Core Elements of the Australian Culture

1. Core Elements of the Australian Culture It’s not just about bogans

2. Egalitarianism and class The belief that all people deserve equal political, economic, social and civil rights

3. How does this relate to Australia? • Australians like to believe that they live in an egalitarian and a classless society, where everyone gets a ‘fair go’. • The beginnings of this belief are traced back to the days where Australia was being colonised. Initially convicts from England were sent to Australia to begin the colonisation process. These men forged a strong bond with each other against the British soldiers sent to oversee their work and also against the harsh Australian environment. • The convicts were from the British working classes and were keen to leave the strict British class system to build a new classless nation together. The expression ‘fair go’ comes from the convict idiom ‘fair crack of the whip’

4. WWI and WWII • The wars cemented the Australians egalitarian beliefs because no matter where you were from or what your education was or even what you status as a soldier was, once you were in the trenches everyone was equal. • The British troops however, found this strange and could not understand why the Australian soldiers refused to follow the usual class hierarchy and refused to salute the British Generals • This myth of egalitarianism in the trenches was emphasised (and exaggerated) by war correspondents.

5. Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS) Linked to egalitarianism

6. Tall Poppy Syndrome • Refers to the way Australians are quick to criticize an individual who thinks he/she is special, more important, better or more successful than everyone else. • A recent example would be the way ‘The Missile’ James Magnussen is currently being criticized for being too cocky and then subsequently coming in 4th in the men’s relay. • Recent headlines describe Magnussen as ‘misfiring missile’, ‘How can the missile hit his target?’, ‘Missile to Reignite’.

7. What do you think? Is Australia truly an egalitarian classless society, where everyone is treated equally ?

8. The Underdog While Australians dislike ‘tall poppies’, they’re quick to support the underdog

9. Support for the Underdog • An underdog is a person/organisation who, in spite of having no chance of winning, takes on a more powerful foe. • Australians are known for their support of the underdog. • The first example of an underdog taking on a more powerful enemy dates back to the 1850s when Australian miners protested against the interference of the British Empire. (These men wanted Australia to become separate from the British powers.) They had little chance of succeeding and within days a military force of over 300 men overpowered their protest.

10. More Examples The Anzac soldiers showing bravery in Gallipoli in spite of the immense loss of life and deplorable conditions in the trench. Ned Kelly’s final stand against the police at the Glenrowan Inn. He failed a line of fire as he emerged from the Inn. Upon realising that his mates had not escaped, he turned back to rescue them, only to have his legs shot out from beneath him. In the 2000 Sydney Olympic games an African swimmer nicknamed Eric the Eel, was barely able to swim more than 50 metres. In spite of his dismal attempt to compete, the Australian crowd cheered him on all the way down the pool. In the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, Australians came out in support for the Japanese Rugby team, who stood little chance of winning any games. Australians attended the games the Japanese team was competing in dressed as Geishas and carrying the Japanese flag.

11. Race Australia is often described as a ‘multicultural’ nation…but is this entirely true?

12. Australia’s fears Since the nation was first formed, Australians have always feared non-white immigrants: In the 1850s and 1860s white Australians resented the Chinese immigrants that came to work on the goldfields. Workers claimed these immigrants took jobs from hardworking white Australians (sound familiar?) In 1901 the White Australia Policy was created. This policy aimed to exclude Asian immigrants from Australia They introduced a dictation test to any would-be immigrant. The test could be in any European language (not just English). This was deliberately administered and manipulated so that Asian immigrants could not pass the test. Later, in the 1950’s, this policy was relaxed somewhat as the Government was keen to boost the population. The government decided that immigrants from any European country was acceptable so long as they agreed to assimilate (i.e. accept the Australian culture without complaint and change their own behaviours to match). However, these immigrants were still regarded with suspicion, especially because they tended to carry customs /language from their own country over into Australia

13. What do you think? 1. Is Australia still suspicious about immigrants from other countries? 2. Do you think it is fair for the government to ask that immigrants give up their customs and language?

14. Anti-Authoritarianism To oppose authority

15. Australians protesting authority • The anti-authoritarian spirit began with the convicts who challenged the authority of the British soldiers who were sent to Australia with the convicts to help them conquer the bush and build a new nation. • Some of the convicts escaped the British soldiers and became bushrangers. The most famous one being Ned Kelly. These men were known for out-smarting the police and the soldiers. • The legend of Australians anti-authoritarian spirit was immortalised through the Anzac soldiers and their refusal to follow orders from their British superiors. Yet the Australian soldiers were also admired for their bravery and devil-may-care-attitude.

16. What do you think? Discuss and write down two examples of where Australians have demonstrated an anti-authoritarian attitude.