What really is ‘un-Australian’? Australian Lamb's new ad campaign is stirring controversy!
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For years now, Aussies have been proudly raised on the meat-filled ads from Australian Lamb. But recently, much to everyone's surprise, their latest campaign is taking a different turn.
It's aimed at one of the things that seem to be everywhere – the commonly-used phrase 'un-Australian'.
This phrase has become so widely used over the years that it's to the point of confusion.
According to research by Meat and Livestock Australia, 45 per cent of survey respondents said they'd been personally hit with the label, and 52 per cent said they'd used it to describe something.
But is this really a phrase we should be using so liberally in Australian society?
Their new campaign takes an ironic twist to the phrase, with a woman pulling beers in a pub being the star of the show. She notes, 'It's getting a little out of hand. There'll be no one left soon.'
And she's right.
An alternate world is created in the ad, where people are banished from the country after being labelled 'Un-Australian' - a twist from their original ad 15 years ago, which stirred controversy for lambasting vegans.
In the ad, Kekovich, the 'lambassador', is also sent to exile for simply saying 'bon appetit'. Despite being a symbol of Aussie summer barbecues, even he has been banished to the isolated cultural wasteland
After a while, the star of the commercial points out that soon, everyone else will join Kek in exile as well.
The end of the ad finds the remaining few Australians looking at each other nervously, wondering if they've stepped over some unspoken un-Australian line.
'Looks like we're all a bit un-Australian,' one exile on the screen teased. 'Guess that's what makes us Australian.'
According to research that was carried out by Meat and Livestock Australia, there are certain things that most Aussies consider to be 'un-Australian'.
As mentioned above, 52 per cent of those polled had used the word 'un-Australian' to refer to someone or something, while nearly half (45 per cent) have been criticised for doing something that was deemed to be 'un-Australian'.
At the same time, 53 per cent of people think the term 'un-Australian' has been used too much in 2022. The following are some of the other things that many consider being un-Australian:
Over the years, the definition of what it means to be 'Australian' has been constantly shifting, culminating in the overuse of the phrase 'un-Australian'.
The ad suggests that the term has become so overused that everybody ends up disappearing into a kind of infinite cultural exile if they ever utter or commit something labelled as different.
This draws attention to the absurdity of the concept and highlights how language and culture can be used as tools for dividing people.
In the same vein, the ad also seeks to provide an alternative definition of Australianness: a collective attitude of diversity and acceptance of different backgrounds and cultures.
This interpretation highlights that being 'Australian' does not have a single, narrow definition but instead encompasses all kinds of differences in race, age, gender, beliefs, customs and preferences.
Rather than presenting a united front against any person, group or activity deemed 'un-Australian', the ad wants people to turn the phrase on its head and instead celebrate the array of beliefs and cultures that make up a truly diverse nation.
Members, what do you think of the new ad? Tell us your thoughts below!
It's aimed at one of the things that seem to be everywhere – the commonly-used phrase 'un-Australian'.
This phrase has become so widely used over the years that it's to the point of confusion.
According to research by Meat and Livestock Australia, 45 per cent of survey respondents said they'd been personally hit with the label, and 52 per cent said they'd used it to describe something.
But is this really a phrase we should be using so liberally in Australian society?
The ad's premise is a world where 'un-Australian' behaviours are enough to get you exiled from society. Credit: YouTube/Australian Lamb.
Their new campaign takes an ironic twist to the phrase, with a woman pulling beers in a pub being the star of the show. She notes, 'It's getting a little out of hand. There'll be no one left soon.'
And she's right.
An alternate world is created in the ad, where people are banished from the country after being labelled 'Un-Australian' - a twist from their original ad 15 years ago, which stirred controversy for lambasting vegans.
In the ad, Kekovich, the 'lambassador', is also sent to exile for simply saying 'bon appetit'. Despite being a symbol of Aussie summer barbecues, even he has been banished to the isolated cultural wasteland
After a while, the star of the commercial points out that soon, everyone else will join Kek in exile as well.
The end of the ad finds the remaining few Australians looking at each other nervously, wondering if they've stepped over some unspoken un-Australian line.
'Looks like we're all a bit un-Australian,' one exile on the screen teased. 'Guess that's what makes us Australian.'
According to research that was carried out by Meat and Livestock Australia, there are certain things that most Aussies consider to be 'un-Australian'.
As mentioned above, 52 per cent of those polled had used the word 'un-Australian' to refer to someone or something, while nearly half (45 per cent) have been criticised for doing something that was deemed to be 'un-Australian'.
At the same time, 53 per cent of people think the term 'un-Australian' has been used too much in 2022. The following are some of the other things that many consider being un-Australian:
- A supermarket charging $34 for a watermelon (55 per cent)
- Admitting to not knowing who Shane Warne is (47 per cent)
- Having a wedding on the grand final day (44 per cent)
- Supporting New Zealand against ANY other team (39 per cent)
- Rising rent/property prices (36 per cent)
- Rising interest rates (32 per cent)
- Not knowing who's playing State of Origin (30 per cent)
- A Bunnings with no sausage sizzle (28 per cent)
- Eating a pie with a knife and fork (27 per cent)
- Toasting fairy bread (24 per cent)
The ad suggests that the term has become so overused that everybody ends up disappearing into a kind of infinite cultural exile if they ever utter or commit something labelled as different.
This draws attention to the absurdity of the concept and highlights how language and culture can be used as tools for dividing people.
In the same vein, the ad also seeks to provide an alternative definition of Australianness: a collective attitude of diversity and acceptance of different backgrounds and cultures.
The video goes on to portray a surprisingly wholesome reunion when the group realise that we all do ‘un-Australian’ things. Credit: Facebook/Australian Lamb.
This interpretation highlights that being 'Australian' does not have a single, narrow definition but instead encompasses all kinds of differences in race, age, gender, beliefs, customs and preferences.
Rather than presenting a united front against any person, group or activity deemed 'un-Australian', the ad wants people to turn the phrase on its head and instead celebrate the array of beliefs and cultures that make up a truly diverse nation.
Members, what do you think of the new ad? Tell us your thoughts below!
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