TDL has got to be one of the funniest movies I’ve watched in a while. It’s witty, it’s heart-warming, it’s refreshing. Not to mention it reinspired my fervent desire to visit India at some stage in the near future.
This was also kindled by a recent Bollywood party I went to, complete with professional dancers who tried to teach us uncoordinated Westerners how to shake it, Indian style. India has such a bright, vibrant, rich, amazing culture; the very definition of exotic.
Think of the dancing, the saris, the wedding ceremonies, the singing, the languages (not to mention the religions), the FOOD! Then think of what Australia is. Vast desert plains, sure, and the Aboriginal Dreaming (which in and of itself is inspiring) but we’re culturally bland. What’s our national food? The meat pie. The lamington, maybe. Vegimite. VB. We certainly don’t got any “moves,” except a bit of a sideways shuffle, and our national uniform is hardly anything to be proud of: thongs, a wife beater and board shorts. Our natural icons are amazing, sure – Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, to name a few – but people-wise, we’ve got no Gandhis. We've got Ned bloody Kelly, for goodness sakes (who I should really rag on, because he is my area's one claim to fame) - a bushranger! Why are we so proud of him?!
Maybe it’s because we’ve got no history, we’re just a convict offshoot of Britain.
Or maybe because we’re a bit of everything, a combination of cultures, we’re no one thing.
x
JAG
9 comments:
Yes! Yes! Come to India! :D
AWWWWW! I do NOT think you are a culturally bland country! I think that every person thinks that a country apart from theirs is exotic :D You have NO idea how badly I want to come to Aus!
I LOVE Adrian Brody -- I'm actually watching The Pianiste as I type (it's, er, on pause) and I LOVE him. Speaking of the film, did you hear about Roman Polanski?!?!?!
Ps: Please, please don't mind me telling you this, but I think it's spelt Gandhi :D
Or maybe it's because white people stamped out any native culture that might have existed a long time ago.
@Tina: when I do, I'll definitely let you know - and I'll be looking you up! :)
@Sharan: thanks for the correction, I'm never sure how it's spelt.
Do you mean The Pianist? SUCH a great movie - and so heart-breaking!
Yes I heard about Roman Polanski, if by that you mean the charges - or should I say sentencing - against him...Not sure what to think about it all...
I know what you mean about other countries seeming more exotic, but really, Australia doesn't have a distinct, tangible, lively culture. It's true we have kangaroos and 'g'day' and bogans to define us (*shudder*) but really...we don't have any national holidays worth a damn (Melbourne Cup? Only in Vic!) to celebrate, the only Australian thing to do on Australia Day is "throw a couple of shrimp on the barbie" and our national icon is either Crocodile Dundee (a myth) or Shane Warne (a cheating, lying scumbag.) We have very little to show for ourselves which is largely no fault of our own, having descended from Britain/convicts, but it is unfortunate....
@Arielle sad, but true.
x
JAG
@ JaG:
I did mean The Pianist! I was watching the french version, and they spell Pianist with the extra 'e' at the end, so =D
I suppose when you put it like that, you probably have a point. But as far as native Aus goes, don't the Aborginals belong to that part? As in, separate from the tag of having to be a second hand kind of race? I'm sorry if I'm wrong, it was just a question I had, coz I've watched Australia and I do remember reading in an article (was it the one that you sent me? I'm not sure) about this, so...
I think that there is culture in Australia. Setting aside the rich Aboriginal culture which you have clearly done. I for one certainly don't identify with Crocodile Dundee or Shane Warne. I identify with Summer Heights High, Dame Edna, Howard Arkley, Bill Henson and John Brack. Movies such as Black Balloon, My Brilliant Career, Mad Max, Gallipoli, Muriel's Wedding, Pricilla Queen of the Desert, Lantana, and Candy. TV shows: We can be heroes, Kath and Kim, The Librarians, The Chaser, Underbelly,etc. Actors: Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Judy Davis, Guy Pearce,"moves" the Melbourne shuffle, it isn't just a sideways shuffle, that is just the basic step. Our Music scenes in Melbourne and Western Australia, and Sydney are prolific producers of exceptional acts, eg The Drones, Empire of the Sun, Angus & Julia Stone, The Waifs, Augie March, British India, Nick Cave, Clare Bowditch, New Buffalo, Missy Higgins, Gotye, Lisa Gerrard, The Presets, Sarah Blasko, Silverchair, etc You can find fantastic live music every night in every major city. Food, you live in Melbourne how can you you not see the vibrant food culture, some of the best, if not the best fusion restaurants in the world are in Australia. Australian wines are the highest selling in the world. VB is rubbish but Coopers, and Boags Premium are great beers. When you walk the streets of Melbourne how many people do you see wearing "the uniform" one in 50 if that. The fact that there is a style specific to a suburb in Melbourne: Brunswick, we are renowned for our beachwear in the fashion world. Ned Kelly is a hero in the eyes of some because he fought back against prejudice, he being a poverty stricken Irish teenager, in the English dominated Australia. No Gandhis, well I would consider Tim Flannery, Germaine Greer and Peter Singer not of the same level but amazing thinkers and activists. Australia is so much more than what you described, I can't believe you take for granted the talent we have here to enjoy.
I just realized, I spelt it wrong, typo! AborIginals! SORRRY!
@ Sharan: I didn't notice. That's what I mean - the Aboriginals are the native Australians, the true Australians, I suppose you could say ;)
@ DF: Point taken :) I wasn't trying to set aside Aboriginal culture, but merely to point out that, unfortunately, it belongs to a group in our society who remain on the fringes. I mean, you or I could hardly claim it as our own, could we? You point out some excellent muscians (I love Missy, Clare, and the Waifs) and it's true, I didn't really take this into consideration, although I was aware I was taking something of a devil's advocate position on this. ;)
I guess, in the international scheme of things, I consider us a hybird of America and Britain, which is a vast generalisation, to be sure - I suppose I see us as Western more than anything, with little to distinguish us - but as you rightly reminded me, there is much that sets us apart...I may have sounded dismissive, but really, I'm very proud of Australia and everything we have to offer.
Incidentally: How to tell if you're Australian.
x
JAG
Aww, you did an India post! And i saw it so late! Damn you exams!
I'm all teary and smiley.
:)
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