How are stereotypes of Australian and Greek cultures represented in Australian cinema?
..., and his two sons, Dale (who is the movies narrator and "idea man" Steve . A third son, Wayne is in jail, and a daughter, Tracy, a hairdresser who has recently entered a life of wedded bliss. For the eternally optimistic Darryl, life couldn't be better. But when the airport wants to expand, and, under an agreement with the government, they demand the compulsory acquisition of Darryl's home. Instead of accepting their generous offer and moving, he and a few neighbours decide to fight back. (Berardinelli, J.1999) The factors of racism that emerge from this movie centre on scapegoat, Power, fear and ignorance. The government presumes that the family is only living next to the airport because they can not afford any where better. Thus by offering them a far price they presumed that the Kerrigan family and their neighbours would move without a fuss. This is one of the major stereotypes portrayed through the movie. The government becomes shocked when the family does not accept the offer and try and use their power and influence to scare them away. The central conflict is a classic David vs. Goliath, big business infringing on personal liberties- something that almost everyone can relate to. Also, the concept of a "home" is presented as a deeply personal thing. One individual's shanty might be another's dream house. It's not just a case of bricks and mortar, but the whole package: memories, feelings, and other associations. The Wog Boy The movie the Wog Boy focuses on three main issues that are challenged throughout the movie. These are: the jobs of the people, the foods in which they eat and the mannerisms. Firstly, “wogs” are perceived throughout the movie as dole bludgers. They say they don’t want to work for a living and rather sit at home and receive the dole rather than getting a paying job. In the movie there is a scene where the main character is in his car and the appearance of the car is one that has been “done up”. It has a loud exhaust, mag wheels and a number plate that says; “WOGBOY”. The police officers following the car have singled him out by pulling the car over and asking him questions. Due to the fact that it was in the middle of the day, the police officers assume that he is up to no good as they felt as though he should have been at work. But little did they know that he was on his way to his job. The first question that was asked by the police officers, which was in a language that isn’t common to everyday life was “where did you get the money to afford a car like this?” The other police officer repeats the question asked, by this time it was put in a way that was understandable to the everyday language. When this police officer simplifies the question, it is a way of insulting him as they were portraying him to be an “idiot” who doest understand what the English language is all about. Power: This movie demonstrates how the “Australian” society holds power over the “wog” society. This is expressed through the way the police officers pull over the main character in a quest to find out where is off to because it is during the middle of the day where he should be at work. The police officers show they have power over the main character to ask questions that aren’t related to the general way of pulling people over. Grouping: Grouping is an example that is made apparent throughout the movie, the Wog Boy. This can be identified through the way in which the “Australian” society perceives the “wog” society by receiving unemployment benefits known as the “dole”. The “Australian” society makes a judgement that all immigrants come into the country just to receive Government benefits without wanting to work for their money. Later on in the movie, the “Wog Boy” is labelled as the “biggest dole bludger” as they feel that he wants to receive these Government payments without wanting to work. Another example of how power is demonstrated in the movie is the way in which the police officers assume that the “wog boy” is illiterate and doesn’t understand the English language. Similarities There are some similarities in both movies where the aim is to portray positive stereotypes about the main characters and their lives. A positive stereotype is one which promotes the values of a dominant group which they deem to be worthwhile (McMahon, Quinn, 1987). In The Castle the positive stereotype of the ‘Aussie Larrikin’ is presented in the main character of Daryl Kerrigan. Daryl has harsh facial features, is ‘no frills’ about his face or the clothing he wears- jeans and a flannelette shirt- he has a no-nonsense voice pattern. He speaks with flat delivery, deep voice and there is plentiful use of slang, for example- “Tell em his dreamin” As a workman the Aussie larrikin is a man of action and not of words and prefers action before thinking.. For example; Daryl stole the front gates off a politician’s house when the politician has sent a thug to “pass on a message”. Daryl did not worry about the consequences. This Aussie larrikin image is a positive one because the values which it promotes are regarded as positive by the significant cultural groups (McMahon, Quinn 1987). In the Wog Boy, the main character Steve is eventually given a positive stereotype when working for the government and being the ‘poster boy’ for all ‘wog boys’. During a photoshoot Steve is given many identities, for example; a construction worker with a headscarf, and a safari suit top, traditional Greek dress for his pants, and a surfboard, he classifies himself as “Zorba Dundee”. His successful photo is when Steve is dressed in bla...