What is un Australian?

For me it has always meant an unfair or socially unacceptable action, a step beyond what we Aussies consider a morally fair go. It can also be a physical action against one who is defenseless at the time, or even a victory because of an obvious advantage.

I pose this question because of a comment by a radio journalist who was editorializing on the recent murder of a youth by knife in Sydney.

“It’s un Australian, we used to fight when we were teens, but we never pulled a knife, it’s un Australian.”

This is the paraphrased comment that started me thinking again about the validity of the statement un Australian. I am over fifty and I lost two mates by the knife before they were out of their teens. I remember my grandfather telling me stories of the Razor gangs that chased him along the foreshore of Circular Quay when he was a teen. Why do we think that as a people we have a national character trait that supposedly acts like a population wide moral compass?

Never kick an opponent when they are down is another un Australian colloquialism. I grew up in the inner city and I kicked and got kicked at various immature low points of my youth. Yet I in the past have nodded in agreement when the old “never lay in the slipper” is brought up in the “un Australian” context. Is there a fair Australia or is it something we invented to compliment the ANZAC legend of good hard blokes doing the right thing.

Why I said “started me thinking again” is because when I first became aware of the disparity between the Aboriginal mates I grew up with and the whites I also became aware of the concept of something being un Australian, not fair. But how could kicking a bloke when he was down be un fair, but kicking the life out of a defenseless, lost in time people is acceptable, the norm in fact. Am I wrong, are we special?

What is un Australian

Dear sonofgloin,

I think every people likes to think there are something special, but I think the reality is that we are all simply human with the virtues and vices that go alone with being human. I think every tribal people has a word for their tribe meaning 'the people.' That type of language implies that the rest of humanity are not the people. The biblical myths even include the idea that God chooses a people. The US had an un-American activities committee in Congress. To be American meant to be somehow good, and to be un-American meant to be somehow bad. Christians might say that's a Christian thing to do meaning they consider it a good thing. That carries the idea that what non-Christians do is bad.

I think being Australian simply means to be a citizen of this country, and that's all it means.

Dear sonofgloin,

I didn't answer your question. To be unaustralian can mean not to be a citizen of Australia or to be outside Australia. It has nothing to do with any virtues or any vices.

Dear SOG,

Being white and of British heritage used to be the
cornerstone of being Australian. It exluded all others.
Non-white, aliens, foreigners of the "yellow peril."

Post-war immigration saw the progressive dismantling
of the "White Australia" policy and served as an impetus
for the development of "multiculturalism."

Multiculturalism encouraged cultural homogeneity -
"A coherent and shared identity amongst a group of people
of diverse ethnicity, gender, age, cultural and religious
affiliation." Initially multiculturalism urged tolerance
and upheld the rights of migrants to express their
cultural identity. This meaning has changed somewhat to
recognise that individuals understand themselves in terms
of multiple identities.

It's difficult to say precisely what being "Australian" is
let alone what "un-Australian" is. The best that I can do
is say that to me it means behaving contrary to the
Australian values of mateship, a fair go, self-reliance, and
an easy-going approach.

Only the Lying Rodent gets to decide such things.

It's all about mateship. Australia is unique in that we have mates. Other countries don't have friendships, let alone call them mates.

Also, our soldiers are more brave, and have a higher comradre.

Also when there is a natural disaster, we pull together better than other nations. We have Aussie spirit.

We also have a superior sporting culture than other countries. Even when we lose, we lose by less, because we just try harder, and punch above our weight.

Australia is amazing really. They should get a genetics expert to investigate why we are so much better than all the other countries. For a start they could study why other countries don't have friendships as that must be really hard for them.

We're also larrikins. None of the other counties are humorous or show disrespect for authority.

what is unAustralian?

A government that doesn't listen to its electorate. The electorate who accept that the government will go its own way. The government and electorate who have forgotten about Thomson and Slipper due to the smokescreen of that clown, Emerson, and his stupid song and dance as well as 'the best treasurer in the world' being inspired by Bruce Springsteen. A PM that is a blatant liar. A government that gladly send our troops abroad but sh1ts on them if they dare to die or come home damaged - not to mention the pathetic military pensions that only rise by the CPI. A government that ignores the vulnerable Australians while throwing money at illegal immigrants. The carbon tax and the lies of man-made-global-warming. Tim Flannery.
Water suppliers, electricity and gas suppliers that consistently jack up prices far above inflation. Local councils that can't keep rates rises even close to inflation. The ATO. The Greens.
People who bleat on about our 'superior sporting culture' (everything's great as long as we are winning) - what's 'superior' about that? People who go on about how we are greater than the rest - have they been outside of 'Straya?
Then again, if we're so humorous, maybe Houellebecq was joking - at least I hope so. Finally, how can we show 'disrespect for authority' when the average Aussie is over-obedient to government and its more stupid rules and regulation?