“In Australia we eat meat, drink beer and speak ****EN ENGLISH”.
What to do when you find yourself standing in a long line for an ATM at the Big Day Out beside a teenage boy wearing an Australian flag T-Shirt with that caption emblazoned across it?
Well, if you’re a bloody idiot like me you try to start a dialogue with “Just exactly what’s all that about mate?”
The kid made a valiant attempt to convince me it was about “being proud to be an Australian” and not more about fitting in with his three idiot mates standing a few metres away wearing matching outfits with little super-yobbo capes.
I’m proud to say I didn’t resort to the classic Aussie Mum peer pressure lecture of “if they jumped off the Harbour Bridge…” mind you it was on the tip of my tongue.
Nevertheless, the conversation quickly turned to “what my problem was?”
Well, I had a couple of problems with it actually.
That said, amongst all the other people wearing stupid offensive T-Shirts, and there were a few at the concert, this kid was the only one that I chose to start a conversation with.
Why him? Maybe because he was a captive audience whilst he waited to withdraw his cash? Maybe because he was much smaller than me and I wasn’t worried he’d hit me? But in truth, probably because he was a young Aboriginal man and so I found it particularly depressing that he wanted to be associated with that sort of rubbish for Australia Day.
We talked about that, he didn’t see the conflict. Reckoned it was his country, his flag, he could wear and say what he wanted. It’s hard to argue with that sort of rhetoric. He’s not alone.
But it’s my country and my flag too, and I’m sick of lame Bra’ boy wannabes tarnishing the national symbols to the point where they’re off limits for me.
As a pasty white chick who’ll never shake the last remnants of a westie accent I’d never feel comfortable walking around in public in wearing an Australian flag logo. I’d be too worried strangers might presume I held the sort xenophobic sentiments expressed by his T-Shirt. National symbols and nationalism go hand-in-hand too often for it to be reasonable to assume otherwise.
Even though it seemed to achieve nothing, I’m glad we talked. Bogans are people too and I remain hopeful we can make some progress by studying and interacting with them in their natural environments. If anyone reading knows someone who owns that T-Shirt please forward this blog to them.
Maybe, as my new friend suggested, I am a leftie snot that lacks a sense of humour? If you have a Southern Cross tattoo, a Eureka flag bedspread, a POWF T-shirt or even a cute little Australian flag bikini, and you’re not a racist then I’d love to hear from you. Please explain the sort of community bonding that you encounter when you display these, I want to understand.
Meanwhile I want a t-shirt for next year that says “In Australia we eat meat, drink beer and more than 15% of us speak a language other than English at home so get used to it”.
Sally Rose is Open Forum's Blogger-in-Chief. If you would like to publish on Open Fourm please contact her via srose@openforum.com.au or 02 8303 2430
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Comments
National symbols are immune to silliness
I am convinced that it is impossible to taint a national symbol, no matter how hard one tries. And I have nothing against waiving the flag on certain occasions, including celebrations of national significance such as Australia Day.
As for the provocative T-shirt, I’ve seen much worse than that - but then, one of the unspoken privileges of youth is to be silly and rebellious. They will grow out of it eventually. Everybody does.
But will they grow out of it?
Being silly may be one of the priviliges of youth, but being a thug isn't. That t-shirt was an act of aggression. It is associated with a facebook group and the slogan has been associated with bashings - (I realise that I didn't mention that in my blog and it is nice to see someone give kids the benefit of the doubt I suppose! ). I wish I could believe that poeple always grow out of these things, sadly my personal experience leads me to believe that more often than not they grow into them.
Earth people......
Patriotism is a real problem. Personally I don't want to limit myself to being just a human being, much less just Australian, whatever Australian means? There's just too much of the world from whom we borrow and who borrow from us, who all live on this planet. It gives me heart knowing that most people celebrate Australia day and such by having a good time to go to the beach or have a barby. In Australia we help pollute the world and all the world helps to pollute us. The world has problems, so there is little point in individual countries doing anything on their own. It requires world cooperation and the sooner we forget about patriotism the sooner we'll see ourselves as not better or worse inhabitants of the planet rather than of a small plot of earth. All one, the same but individual.
Patrotism doesn't have to nasty
It's not patriotism I object to, it's taking xenophobia and wrapping it up in a pretty flag and calling it patriotism I have a problem with. I recently returned from an overseas trip and, as happens everytime I return to Australia, I have a renewed appreciation for my home country. It should be possible to be patriotic without seeing ourselves as better (or worse as you say) than anyone else; although perhaps, if we are gracious, a little luckier.
The thing is.........
The thing is, that remove the word Australian on the tee shirt and replace with “people” and the slogan would mean nothing at all. Would only engender questions like, “so what?”
There is nothing to wrap up in a flag if all people are not only tolerant but also see ourselves as part of the whole. Flags and tee shirt slogans about country and certain people being superior or others being lesser will find no footing if patriotism doesn't exist.
Patriotism \Pa"tri*ot*ism\, n. [Cf. F. patriotisme.] Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one's country; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one's country. --Berkley. [1913 Webster]
Remove patriotism and insert world, planet or universe for country, better still, insert species or something like that.
I like Ambrose Bierce's comment on patriotism from his Devils Dictionary: PATRIOTISM, n. Combustible rubbish read to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first.
Some might consider this said in jest, but many a true word has been said in jest. [laughing]
Patriotism not the problem in this instance
Thanks Charlie - I will check out the Devil's Dictionary :-)
You are I suspect, more of an idealist than I; in that you assume if only we could get over one prejudice all human relations would be better, whereas I am sure another prejudice would quickly fill the void.
Erasing patriotism would not magically make us, as you assume, "not only tolerant but also see ourselves as part of the whole."
But what of a patriotism which doesn't regard others as inferior? I still maintain that can be very positive.
If that kid had really been patriotic in the traditional (respectful) sense, he never would have dreamt of accompanying his countries flag with a swear word.