Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bogan Pride, Humanity’s Disgust.

I wrote this a fair while ago, but it's still valid...

Bogan Pride, Humanity’s Disgust.

bogan: n. ‘slang word for dirty and rude person/s.

pride: n. ‘a feeling of elation or satisfaction at achievements, qualities or possessions, etc that do one credit.

Excuse me sir”, said the young upper class gentlemen to the scruffy Bogan man wearing no shoes. “Unfortunately, I must inform you that your dirty and rude qualities do not do you any credit”.

Bogan Pride, created by comedienne Rebel Wilson, is a television comedy skit show produced with a quirky; over-exaggerate view of the school and social life of a teenage ‘bogan’ and her alike family. Although in understanding the ‘extreme comedy’ approach this show has taken for our entertainment purposes such as the exaggeration of bodily chaffing to smell like hot meals, somewhere along the continuum we must draw the line and I propose that the exploitive representation of abuse within respite care for people with disabilities for distasteful and inappropriate entertainment values marks that line.

I recently wrote a letter to the team at Bogan Pride expressing my disgust and dissatisfaction with this issue. I explained that I believe that not only does the disabled population deserve better representation, but also the general public should be treated with a higher level of humour rather than to laugh at the exploitation of others. However I am now compelled to feel more disappointment in my fellow first world citizens, due to the lack of support that I received. I am disappointed that the fellow citizens I spoke out to asking for help did not seem to acknowledge the importance of this situation and had little faith that any change could come from any efforts, and therefore did nothing. These are the same fellow citizens that demand this exploitation for their nightly entertainment; that encourage the outrageous use of inappropriate materials for their own selfish values.

However, this is not only the full burden of Bogan Pride, but also many comedy movies and television shows exploiting the disadvantaged; poor, disabled, socially excluded, etc; for a laugh, with the general public contributing towards the encouragement for further exploitation, all in the name of entertainment.

I, of course, received no reply to my letter explaining my disappointment, however that was highly anticipated. What’s one less viewer anyway, right? Wrong. The Australian public has the abilities to make change in the mainstream entertainment, which is the prime target group for advertising mediums, and one less viewer, means one more person that is unhappy with the entertainment shown of TV, and therefore, will not have that one person’s support for the show.

Media and entertainment, as the main portal into guiding the future generations and we, as nurturers not only for the future generations, but the future for ourselves also, have social responsibilities to accept; to set the ground rules for the future; the guidelines for making change; the course of action for a better world. Act now.

1 comment:

D. said...

I think your definition of Bogan is not right.
Wikipedia is more on the money.