it was white, Christian, western, a ubiquitous accent, a common language
culturally distinct but ambivalent about involvement in foreign conflicts
but nearly a decade into the 21st century and the contradictions are many
almost as many as the antipodean myths and legends ....
Aussies, perceived as hedonists work the longest hours in the western world
(but 1.8 million and rapidly increasing are on three types of pensions)
the outback is venerated yet it's the most urbanised country on the planet
it's a 'no-worries' country with the third-highest rate of suicide in the OECD
one in five citizens suffer depression-type illnesses
it's proud of its egalitarianism, champions the underdog and the 'fair go' ...
which is sometimes not extended to its aboriginals or new arrivals
it's a fun, sun, warm and larrikin-type place and a zealous bureaucracy
with three tiers of government that attest to the latter
A coastal skirt of cities tethered at the waist by a land-locked capital
increasingly patriotic with no native-born head of state or distinctive flag
even its leader confound the contemporary Aussie image
imbibers vs teetotalers, agnosts vs the religious, socialists vs tories
our modern heroes are sportspeople whose achievements are ephemeral
our real heroes are Cowan, Reibey, Helpmann, Dawe, Hart, Florey, Fleming
(scientists, researchers, dancers, painters, explorers, medicos, teachers)
lodestones for our enduring reputation as a fair society in this world
'The 'Lucky Country' has now two meaning for it suits those ....
who want to either criticise the country or praise it
Contrast the character on parade at 'king cricket', the summer sport
and the changes in the game to cater for the purist or the yobbo
Aussies perceived as 'win-at-all-costs' sledgers playing with beachballs
both to be punctured by generous, appreciative crowds and fun-denying cops
The Opera House, a landmark vying with provincialism and internationalism
a coming of age and ambition vs petty-mindedness and cultural cringe
even our nation has been a tug-of-war, States rights over the Commonwealth
witness the bun-fight over water rights in the Murray-Darling or an ETS
yet this nation, its people has solved many a problem for the planet, its people
The Governments of Oz promote Oz Day as a day to have fun with others
I'm uneasy that they are going to make it compulsory for us citizens to ....
wear the flag and not wave it
assimilated (just about), I'm happy to accede to the authorities wishes
I promise to treat my fun with the utmost seriousness from now on
in this WBL of drought, flooding rains, sun-baked plains and .... contradictions
3 comments:
Dear Bee
What is WBL?
To be a real dinki- di Aussie is to be irreverent and not do what everyone else is doing.
Pea
It's a line from Dorothea Mackellar's 'My Country', second verse, last line ... "The wide brown land for me!" The wank-wordists didn't come up with this one. It's been in use for nigh on thirty years among the congnoscenti of Aussie poetry (I love it) because it both evokes and encapsulates the power of this landscape per se.
You are, of course, right about being dinki-di. But we live in a nanny-state and it seems we must be guided and counselled (and remonstrated with gently when we transgress) and wave the flag and attend battlefield tours. I wonder what your Dad, who did his time in New Guinea, would say if he saw us behaving like bloody wusses we modern Australians are?
Bernie, your comments about our WBL are obviously accurate. You have painted a picture we are all too familiar with...and the contradictions are mounting. I'm not sure though whether you see this as a good thing or bad. I personally see our contradictions as a good thing. When we were more "homogenous" I think we were more boring. Now that we are a more diverse, aggregate society
full of "condradictions" makes it a more interesting and intellectually challenging place to be in.
As a walking contradiction myself - partly fact and partly fiction - I applaud the enigma we have become.
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