Australian Culture: An Oxymoron?
Someone once told me that culture is everything that we do that we need not do. We need to eat, so eating in itself does not constitute culture. What we eat, where we eat it, how we cook it, how we present it, the rituals and ceremonies involved in sharing a meal with others; these are factors that make up culture. The same goes for how we shelter ourselves, how we raise kids, the rules and customs we create for ourselves revolving around sex and reproduction, and of course everything involved in entertaining ourselves and creating a community.
In my SOSE class, culture was simply defined as "the way we live". As small groups, we were given a task of making a poster depicting Australian culture. The end result was unilaterally a Steve Irwin-like character, complete with swagman's hat or akubra, beer, BBQ, Australian Rules Football, cattle dog, jar of Vegemite and rusty old Ute. The tutor was quick to point out that we had all presented the stereotype of Australians, and rhetorically asked us if we actually knew anyone like that. That stereotypical image is cringe-inducing to most of us. So why did we respond to the task in that way? It was the obvious, easy path to take, especially considering the task wasn't being graded. But more than that, it is the only culture we have that we don't share. We leech literature, film, music and television shows from America and Britain, our food comes from as many countries as our immigrants, wider social and political trends imitate those of the States, we even latch on to American colloquialisms.
When critics of Australian multiculturalism criticise certain groups (mainly Lebanese immigrants) and implore them to assimilate, I wonder what culture they expect them to adapt. It is unreasonable to expect them to be Steve Irwins when no one else is held to that standard.
In my SOSE class, culture was simply defined as "the way we live". As small groups, we were given a task of making a poster depicting Australian culture. The end result was unilaterally a Steve Irwin-like character, complete with swagman's hat or akubra, beer, BBQ, Australian Rules Football, cattle dog, jar of Vegemite and rusty old Ute. The tutor was quick to point out that we had all presented the stereotype of Australians, and rhetorically asked us if we actually knew anyone like that. That stereotypical image is cringe-inducing to most of us. So why did we respond to the task in that way? It was the obvious, easy path to take, especially considering the task wasn't being graded. But more than that, it is the only culture we have that we don't share. We leech literature, film, music and television shows from America and Britain, our food comes from as many countries as our immigrants, wider social and political trends imitate those of the States, we even latch on to American colloquialisms.
When critics of Australian multiculturalism criticise certain groups (mainly Lebanese immigrants) and implore them to assimilate, I wonder what culture they expect them to adapt. It is unreasonable to expect them to be Steve Irwins when no one else is held to that standard.