Diversity Expectations and Behavior Assignment
Added on 2021-04-17
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Running head: DIVERSITY, EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIORDiversity, Expectations and BehaviorName of the Student:Name of the University:Author’s Note:
1DIVERSITY, EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIORThe nation of Australia was initially inhabited by the aboriginals and the fugitivesfrom the countries like United Kingdom, France and others (Collins 2013). The first person toland on the country of Australia was Willem Janszoon in the year 1606 (Ozdowski 2013).However, the culture of Australia is a very dynamic one and has been subjected to continuouschange with the changing times (Pedersen 2013). The real change in the culture and theenvironment came with the introduction of the concept of multiculturalism in the 1980s and1990s (Collins 2013). This paper intends to shed light on the cultural changes which thenation of Australia has undergone in the recent times through the lens of the movie “They're aWeird Mob” released in the year 1966 like the discrimination which the people from differentcultural background people faced in the nation of Australia, multiculturalism and others.The movie “They're a Weird Mob” directed by Michael Powell and EmericPressburger is a landmark in the cultural history of Australia (Ozdowski 2013). The movietries to portray the native culture of Australia through the eyes of an Italian emigrant NinoCulotta. The movie is actually an adaptation of the novel of the same name written by theauthor John O'Grady, who wrote under the pen name of “Nino Culotta” (Benet-Martínez2012). According to a source, “Australians were still very much believers in the WhiteAustralia Policy and thought this story by what was then called a New Australian was veryinteresting. O’Grady had found exactly the right tone for the times. Nino was funny, a littledumb, naïve but loveable, never really critical of his adoptive society and eager to assimilate”(Petrie 2016, pp-46). The story of the movie revolves around the character Culotta whoarrives in Australia with the intention of working at a sports magazine with his cousin.However, on arriving he comes to know that his cousin has left the job and he decides to paythe debt which his cousin owes to the magazine owner. Therefore, he goes on to work as adaily wage earner. However, soon a romantic affair develops between Nino and the owner ofthe magazine. It is significant to note that it is through the journey of Nino and his
2DIVERSITY, EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIORrelationship with the wage earners and the owner of the magazine company that the variousfacets of the Australian culture has been examined in the movie (Benet-Martínez 2012).The major source of comedy in the movie by the difference between the Australianand the Italian culture which the central character of the movie experiences. According toNino in the movie, “There are far too many New Australians in this country who are stillmentally living in their homelands, who mix with people of their own nationality, and try toretain their own language and customs...Get yourself accepted as one of him; and you willenter a world that you never dreamed existed. And once you have entered it, you will neverleave it” (countoreilly3 2018). He further more says about the Australian culture that “‘MostAustralians speak English like I speak Hindustani, which I don’t. In general, they use Englishwords, but in a way that makes no sense to anyone else” (countoreilly3 2018). The moviethrough the character Nino also explores the jokes as well as the slangs used by theAustralians in phrases like ‘wogdrag’, ‘his dirty Italian moods’, and various others(countoreilly3 2018). It is to be noted that the “language barrier between the immigrant andAustralians leads to burlesque situations, where the misunderstanding of the Italian mergeswith the viewer’s incapacity to make sense of Australian idioms” (Petrie 2016, pp-64). It is tobe noted that basically the movie tries to depict an Australia before the advent of the conceptof multiculturalism. Therefore, the society which the movie portrays is a very conservativeone, unwilling to accept the concept of diversity brought on by the advent of the variousemigrants from different parts of the world (Modood 2013).It is to be noted that the film was quiet unique for its times as it tried to portray thecontemporary society of its time which was totally against the policy of assimilation.Therefore, “racial, religious, and geographic divisions are still quite pronounced, and afeeling of “us against them” pervades many of the characters (Petrie 2016, pp-71). The filmdepicts Australia as insulated and resistant to the influences of other countries. It is a nation
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