images of people of all ages, and race, sporting the Australian flag, influences the reader to enter the article with a positive attitude towards Australia Day, as it seems to put this day in high esteem, which consequently convinces the audience, before even commencing to read, that the day is about ‘unity’ and not division. The smaller images of a non-traditional and traditional stereotypical Australian prove that race play no part in this celebratory day, creating the sense of Australia being an accepting
Struggles by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people for recognition of their rights and interests have been long and arduous (Choo & Hollobach: 2003:5). The ‘watershed’ decision made by the High Court of Australia in 1992 (Mabo v Queensland) paved the way for Indigenous Australians to obtain what was ‘stolen’ from them in 1788 when the British ‘invaded’ (ATSIC:1988). The focus o...
Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.
Pearson conveys the need to take responsibility for the consequences of past discriminations, encouraging open, harmonious and hopeful beliefs of reconciliation as opposed to assigning guilt. He calls for the metaphoric “opening of hearts” as Australians strive to overcome inequities of the past and build a future based on the beliefs of justice and equality. Pearson expresses his hope for reconciliation through negative diction and alliteration, “Legacy of unutterable shame” and “derogation and diminution”, representing the historic suffering of Indigenous Australians. Thus, it is clearly evident that he does not manipulate the audience into having to act against the misfortune of the past, but rather have an emotional connection with them through powerful rhetoric to indirectly assist the audience to gain an insight of the emotional and physical damage of Aborigines. Furthermore, Pearson also incorporate inclusive language through the repetition of “our nation” and the action that “we” must take to correct our past injustices. This is effective in reconciling the divide between European Australians, whilst reinforcing national values. Pearson’s approach depicts society’s challenge to “accept responsibility and accept shame”, reflecting his belief that this was the ideal solution to address reconciliation.
Richard Harding, Roderic Broadhurst, Anne Ferrante, Nini Loh. 1995. Aboriginal Contact with the criminal justice system. Leichardt, NSW: Hawkins Press
Australia is considered as a young country when comparing to other countries as it has been founded around 200 years ago. Today, it is still in the trouble of some sort of identity crisis, trying to find its true identity. To try to define what really is considered as Australianness means one will have to take the plunge. For instance, in Australia the movie, director Baz Luhrmann made a great effort in telling an epic story of Australia but it still falls into the category of imprudent cliché of Australianness. Now we will look at the poster of Australia the movie then analyse it to interpret in what ways it represents the Australianness.
Within Australia, beginning from approximately the time of European settlement to late 1969, the Aboriginal population of Australia experienced the detrimental effects of the stolen generation. A majority of the abducted children were ’half-castes’, in which they had one white parent and the other of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Following the government policies, the European police and government continued the assimilation of Aboriginal children into ‘white’ society. Oblivious to the destruction and devastation they were causing, the British had believed that they were doing this for “their [Aborigines] own good”, that they were “protecting” them as their families and culture were deemed unfit to raise them. These beliefs caused ...
Australian indigenous culture is the world’s oldest surviving culture, dating back sixty-thousand years. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been represented in a myriad of ways through various channels such as poetry, articles, and images, in both fiction and non-fiction. Over the years, they have been portrayed as inferior, oppressed, isolated, principled and admirable. Three such texts that portray them in these ways are poems Circles and Squares and Grade One Primary by Ali Cobby Eckermann, James Packer slams booing; joins three cheers for footballer and the accompanying visual text and Heywire article Family is the most important thing to an islander by Richard Barba. Even though the texts are different as ….. is/are …., while