The Beach Has Replaced Bush as the Dominant Icon of Australia - Case Study Example

The Beach has replaced the Bush as the Dominant Icon of Australia Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Introduction The search for and establishment of Australian national identity has been a subject of debate for more than a century now with Australian symbols of national identity changing over time and place in Australian history. The two distinct symbols, which have been dominant icons of Australia’s identity has been the bush and the beach. The bush as the symbolic icon of Australian national identity was primarily dominant in the nineteenth century where the media both depicted the bush locally and internationally as the paradise. Numerous films at the time and even in the present celebrate the bush, that is, Australia as the natural place that permits people to attain their full potential. Bush was associated with purity, naturalness, honesty and serenity, which are ideals that are close and treasured by Australian culture. Among popular films celebrating the bush as an Australian national symbol are the 1986 ‘Crocodile Dundee’ and the 1982 ‘The Man from Snowy River’ (McGoin, (2005). As it may, the beach as dominant icon of modern Australian identity has replaced the bush and has substituted the bush’s bushman with the beach’s lifesaver or surfer who is now looked up to as an integral role model for modern Aussie child (Fiske et al. 64). According to Dutton (1985), the beach provides not only a prospect of food and trade, but also, it is now synonymous to the great Australian dream where people associate it with lifestyle, business, development and recreation. To illustrate the fundamental place the beach has on the Australian way of life and more significantly, the country’s identity, Dutton states that ‘…the tradition of Australians at the beach, in its many ways, is of profound importance to the national character.’ Craig McGregor argues that the beach has replaced the bush as the dominant icon of Australia. Craig McGregor’s argument forms the basis of this report, which seeks to critically analyze Craig McGregor’s argument and assess how the dominance of the beach as an icon of Australia is evident. The beach as dominant icon of Australia Whether the beach has replaced the bush as the dominant icon of Australia is debatable. Nevertheless, I agree with Craig McGregor that the beach has in its entirety replaced the bush as the dominant icon of Australia. The beginning of the beach as the dominant icon of Australia can be associated with the introduction of surfing culture in Australia, which occurred in 1915. Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian surfer who was a swimming Olympic champion and a waterman, introduced surfing by carrying out surfing exhibitions at Sydney’s Freshwater Beach. According to Kampion (1997, pp. 40), ‘…new enthusiasts took up the sport wherever Duke showed audiences how to walk on water… our “water-locked continent was on its way to becoming one of the most surf-stoked societies on earth…’ The craze for surfing in Australia was further stimulated by movies such as ‘the music of Dick Dale’ and the ‘Gidget’ as more and more people hit the beach to not only watch but also participate in surfing, and thus, the beach culture was born. The Australian national identity to which the beach or the bush symbolizes, entails understanding that which is perceived to be about who an Australian is and can be, what they can be and more importantly, demonstrating who an Australian cannot be. For this reason, to establish who an Australian is, possible national objectives and artifacts must demonstrate what an Australian cannot be (McGoin, 2005, p.13). The beach culture offers through its figures, texts and related apparel, a broad diversity of symbols and pointers that are a sign of Australian national identity, putting into effect and supporting understanding and insights of who an Australian can be or cannot be. The beach as a place for re-creating and recreation generates the materiality of nationalism where it generates theme positions and national bodies where the lifesaver and the surfer symbolize the corporeality of Australia, the beach being the lifesaver’s place of becoming (Fiske, et al. 50). National iconic symbols and the ideals they stand for are entrenched in the literary discourse of Australia. Before the beach became the national referent, the bush was prominent in Australian literatures, which earned it a place as a national identity. As Australia got it independence, this was depicted in media cartoons like the little boy from Manly, where the oedipal surfer was used to symbolize the country’s infancy following its liberation from colonial rule as highlighted by McGoin (2005, p. 5). Productions that include ‘Legend of the Nineties’ by Vance Palmer, ‘The Australian Legend’ by Russel Ward and films such as ‘A Town like Alice’ and the film ‘Sunday too far away’ are important. They are among some of the media works and literature that sought to influence and depict the bush icon as Australia’s national identity where the bush people were presented as honest, and genuine. The works sought to establish what it meant to be an Australian and the bush icon fitted well. Primarily, the bush as a symbol of Australian national identity was indicative of the Australian way of life which would later be replaced by the beach, as surfing became Australian way of life as depicted by Richard (1981, p. 36). The beach as a dominant icon has truly replaced the bush as an icon of Australia, where ordinary Aussies who were traditionally seen as lazy and rugged which is typified to bush. With where the Aussies are now perceived to work hard but taking a laid back approach to work, they are genuine, carefree, honest, brave, quintessential and they are known for sticking up for others which is typified of surfing and the beach culture (Horne, 1964, p. 20). To demonstrate the dominance of the beach as a national icon in Australia that is interconnected with the surfing culture and to depict the beach as part and parcel of Australia. Gliddon (2002, p. 14) states ‘…surfing wasn’t invented in Australia, but with more coastline than anywhere on Earth, we’ve made it our own…it took the Americans to turn us on to it. However, since then we have made it our own. Surfing is uniquely and intimately tied to the Australian lifestyle. It is all the things we want to be, and want others to perceive as Australian. Surfing is healthy, easygoing, edgy and, more than anything, a damn good business…’ from Gliddon’s statement, surfing as an activity derived from the beach is interconnected where none can prosper without the other. More significantly, both the beach and the surfing cultures play a fundamental function in building of a modern Australian national identity. Beach as a dominant national icon of Australia signifies freedom philosophically to indicate freedom from colonialism and economically to signify the freedom of markets (McGoin 18). As the place where surfing takes place, the beach has attained an iconic status, progressively more including the interior of the country as the basic site of nationalist meaning. The beach is associated to the affluence of Australian economy with revenues from the surfing industry amounting to more than 300 million US dollars in revenue turnovers by 1998 as highlighted by Lewis, (1998, p. 56). The use of a beach scene as an iconic image of Australia in the brochure ‘Lets look out for Australia’ published and distributed by the Commonwealth Government to all Australian homes to mobilize for support in the fight against terrorism following the USA twin tower terrorist attack in September 2001, solidify the dominance of the beach as an Australian icon symbol (Commonwealth Government, 2002). The images and the wordings on the pamphlet depict that each Australian should be involved in protecting Australian way of life from terror threat. The use of a beach scene cements the beach as iconic symbol representing Australia’s way of life and it describe Australian national identity and it defines what Australia is all about, what it has and what it represents to both the insider and to the outsiders (Commonwealth Government, 2002). Other illustrations that the beach has in real sense taken over the dominance as an icon in Australia is the video ‘sun surf and sand’ which demonstrates the establishment of a beach culture in Australia through the use of film media. The continued reinvention and reformation of Australian national identity, which is characterized by the development of new icons, new myths and new narratives, aligns to Craig McGregor’s argument that the Australian icon of dominance has changed from the bush icon to the beach icon. The shift from the bush icon to the beach icon is indicative of the shift and the changes Australia have undergone in a bid to reinvent itself p.58. The Myths of OZ: Reading Australian Popular Culture by Fiske, Hodge and Turner depicts the beach as the basic site for analyzing Australian national identity and the Australian culture. According to the authors, the beach as an icon is represented as a borderline between nature and culture and the site between autonomy and discipline, which is effectively represented by the life forms of the surfer and the lifesaver as the core symbols of the beach (Fiske, et al., 1987, p.50). According to Fiske et al. (1987, p. 64), the figure of a lifesaver to represent the beach, which is presently the defining icon of who an Australian is, is depictive of hard work, discipline, and freedom. Moreover, it depicts self-sacrifice where a lifesaver embraces their role as servants to the community by opting to sacrifice their weekends to ensure lives are saved and kept safe. The author defines the lifesaver, which is the figure in the beach, as the agent of social control, this is because, the lifesaver is continuously engaged in ensuring the moral health of community members (Fiske et al. 66). The notion of the lifesaver as a person who sacrifices their time for others and who ensures others are safe and secure represents the cultural identity of the Australian people, who are bound by customs of civil engagement and ethical ideals. The dominance of the beach as an icon of Australia has generated criticisms particularly in regards to the issues of cultural representations particularly in a multicultural country such as Australia and the masculinity associated with the beach as argued by McGoin, (2005, p.9). As earlier indicated, a symbol of national identity should in its entirety represent what the nation it is representing is in its actuality. In most instances, the beach particularly the surfing culture has been closely viewed as a male dominated place with their female counterparts fading in the vicinity. The few women who have engaged in surfing have done so within the constraints of white, patriarchal power systems (McGoin 10). In addition, the beach has predominantly been seen as representative of the white Australian rather than representing the multicultural outlook of what Australia is. Since the Aboriginal people have their own ways of associating and understanding the ocean, it is important that the media does capture this rather than dominating the beach with white representations of beach life as argued by McGoin (2005, p.16). ‘Our way of life’ which is the Australians way of life are words used in the beach culture which have gained prominence in use among the public circles where even the government of Australia has over time embraced the ‘our way of life’ slogan when addressing issues of national importance (McGoin, 2005). The slogan, which has its origin within the beach and surfing culture, is indicative of autonomy, oneness, diversity, choice and democracy within the surfing community, which is symbolic of Australian way of life and stands for what Aussies define themselves as. Among other recent media productions depicting the beach as an icon of Australia which can be translated as the beach having replaced all other forms of symbols representing the identity of Australia include the book ‘Sand in our souls’ which is written by Leone Huntsman. The book from front cover to the back cover talks of the beach in Australia as a site that holds spiritual and emotional meaning to the nation and is a source of nationalism (Huntsman, 2001). According to the author, the beach is illustrative of what Australia is. The neutrality of the beach, where anyone and everybody can walk, illustrates a place where those who see others as different from who they are, have equal right and freedom to be there (Huntsman, 2001). This means that the beach, which embraces diversity in culture, is symbolic of Australia, which embraces cultural diversity where people from all types of background are able to tolerate each other and coexist. According to Huntsman, as Australia rediscovers and reexamines itself by fading away of past memories, which is illustrated by the waves on the beach, a new and a better future, which is illustrated by the smooth sand left by a tide, will offer new opportunities and prospects for people to make new and fresh starts (Huntsman, 2001). From Huntsman arguments, the national identity of Australia is depicted in the cleansing ability of the ocean, which is representative of the wiping away of the past memories of the wrongs and the injustices that have been done in Australia and the assurances of a new start for all. The beach as an icon provides a place of commonality, which is what Australia seeks to define itself as. Just like the book Sands in our souls, the 2001 film “the Beach’ produced by Featherstone Productions depicts the beach as the single iconic symbol of Australia’s national identity. Using varied visual representations and actions, the film the Beach gives the audience a deeper understanding of the beach and to some extent, offering the ideological perspective of the beach as a symbol depicting what being an Australian means and entails. According to the film, Australia identifies itself with the beach and the beach acts as the lens through which Australia views itself and the lens through which Australians reflect and learn about who they really are. Conclusion Over time and place, Australia has used varied symbols and icons to describe and define what the country is all about as it has sort to redefine what it stands for as a country. The two most vivid, significant and continuously referred to icons when identifying Australia’s national identity in myths, literature, texts and in the media are the bush and the beach. As argued in the report, the bush was synonymous with Australia’s national identity in the ninetieth century and has been fully replaced by the beach. The use of the beach at both local and national levels to define Australia’s way of life and the surfing culture derived from the beach, generates ideals such as oneness, tranquility, diversity, laid back attitude, self sacrifice and genuineness which describes what Australians defines themselves as and what they would like to represent themselves as. Be it as it may, it is important to address the masculinity factor and the white-centered systems related with the beach and the surfing culture in order for the beach to represent fully the multicultural diversity, which exists in Australia, and in so doing, earn its rightful place as the dominant icon to Australia. Conclusively, the beach contain varied aspects which are representative of what Australia is today than the bush does, which makes it more dominant compared to the bush icon. Works Cited Commonwealth Government. Lets Look out for Australia. Commonwealth Government, NSW: PMP Print. 2002. Dutton, G. Sun, Sea, Surf and Sand - the myth of the beach. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 1985. Featherstone Productions. The Beach. Featherstone Productions, 2001. Fiske, John, Hodge, Robert, and Turner, Graeme. Myths of OZ: Reading Australian Popular culture. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 1987. Gliddon, Mad WAX. The Bulletin, Sydney: Australian Consolidated Press. 2002. Holliday, S. A Partnership for Sustainability: The Key to Managing Our Precious Coast. 8th Annual NSW Coastal Conference. Bateman’s Bay: NSW. 1998. Horne, Donald. The Lucky Country. Hammondsworth: Penguin. 1964. Huntsman, Leone. Sand in our Souls: the Beach in Australian History. Victoria: Melbourne University Press. 2001. Kampion, Drew. Stoked: A History of Surf Culture. Santa Monica: General Publishing Group. 1997. Lewis, Jeff. Between the Lines: Surf Texts, Prosthetics, and Everyday Theory. Social Semiotics, 18.1 1998. McGloin, C. Surfing Nations(s)- Surfing Country(s). Sydney: University of Wollongong. 2005. Accessed on 24th May 2012 from http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=1316&context=theses&type=additional National Film and Sound Archive. Sun, Surf and Sand, Australia’s News reels. National Film and Sound Archive, 1996. Palmer, Vance. The legend of the Nineties. Melbourne: Manchester University Press. 1991. White, Richard. Inventing Australia: Images of Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 1981. Read More