The Culture of Australia: Summer Heights High - Movie Review Example

The culture of Australia: Summer Heights High By Insert Name Institution Instructor date Introduction Much like the American culture, the Australian culture is one among the most notable multicultural societies in this era of migration efforts motivated by the high degree of globalism. It is important to mention that, just like the western cultures, the Australian culture – which classified among the western cultures as well – is a complicated one, especially considering that there are various disparities among the various classes that make up the society. Speaking of classes, the Australian population can be divided along quite a number of lines – ethnic, economic, political and so on (Craven 2004). The media, in Australia, just like any other part of the world, reflects the life and society of the country. Speaking of media, programs aired on televisions are the most prominent aspects of the media. Apparently, judging from most television series and entertainment programs, Australian culture is a middle point between European and American culture. This paper seeks to explicate the nature of Australian culture through the comedy Summer Heights High, as written and directed by Chris Lilley, a professional comedian. The case of Summer Heights High In analyzing the extent to which comedy reflects Australian culture, it is pertinent to use the most appropriate actor in the case study comedy – in this case Jonah Takalua, a boy that has been recognized as being more than just a menace in school. The boy has peculiar characteristics that set him aside as a special case in many ways. Critical analysis reveals that Jonah Takalua is a manifestation of the clash of cultures. The boy, whose self identity is in a continuous flux, is a representation of the multi-cultural nature of the Australia society. Of particular importance to mention is the reality that the director of the series gives the characters reflection of real characters encountered in the course of his research, with the extremity being the difference. In straightforward terms, the characters in the movie are an extreme representation of the current Australian society (Wilson 2009). Perhaps the most appropriate example is, again, Jonah, whose traits are the extreme negative of the Australian youth. The comedy Summer Heights High explicates the nature and cultural aspects of the Australian society. Apparently, the stark truth is that like many other western cultures, Australian society is a culture full of discriminatory practices. Contrary to common misconception, the discrimination is not only seen along the lines of race, but also on such lines as gender and perceived social strength or what sociologists could simply refer to as cultural conflict. Jonah, a main character in the comedy Summer Heights High exhibits many negative traits observed in Australian culture today. The manner in which Jonah harasses Miss Wheatley, the English teacher tells a lot about the Australian society. For instance, this is a revelation of the extent to which the men in Australia consider themselves superior beings in the seemingly masculine society. Currently, not even the most developed cultures have fully espoused equality along the lines of gender (Jensen 2005). On the contrary, the most civilized cultures bear some aspects of masculinity. Despite the fact that Jonah is from the minority communities of Tonga, he is uncouth enough to discriminate against other people, especially the redheads. Analysts believe that Jonah is more than just ma thorn in the flesh to many people. Despite other characters referring to him as being from the ‘other’ communities, the boy is naughty enough to have been expelled from two other schools. The first expulsion was because he had set a student’s locker on fire. The second expulsion came when the boy allegedly defaced the teacher’s car by spraying big penis graffiti on it. Such disruptive tendencies are an integral part of the anti-social Australians. This is common in high schools and other middle levels of the education system. Apparently, the culture of Australian people is one that does not condone such tendencies (Jensen 2005). By expelling the boy, the institutions were trying to pass a message, that his behaviors were quite unacceptable. Going by the standards of education in the schools, the boy, whose behavior can be justified by some sociological theories, should be expelled from Summer Heights High. Despite justifying his being around as a normal sociological phenomenon since he entertains others, he is causing more harm than good. This is because through his sexist tendencies of harassing others, including Miss Wheatley, he is causing havoc since, to this extent; he causes the, otherwise polite teacher to go beyond the lines and boundaries of professionalism. At some point, the disoriented teacher is heard saying ‘it is the islander boys, late again’. This racist comment is an indication that some racist tendencies are the ones that trigger more racism in the Australian society by provoking others. The culture of Australia is not a constant phenomenon (Craven 2004). On the contrary, it is continuously changing, thanks to globalism and immigration – concepts that have seen the country become a boiling port of cultures. The multi-cultural nature of the Australian society is seen through the nature and characteristics of the characters in Summer Heights High. Jamie, for instance, is a girl that reflects the population of rich spoilt people, especially young people in the culture. Jamie is on exchange program from an affluent private school. Her tendencies and behavior on the program are practically unacceptable to the ordinary person. Jamie is a year 11 student. She takes advantage of a younger year 7 boy, who she exploits sexually. The girl gets approval in place of condemnation from her peers. Australian culture is in such a way that, in its continual flux, it is tending to resemble the American street culture, where the youth are not morally upright. Drugs and sex are becoming ‘right’ among the youth. The music culture associated with western street life is as well manifested in Summer Heights High through Jonah and his half dozen friends. Jamie is racist from the way she talks to and addresses others, she is fond of money, lavish living and fun filled life, that she goes right ahead to defraud the school population with the aim of funding and event that to her, is fun. This is a big reflection of the Australian bigger picture, especially among the youth. The culture among the Australian youth is one that advocates for easy life, a life that is full of fun and little seriousness. According to the comedy, Summer Heights High, social superiority is based on factors that are far from genuine attainment. The metrics that, in ordinary circumstances should describe the aspect of superiority revolve around academic attainment and social status. On the contrary, in Summer Heights High, Jonah and his crude friends think they are superior to the others. As a matter of fact, the boys are from the boys are from the minority groups. The islanders are not in ordinary circumstances culturally and socially superior to the mainstream Australian community. In point of fact, the Australian communities are far much advanced in terms of intellect and civility than are the Tango communities. Contrary to what one could expect, the people from the tango communities are seemingly powerful in the comedy. Jonah harasses people, both students and teachers, for reason that he is a social misfit that relies on his body size and physical might to intimidate others. While this is tha case, the people in the mainstream cultures tend to get disturbed by the boy’s seemingly irritating behavior. Australian culture upholds education, especially in mainstream schools. Apparently, there are remedial classes, such as those run by Jam Palmer and Sara Wheatley who is in charge of the illiteracy class. Speaking of illiteracy, Jonah is not fully literate. On the contrary, the boy is illiterate and has problems with English. Again, this is a manifestation of the multiplicity of the Australian culture. The illiterate Jonah at some point realizes that his illiteracy is a big setback. He also recognizes the fact that his problem in the English language is a big shame. According to some analysts, this could be the reason why he is not in terms with Miss Wheatley, the traditional English teacher. Australian culture does not, from the foregoing, condone illiteracy. The illiterate will at all costs endeavor to access education so as to be considered normal members of society. The clash of cultures as brought out in the comedy, reflects the conflict theory’s explanation of the Australian culture. According to the conflict theory, people may have different roles and interests in a society. The roles of Wheatley and Jonah are opposite and conflicting. Identity difficulty is a common phenomenon in the Australian culture. Such difficulties are the explanation as to why Jonah is lost in him and cannot establish his place in society. The culture of Australia is however a positive one as it embraces many constructive values (Craven 2004). Notably, in reality and in the comedy, Summer Heights High, the Australian culture prominently embraces coexistence. Had this not been the case, such people as Jonah could not have found a place in the mainstream society. Coexistence is also manifested by the fact that the society is made up of many cultures such as the African Americans, Africans, whites, Asians and the redheads. The comedy Summer Heights High depicts an aspect of delinquency. Delinquent behavior is a common menace in the Australian culture because notably, the government is carrying out efforts to ensure that delinquent behavior is addressed as a matter of urgency. Jonah’s behavior qualifies for delinquent classification, and calls for multidisciplinary intervention. Apparently, the boy is an underage criminal; especially judging from the fact that what gets him expelled from the former schools are activities that are actually criminal in nature. For instance, setting people’s property on fire is an act of arson. Arson is one among the most serious crimes described by the Australian penal code. The underage boy is a delinquent and expulsion, arguably the worst punishment in school can be equated with the highest sentence in the criminal justice system. Australia culture harbors such delinquents as Jamie as well (Wilson 2009). Racism and harassment are serious crimes. Jamie engages in both racist treatments of others as well as fraudulent intent. Such fraudulent intentions are criminal in nature. Criminality is part of many cultures, and Australia is no exemption. The irrelevancy of the political pressures on the education system is clearly brought out in the comedy, especially where the comedy Summer Heights High exhibits resistance among the youthful population. Resistance narratives of the main characters, as brought out in the comedy are an indication that the guidelines of the government and the political system are actually a formality. The guidelines, which make up policy, are a matter of bureaucracy since they are not in any way reflected in the conducts of teachers and students. At some point, analysts and reviews have described the comedy, Summer Heights High, as being too real to be funny. Others have described it as a reality filled documentary. The satirical reflection of the culture of Australia is effectively achieved. According to the experts in movie review, the manner in which the research was carried was exceptionally effective in bringing out what the director intended. Australian culture is highly structural because, from the cases of Jonah’s expulsion and the government guidelines, there are rules and regulations that are strictly adhered to. The disciplinary action, such as the expulsion of Jonah are matters of bureaucratic cultural procedures since the less structural cultures usually have other ways of handling discipline and these include interactive sessions of guidance and counseling. Some efforts by friends and classmates to have Jonah change his attitude towards other are futile. All hope that the system – the highly structural system – will at some point catch up with the boy, who is a peril to others (Wilson 2009). The culture of Australia upholds individualism. Apparently, Jonah and Jamie are self-oriented individuals. They care less about the feelings of others. For instance, the activities of Jonah are in such a way that they irritate the feelings of others, but this does not affect his thinking at all. Instead, he justifies his activities. Notably, the culture is highly individualistic because in a socialistic culture, people from minority communities cannot harass and mistreat people from majority. Conclusion In conclusion, it is worth noting that, from the foregoing discussion, Australian culture is a multiplicity of beliefs, norms and practices, because the country is a boiling point of cultures. The people from different backgrounds, such as the Americans, the Africans, Asians, Europeans and the indigenous communities do coexist. The comedy Summer Heights High greatly reflects the Australian culture in many ways (Wilson 2009). Most notably, the comedy, through such characters as Jonah and Jamie, bring out such themes as racism, discrimination, sexuality, coexistence, individualism, delinquency and structuralism. These, to a great extent reflect society and culture of Australia. Reference list Craven, I. 2004. Australian popular culture. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Jensen, L. 2005. Unsettling Australia: Readings in australian cultural history. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. Wilson, J. 2009. Adolescent resistance narratives in a satirical schoolyard: the case of Summer Heights High. Journal of Australian Studies Read More

Despite the fact that Jonah is from the minority communities of Tonga, he is uncouth enough to discriminate against other people, especially the redheads. Analysts believe that Jonah is more than just ma thorn in the flesh to many people. Despite other characters referring to him as being from the ‘other’ communities, the boy is naughty enough to have been expelled from two other schools. The first expulsion was because he had set a student’s locker on fire. The second expulsion came when the boy allegedly defaced the teacher’s car by spraying big penis graffiti on it.

Such disruptive tendencies are an integral part of the anti-social Australians. This is common in high schools and other middle levels of the education system. Apparently, the culture of Australian people is one that does not condone such tendencies (Jensen 2005). By expelling the boy, the institutions were trying to pass a message, that his behaviors were quite unacceptable. Going by the standards of education in the schools, the boy, whose behavior can be justified by some sociological theories, should be expelled from Summer Heights High.

Despite justifying his being around as a normal sociological phenomenon since he entertains others, he is causing more harm than good. This is because through his sexist tendencies of harassing others, including Miss Wheatley, he is causing havoc since, to this extent; he causes the, otherwise polite teacher to go beyond the lines and boundaries of professionalism. At some point, the disoriented teacher is heard saying ‘it is the islander boys, late again’. This racist comment is an indication that some racist tendencies are the ones that trigger more racism in the Australian society by provoking others.

The culture of Australia is not a constant phenomenon (Craven 2004). On the contrary, it is continuously changing, thanks to globalism and immigration – concepts that have seen the country become a boiling port of cultures. The multi-cultural nature of the Australian society is seen through the nature and characteristics of the characters in Summer Heights High. Jamie, for instance, is a girl that reflects the population of rich spoilt people, especially young people in the culture. Jamie is on exchange program from an affluent private school.

Her tendencies and behavior on the program are practically unacceptable to the ordinary person. Jamie is a year 11 student. She takes advantage of a younger year 7 boy, who she exploits sexually. The girl gets approval in place of condemnation from her peers. Australian culture is in such a way that, in its continual flux, it is tending to resemble the American street culture, where the youth are not morally upright. Drugs and sex are becoming ‘right’ among the youth. The music culture associated with western street life is as well manifested in Summer Heights High through Jonah and his half dozen friends.

Jamie is racist from the way she talks to and addresses others, she is fond of money, lavish living and fun filled life, that she goes right ahead to defraud the school population with the aim of funding and event that to her, is fun. This is a big reflection of the Australian bigger picture, especially among the youth. The culture among the Australian youth is one that advocates for easy life, a life that is full of fun and little seriousness. According to the comedy, Summer Heights High, social superiority is based on factors that are far from genuine attainment.

The metrics that, in ordinary circumstances should describe the aspect of superiority revolve around academic attainment and social status. On the contrary, in Summer Heights High, Jonah and his crude friends think they are superior to the others. As a matter of fact, the boys are from the boys are from the minority groups. The islanders are not in ordinary circumstances culturally and socially superior to the mainstream Australian community. In point of fact, the Australian communities are far much advanced in terms of intellect and civility than are the Tango communities.

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