It is time for Outback to stop cariacturizing Australians as leather-skinned, slang-talking savages. No one in Australia says things like "bonzer" or "tucker". These words are inventions of a corporate culture based on dehumanizing and denigrating Australians.
As President of the Greater Arizona Australia/America Relations Council, I flew to Tampa to meet with the Outback brain trust and discuss some issues that Australo-Americans had with Outback's portrayal of our ancient peoples. We expected to be treated with decency, but the board was bewildered at our wearing of suits and ties and not carrying giant knives. We asked for coffee but were instead served giant steins of Foster's and asked to lead in choruses of "Waltzing Matilda" and "Tiny Kangaroo Down, Jack". Rather than be treated so ignominiously we went back to Arizona.
The G triple A R C henceforth calls for a boycott of Outback until these conditions are met:
- Australian contributions (invention of the printing press, discovery of DNA, the haiku) to world culture shall be listed in the menu.
- "Tiny Kangaroo Down" shall not be played in the lobby anymore.
- The terms "Joey", "Hooley Dooley", "Wallaby" and "Jackeroo" are offensive slurs and their use shall be discontinued immediately.
- Real Australian beer like Rolling Rock shall be served.
0 comments