Australia has become the land of sweeping rage. A week rarely passes where something inconsequential is said or done and the next thing you know we have 24 hours of fury that only dies down when someone is sacked or forced to publicly apologise.
When did we get like this?
What happened to the place where people loved a laugh and seemingly took the mickey out of everything?
Why is everyone so stuck up and sensitive?
And when is all this wowserism going to end? Because it's getting boring.
Last week we had the "Est. 1788" Aldi T-shirt drama.
Withdrawn... Those T-shirts. Source: Supplied
Everywhere that story ran there was reference to "racism" or the shirts being "inflammatory". But who was actually offended? Who was it inflaming? Who was vilified?
As always, there was a queue of academics ready to wind it up and a couple of righteous, opportunistic politicians, but where were the racially-offended people?
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The Twitter hit squad was outraged, calling for boycotts because of the imagined insult to Aborigines.
One so-called "expert'' said the T-shirt was "culturally insensitive and historically inaccurate". Another argued the message could become a slogan for white supremacists.
Who cares about those T-shirts? .... Warren Mundine. Source: News Limited
So who was hurt? I thought I'd ring the most senior adviser to government on Aboriginal issues and ask him. Warren Mundine laughed and said the outcry was a "load of huffing and puffing about rubbish".
"Who cares?" he said.
"We've got Aboriginal kids with health problems and kids not going to school - if you want to get fired up about something, try that … not a bloody T-shirt."
But getting it ripped from sale made the Twitter world feel good and proved that creating offence works.
I'll guess most regular folk just shrugged their shoulders and thought - here we go again.
In the eyes of the shouting elites, any form of patriotism must be condemned. In 2014 it seems, patriotism equals racism.
Sadly, that message is so loud and so prominent through the media that many Aussies are almost too frightened to show pride in their country for fear of being looked down upon.
Somehow, they've redefined flying the flag. People who do so are painted as twisted and xenophobic.
The lead-up to Australia Day has become an annual dance to avoid any offence to anyone. Government TV commercials promoting the big day are now so confused they'd be best not even *bothering to run them.
We're again running in circles pondering whether it is a day of celebration, commemoration or some kind of festival of multiculturalism.
The intention seems to be, when you wake up on the 26th of January you should self combust with shame - if you don't feel like that you're a blockhead.
Complicated agendas are at play here. At worst, the 1788 shirt had the date wrong - but really, was it offensive, racist, and inflammatory?
Wowser of a win... Michael Clarke and his Ashes heroes Source: Getty Images
There seems to be an "outrage army" sitting dormant waiting to go nuts. When the Australian cricket team won The Ashes 5-0, the players huddled in the centre of the SCG and burst out with the team song.
A normally private moment went live around the cricketing world.
"Under the Southern Cross I stand, a sprig of wattle in my hand, a native of my native land, Australia - you f...ing beauty".
Did they just say the f -word? The switchboard lit up
The next day on radio some narks were calling in.
"I'm very disappointed with Michael Clarke."
One caller said "they ruined the moment with THAT word and tarnished the victory".
As an occasional swearer I'll concede that there's a time and place but does anyone genuinely think that any offence was intended?
Shock horror - a sportsman dropped a clanger.
It was a golden, unforgettable moment in Australian sport - but out the wowsers wandered yet again, outraged and offended.
You beauty.... Bob Hawke skolling a beer at the cricket. Source: News Limited
And the hits keep coming. Bob Hawke skols a beer cheered on by a crowd. "Bad message for the kids." Outrage. Twitter condemns.
Julia Gillard's boyfriend makes a joke about a proctologist's examination. "How dare he." Anger.
That politician from Penrith has got sex appeal. "What a sexist pig." Outrageous. Misogynist. Lead story.
Conservative senator Cory Bernardi holds conservative views about abortion. "What right does he have? He's a man!". Shock. Anger. Outrage. Lynch mob.
The whole scene is getting very tiring.
It must be hell being a comedian in 2014. The legendary Paul Hogan admitted he feared his comeback tour because he didn't want to offend people. "Australians are very tense these days. We've lost that carefree character and become all wound up and already to get pissed off with anything," said Hoges.
Little do we know it but we've gone well beyond being politically correct. We're now over-correcting.
How easy it is now to offend when we once used to just ignore or have a laugh.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...w-to-take-a-joke/story-fni0cwl5-1226800966390
When did we get like this?
What happened to the place where people loved a laugh and seemingly took the mickey out of everything?
Why is everyone so stuck up and sensitive?
And when is all this wowserism going to end? Because it's getting boring.
Last week we had the "Est. 1788" Aldi T-shirt drama.
Withdrawn... Those T-shirts. Source: Supplied
Everywhere that story ran there was reference to "racism" or the shirts being "inflammatory". But who was actually offended? Who was it inflaming? Who was vilified?
As always, there was a queue of academics ready to wind it up and a couple of righteous, opportunistic politicians, but where were the racially-offended people?
RELATED: The demise of the Commodore is the end of an era in Aussie motoring
RELATED: Getting cash out of this charitable Australian is no longer child's play
The Twitter hit squad was outraged, calling for boycotts because of the imagined insult to Aborigines.
One so-called "expert'' said the T-shirt was "culturally insensitive and historically inaccurate". Another argued the message could become a slogan for white supremacists.
Who cares about those T-shirts? .... Warren Mundine. Source: News Limited
So who was hurt? I thought I'd ring the most senior adviser to government on Aboriginal issues and ask him. Warren Mundine laughed and said the outcry was a "load of huffing and puffing about rubbish".
"Who cares?" he said.
"We've got Aboriginal kids with health problems and kids not going to school - if you want to get fired up about something, try that … not a bloody T-shirt."
But getting it ripped from sale made the Twitter world feel good and proved that creating offence works.
I'll guess most regular folk just shrugged their shoulders and thought - here we go again.
In the eyes of the shouting elites, any form of patriotism must be condemned. In 2014 it seems, patriotism equals racism.
Sadly, that message is so loud and so prominent through the media that many Aussies are almost too frightened to show pride in their country for fear of being looked down upon.
Somehow, they've redefined flying the flag. People who do so are painted as twisted and xenophobic.
The lead-up to Australia Day has become an annual dance to avoid any offence to anyone. Government TV commercials promoting the big day are now so confused they'd be best not even *bothering to run them.
We're again running in circles pondering whether it is a day of celebration, commemoration or some kind of festival of multiculturalism.
The intention seems to be, when you wake up on the 26th of January you should self combust with shame - if you don't feel like that you're a blockhead.
Complicated agendas are at play here. At worst, the 1788 shirt had the date wrong - but really, was it offensive, racist, and inflammatory?
Wowser of a win... Michael Clarke and his Ashes heroes Source: Getty Images
There seems to be an "outrage army" sitting dormant waiting to go nuts. When the Australian cricket team won The Ashes 5-0, the players huddled in the centre of the SCG and burst out with the team song.
A normally private moment went live around the cricketing world.
"Under the Southern Cross I stand, a sprig of wattle in my hand, a native of my native land, Australia - you f...ing beauty".
Did they just say the f -word? The switchboard lit up
The next day on radio some narks were calling in.
"I'm very disappointed with Michael Clarke."
One caller said "they ruined the moment with THAT word and tarnished the victory".
As an occasional swearer I'll concede that there's a time and place but does anyone genuinely think that any offence was intended?
Shock horror - a sportsman dropped a clanger.
It was a golden, unforgettable moment in Australian sport - but out the wowsers wandered yet again, outraged and offended.
You beauty.... Bob Hawke skolling a beer at the cricket. Source: News Limited
And the hits keep coming. Bob Hawke skols a beer cheered on by a crowd. "Bad message for the kids." Outrage. Twitter condemns.
Julia Gillard's boyfriend makes a joke about a proctologist's examination. "How dare he." Anger.
That politician from Penrith has got sex appeal. "What a sexist pig." Outrageous. Misogynist. Lead story.
Conservative senator Cory Bernardi holds conservative views about abortion. "What right does he have? He's a man!". Shock. Anger. Outrage. Lynch mob.
The whole scene is getting very tiring.
It must be hell being a comedian in 2014. The legendary Paul Hogan admitted he feared his comeback tour because he didn't want to offend people. "Australians are very tense these days. We've lost that carefree character and become all wound up and already to get pissed off with anything," said Hoges.
Little do we know it but we've gone well beyond being politically correct. We're now over-correcting.
How easy it is now to offend when we once used to just ignore or have a laugh.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...w-to-take-a-joke/story-fni0cwl5-1226800966390
