Media Destroying Our National Identity Research Paper

24 million beer guts? 24 million shrimp on the barbie? Or 24 million who make up the most culturally diverse nation in the world? I don’t know about you, but I struggle to stereotype 24 million of the most different people on the planet. Good morning… etc. In contemporary society, the ability to identify an Australian is a challenge. The ABC states that national identities are “as varied as our imagination” and, “In Australia, the religious, cultural and ethnic complexity of our society is particularly diverse, making it extremely difficult to identify an Australian”. What would you look for if you were asked to identify an Australian? Tanned skin? Beer gut? Freckles? Wrong wrong wrong! You can’t identify an Australian based on a stereotypical image! According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, “75% of Australia’s population originates from overseas, or has a parent from overseas” (ABOE, 2016), making it impossible to identify what an Australian looks like. We Aussies share more than a hatred for cane toads and bits of butter in the vegemite. We share moral values and beliefs unique to our great nation. Belief in a fair go, never give up mindset, and courage. A character from the movie Australia, absolutely epitomizes the Australian identity. The man. The myth. The legend. The Drover.

Australian people and culture are often stereotyped in the media in different forms, one of them being film. The two films being examined, ‘Red dog’ (2011) and the ‘Sapphires’ (2012), are an example of the Australian identity but from different points of view. ‘Red dog’ shows the kind and positive side which exemplifies mateship and loyalty. The film ‘Sapphires’ ,which takes place in the 1950’s through to the 1960’s, shows a negative and racist view towards the indigenous people. Both the films show different aspects of the Australian identity, not all insights of the films accurately represent contemporary Australian identity as the Australian identity has changed by the evolution of people and their lifestyle.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard once said: “Multiculturalism is not only the ability to maintain our diverse backgrounds & cultures. It is the meeting place of rights & responsibilities. Where the right to maintain one’s customs, language & religion is balanced by an equal responsibility to learn English, find work, respect our culture & heritage, & accept women as full equals.” It had been a long journey from a society based on racial prejudice & intolerance to a contemporary multicultural Australia embracing diversity. Unquestionably, multiculturalism is the key factor in defining the Australian identity. Hence, it is important that we strive to improve & ensure that multiculturalism in Australia is directed to the pursuit of the maintenance of those values that have made Australia the envy of other nations and

Australia’s identity has always been a complicated one. Starting with Aboriginal genocide, 1800’s cowboys and villains, two world wars and a bunch of poems describing them, it makes it difficult to conclude on what being an ‘Aussie’ really is. Thankfully, the two thought-provoking poems Nobody Calls Me a Wog Anymore by Komninos Zervos, and My Country by Dorothea Mackellar both use their discerning selection of themes to reflect modern attitudes in some extent. Along with their themes, Nobody Calls Me a Wog Anymore and My Country both use their story to capture the attributes modern Australians possess to some degree.

Mateship. Adventurous. Loyal. Free. Proud. These are the typical words Australians use to describe themselves, to identify themselves as different from the rest of the world. But who is an Australian? Someone that was born in Australia? Only people we choose to call Australian? People with great achievements that we choose to take credit for? Only people that love sport and vegemite? Or maybe only people with ‘Aussie’ accents? The Australian population is a proud one indeed, proud of their nation, their achievements and their own independent way of life, but sometimes us Aussies, forget about the rest of the world and all those other people that make us, who we are.

There are many diverse interpretations of the words “Australian Identity”. The national anthem, as evidenced in Stand Up, is a primarily white interpretation of Australia and the Australian identity, with many of the lines ignoring the Indigenous people of Australia (Perkins et al, 2012). Another form of the “Australian Identity” was one presented by Prime Minister Paul Keating in his Redfern Address in 1992. He proclaimed that “Australia is a first-rate social democracy…truly the land of the fair go and the better chance”. This idea presented represents an egalitarian society, where every single human has an equal opportunity at life. Yet another, shown in the songs Paul Kelly sang, but especially in “this land is mine” is the difference between the identity of Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians (Kelly et al, 2001). Each of these texts addressed a major issue. Stand Up compared the relative value of tradition and the right to freedom of expression. Keating’s speech expressed the need for justice and recognition of both the stolen generation and the injustices done to the Indigenous people as a whole. Kelly’s songs represent the importance of the land to Indigenous people and why the “returning of the land” is so important. Although they each mentioned a major issue, the texts all gave solutions to these issues, from reiterating the importance of the basic human right of freedom of speech in Stand Up, to explaining the role and qualities of the Aboriginal

The question of the Australian identity is a subject of a broad range of debates in the contemporary society. The subject is made complex by the existence of various myths, models, and stereotypes concerning the actual identity of the Australians. Specifically, it has been negatively caricatured using racial, hostile, and homophobic connotations in arts, politics, and reality programs among other aspects. Ideally, there is no “real” Australian identity but, a multicultural society built on shared values and experiences. Although there are several cultural stereotypes, myths, and models advanced to explain the nature of the Australian identity, just like other countries, these national myths may or may not have any resemblance to reality. In this project, the Australian identity is assessed from the myths of larrikins, mateship and same-sex marriage.

The nature of Australian’s national identity has been an ongoing debate for many years. It involves how Australians see themselves, and how other countries view Australia as a whole. Throughout the country’s history, the national identity has not remained constant, and currently it is a debate to what Australian’s true national identity is.

The problem of the 21st Century is the problem of the color line: Mass Media and Systemic Racism

Australian National Identity was forged by multi cultural nationalities. Within our country we now celebrate all and various events as a Nation. Our Australian Laws and language is linked with Britain. World

The authors assessment and opinion on the australian identity is that we lie about every part of our identity and it needs to change. I agree strongly with this opinion and the australian identity must be modified. The author shows us this when he uses certain techniques such as humour and rhetorical questions. Richard glover has used humour to portray his thoughts and opinions by using humour to convey his thoughts. One example of this is when he writes, “if we ever want a national slogan, it should be;this isn’t going to end well” this use of humour shows the reader that this is a serious problem and something should be done. Another key way the author has chosen to show his true opinion is through rhetorical questions for example. “ this

It is applied indiscriminately within the Australian media to label array of factors seen as threatening to national identity, way of life or values. This uncomplimentary use of Americanisation sees Australia as adopting social practices and cultural values which originates in the United States. (Bennett 1999)

Australia has always been centered around diversity and change, specifically with the vast multiculturalism and migrant culture throughout the nation. The specifics of Identity hold an important role in shaping our identity as students and as a nation. Australians pride themselves on being a land of the free and full of diverse culture. This is specifically referred to in our national Anthem; “For those who've come across the seas, We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine,”(McCormick, 1984). Displaying Australia’s open attitude towards immigrants and contributes to the diversity present within our society today. Even before this, much of Australia’s Identity was associated with caucasian culture (Originating from British Settlers). Which is the dominant perception of Australia through the media with australian representation being present through the stereotypes of Bogans, which was made popular through shows like Kath and Kim (ABC, 2007). Also, represented through the popular depiction of Australian people - the bushman made popular by movies like Crocodile Dundee (Faiman, 1986) and through famous real life bushman; Steve Irwin. An important aspect of Australian identity which is consistently neglected is the culture and representation of the initial owners of the land; the aboriginal people. Throughout history the constant mistreatment and neglect of the indigenous, has lead to a massive gap in privilege between the aboriginal people and our

One of the greatest revolutions in the twentieth century was not political in nature, however, it aided in many different political revolutions. This revolution was the communications revolution. The twentieth century has experienced one of the greatest changes in means of communication including technologies such as radio, motion pictures, the Internet, advanced communications and most importantly the television. Sadly, political leaders and the government to convince or persuade the masses that their ideas supercede those of others have utilized these technologies.

A key component of Australian culture today is not only their diversity, but more importantly, the