By JAMILA RIZVI
What’s wrong with this picture?
And, no, I don’t mean the fact there is a leather couch on the beach (what’s with that?).
Let me explain…
I was flicking channels while working late in the office last night. I watched a bit of my girl Mia Freedman on The Project, I tuned in for Rudd and Abbott going head-to-head at Rooty Hill and I caught some of the new Aussie drama, Wonderland on Channel 10. The photo above is a promotional shot for the show.
From the little I saw, Wonderland seems like a fairly predictable but harmless Aussie drama. It’s about a bunch of young people living in Coogee in Sydney’s east and I imagine, they will encounter the usual challenges of relationships and friendships that is typical of the genre. Wonderland is engaging, well shot and the central cast includes some impressive and likeable Aussie actors.
All of whom are white.
A fact that did not escape Australian actor Jay Laga’aia (formerly of Home and Away and Water Rats fame). When the show premiered last week, he tweeted the following:
Now, Laga’aia appears to have overlooked half-Chinese Australian actress Emma Lung but his broader point about the lack of cultural diversity in the show rings true. Australian viewers don’t see the multicultural cities and towns that we live in, reflected back to us on screen.
Top Comments
If you're using soap operas to shape your norms, values and attitudes, perhaps a re-evaluation of your media intake would be in order. And if you need television to become aware that other cultures do co-exist with Anglo-Australians in this nation, perhaps try taking a walk outside. I get worried when people complain that the media is not properly doing its job of brainwashing...
I don't think Aussie dramas display our wonderful diverse cultures. In fact I was watching neighbours and was like 'wow there's only Caucasian people on this show' then I decided to google why neighbours only had Caucasian actors, found this article instead.