Cultural Theory Essay – Australian Tourism

is false. The focus text portrays stereotypical scenes and situations in order to construct a specific image of Australian culture, hence it perpetuates an ideological message. Ideology functions as a sophisticated filter that shapes our worldview. While a society generally subscribes to ideologies of peace, democracy and justice, individuals may hold opposing viewpoints and ideologies._x000D_

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The text emphasizes that Australian values such as equality, respect, and family are prominent in the focus. The purpose of the Australian tourism ad is to depict Australia through intricate imagery. Semiotics involves studying signs and their ability to convey messages as part of a larger system of signs. For instance, a green light usually signifies "go" within the context of a traffic light-controlled intersection for motor vehicles.

When taken out of context, the green light becomes confusing, as demonstrated in the text when a man casually mentions a task that is later revealed to be more difficult than expected. This use of semiotics highlights the concept of 'myth', where a sign or series of signs is representative of all other terms in a system. The process of 'indifferentiation', where all non-dominant terms or voices are silenced, contributes to the perpetuation of myths.

In the given text, it is observed that the makers of the focus text have portrayed Aboriginal people as mere entertainers for non-Aboriginals, resulting in mythic indifferentiation. Although it cannot be completely dismissed as untrue and inaccurate of the overall Australian culture, this idea has been considered for the purpose of the essay. A term known as ‘metonym’ describes the connection between certain terms, either fully or partially. Therefore, the depiction of men drinking beer in a bar implies

that all Australian men work hard and unwind with a cold beer, usually served by a woman, after a long day.

The utilization of a bikini-clad, youthful woman to symbolize beach culture symbolically alludes to sexuality. The objective of this signage is to magnetize foreign individuals to Australia by utilizing a sexually appealing woman. The gender-specific targeting of this signage is unimportant. Despite this, the woman in the bikini represents joyfulness, well-being, and potency - characteristics that are exemplified by the bulk of the Australians in the advertisement and consequently symbolize the remaining individuals in Australian society through metonymy. The notion that every Australian is content and in good health is naturally absurd.

It is estimated that around half of the Australian population is overweight, according to "About Overweight and Obesity". Additionally, "Understanding Depression" reports that approximately one in twenty Australians currently lives with depression. If a European were to see an advertisement on television that accurately depicted Australians, it may show an overweight man with a smoker's cough instead of the traditional beautiful blonde bikini girl. However, this would be a poor marketing decision as the signs in the text are specifically designed to attract an overseas market. The producers' attempt at political correctness towards Aboriginal people also has room for improvement.

The representation of Aboriginal culture in the advertisement includes their traditional musical instruments, such as rhythm sticks and didgeridoo, as well as the spiritual symbol of Uluru. However, the scene featuring Aboriginal people dancing and the line "And we’ve been practicing for over forty thousand years" can be interpreted as reducing the entire Aboriginal people to a mere tourist attraction for rich, white Europeans. Although

it is unlikely that this was the intended meaning of the scene, it demonstrates how signs can be read in different ways. The Australians in the advertisement use simple language to convey their messages, aiming to simplify it for those who may not speak English as their first language and to capture the way ordinary Australians speak.According to Tourism Australia's Manager of Strategic Insights, Lawrence Franklin, being an Australian living in Australia, he believes the term "bloody" did not cause any significant controversy. He further suggests that this word accurately represents the irreverent and self-effacing nature of Australians. He states, "Bloody hell, does research work?" as a nod to the effectiveness of using this term in marketing campaigns.

Although attempts have been made to ban this advertisement in cultures where the word is considered politically incorrect, the use of the colloquialism "the great Australian adjective" is widely accepted and endorsed by society, from citizens to the Prime Minister ("Australia's Bonzer"). The inclusion of golf in the advertisement may seem strange since Australia is well-known for team sports such as rugby league or cricket, but this choice may have been made to convey a message of sophistication and appeal to a wider audience. Despite this, Tourism Australia's "So where the bloody hell are you?" advertisement is well-produced and adequately represents the culture, people, and values of Australia.

Applying semiotics, ideology, and ordinariness reveals that the ad is a complex text with a multitude of discussion points. Although it is challenging to capture the entirety of Australian identity in a short one-minute video, the ad accurately portrays the Australian way of living. Sources consulted include "About Overweight and

Obesity" from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aging, dated 30 September 2002, accessed on 1 June 2006.

The Australian Department of Health, found at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.The source of the text is a website with the URL nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-hlthwt-obesity.htm>. It includes a quote from an article on Times Online from February 4th, 2006, asking why Australians are not present. The website was accessed on May 31st, 2006, and can be found at http://www.The Australian Market & Social Research Society questioned the effectiveness of research, as reported on timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2055531,00.html in April 2006.

On May 29, 2006, the website http://www.mrsa.com was accessed.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald Online, a TV ad featuring the phrase "bloody hell" has been banned by Brits. The source of this information is au/index.cfm?a=detail&id=2095&eid=121> on March 9, 2006.

On May 30th, 2006, Chris Barker wrote an article about a TV ad that was banned by the British authorities. The article can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brits-ban-bloody-hell-tv-ad/2006/03/09/1141701625132.html.The third chapter of "Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice" discusses inquiries regarding culture and ideology. The content is presented on page(s) indicated.

On May 31, 2006, Elana Starr wrote about ideology on a website with the following URL: http://www89.

The webpage located at homepage.villanova.edu/elana.starr/pages/ideology-cinema. "Introducing cultural and media studies: a semiotic approach" authored by Thwaites, Tony, Lloyd Davis, and Warwick Mules. The chapter can be found in the publication "Interaction of Signs" and spans pages 48-74 of chapter 3.The source of "Media Hegemony: A Failure of Perspective" is David L. Altheide, as stated in the Public Opinion Quarterly from 1984.The contents of the BeyondBlue website provide knowledge on depression under the name "Understanding Depression." The information was initially published on November 24,

2005, and accessed on May 31, 2006, through the link http://www.beyondblue. org. au/index. aspx?link_id=7.246&tmp=FileStream&fid=263>