What does that mean anyway? Thank poo? Pank Q?
So I had a really interesting conversation with a friend today which prompted a debate on how we were both raised. The differences were pretty small, but seemed quite significant in relation to our conversation. My mum raised me with the 'proper', largely old school English set of manners. It's wrong to assume, but I kind of thought they were the universal code that most kids were brought up on in 80's Australia. Now, for the most part, they are a little stiff and don't necessarily need to be used every day, but they are there and I kind of like them. For a country that has little tradition and a society that seems to be repelled against it, I think they are important and I'm starting to feel a little protective of them.
This led to another conversation about being a 'gentleman'. A part of me feels indignant, of course I can open the door myself, but for all the feminist shit I dish out, it's really nice when a male opens the door for me. It's not about not being able to open the door myself, it's about someone wanting to do it for you. Again, it comes down to holding onto something that has been done for years and preserving a small part of tradition.
When I was little, having to ask to leave the table, not being able to watch tv at dinner and finishing my meal by putting my knife and fork together EVERY TIME annoyed the hell out of me. Now, it feels important. It's the little thing I can pass onto my kids because what will happen to society without good manners? I mean this in all seriousness. We already live in a largely self absorbed and non traditional society, what is going to become of us if no one gives a shit about preserving little things like manners?
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Five things about me that will not help you sleep at night
Most people think I'm unfriendly. While I have an extensive list of people I dislike, this assumed unfriendliness is born from my refusal to wear glasses. I also have overly pouty lips from over sucking my thumb as a child.
I overuse the word 'basically'.
I will never be friends with anyone who wears a fat pin striped suit.
I have abnormally flappy arms when I walk.
I'm consistently average at most things.
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12 comments:
It's short for "Mind your Pints and Quarts", which is what the publican would yell out when things started to get unruly in the front bar. At least that's what I'm led to believe. I love a good beer analogy, cos I'm a beer glass half full kinda bloke.
You're totally on the money when it comes to manners - they are very important. I'm always being told what polite, considerate kids I have and that's one of the best compliments a parent can receive (at least this parent anyway).
I do take issue with your "repelled by (sic) tradition” tag for us though. Just because our traditions don't date back to the Iron Age doesn't make them any less legitimate. Go to any RSL on 'zac day and you'll find the two-up ring packed. Two-up is illegal in all states but in some jurisdictions there is actually legislation allowing it to be played in certain places on Anzac day (RSL clubs for example) and the police just turn a blind eye in the others. They’re not playing it to win money off their mates, they can do that just as well playing cards or betting on horses. Illegal two-up schools are a time-honoured tradition dating back to the Boer and First World Wars.
Anzac Day parades are bigger than ever and the descendants of now long-dead veterans proudly march in their place, wearing the medals that are treasured family heirlooms. This is not glorification of war but remembrance of the sacrifices of our ancestors.
We're a fairly mobile lot and the annual Easter or Christmas migration is another example. We all whinge and bitch about having to spend far too much time in close proximity of relatives we spend the rest of the year avoiding, but we go back for more sultanas every year. We don't wear hankies on our heads and do funny dances in the street but we do honour our past in our own laconic way. We’re just not that overt about it.
I think we are repelled by “British tradition” with the “born to rule” attitude and its associations with our convict past and we just don’t get a lot of the stuff that passes for tradition in the US.
I do not want to brag but...I listen to AM radio...the term 'p's and q's' is a phrase that apprentice type-setter's used get told because the letters are loaded in mirror image making the p a q and the q a p. Therefore there could be qrinting mistakes...Radio National folks ...tp
Apparently the jury is out on the origin of "Ps & Qs". Both possibilities are listed and largely debunked, along with a few others on phrases.org. The one favoured by the Phrase Finder gurus is: "advice to children learning to write to take care not to mix up the lower-case letters p and q." but go on to say they've never heard of "mind their ds and bs, even though that has the benefit of rhyming, which would have made it a more attractive slogan." The same argument is used for the type-setters.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/248000.html
The interweb folks....
PS I too am a Radio National listener and closet word-nerd.
I take my hat off to you Radio National listener and closet word-nerd. See you on the AM bandwith...TP
Wow, I feel so intellectually invigorated. All this talk of tradition, pints, quarts and or typesetting/letters and of course, Radio National.
With regard to the first comment, I agree that traditions don't need to date back to the Iron Age for them to mean something, but look at Australia. We are a patchwork quilt of cultures whose grandparents and great grandparents didn't fight with the Anzacs, hell, they were probably the enemy, so with Australia becoming more and more about the mish mash of cultures, is this the only tradition we have? How is Australian suppose to unify as a country if a majority of the population can't identify with our 'traditions'? This is through no one's fault, but merely a reflection of the uniqueness of Australian society.
Now don't get me wrong, I think we should preserve the importance of the Anzacs in our history, but sometimes it seems like we are clutching at straws to create some kind of unification and definition of what it is to be Australian. Is this really it?
At the risk of sounding completely faecetious* I’d like to volunteer public holidays and the long weekend as the great Aussie tradition that people from all countries and cultures who come to our shores in search of a better life can embrace. The Anzac Day example was perhaps a little narrow and I’d like to expand on that to include all public holidays. One more point on ‘zac day if I may: Some of us are becoming more accepting of others, despite what we might read in the press and see on TV. In what was a pretty radical move on the part of some state branches of the RSL, several years ago they allowed Australians of Turkish descent to march on Anzac Day. So yes, the descendants of some of our former foes can take part in some of these traditions, if they choose. As far as cultural traditions go, you’re right in arguing that we are so culturally diverse that is difficult to define us in terms of an all-encompassing culture or set of traditions. But can’t that be part of who we are? I think it is. My kids are part Anglo (first fleet convict), part Filipino and part Greek (grandparents on one side both immigrants). They’ve been to the Philippines and they’re going to Greece in the next year or two. They have learnt a lot about they’re cultural heritage and they identify strongly as Australians with mixed heritage. Cheers mate!
*Attempting to take the piss, but under closer examination shown to be full of crap. (forgot to include in previous comment)
Mmmm, I'm liking this debate. Now for arguments sake, some could say that if we were to volunteer public holidays as the great Aussie tradition would perfectly capture Australians as the lazy beer hounds that is quite often portrayed. Is that a tradition we should be proud of? Part of that picture makes me feel proud because that's a big part of what makes being an Aussie great. But while it's somewhat, and I use this term loosely endearing, is this what our traditions are? Is this our culture? It's pretty vapid. What do we celebrate on these days? A chance to get pissed on a Sunday night so we don't have to go to work on a Monday. That's not exactly celebrating anything culturally enriching other than the chance to get inebriated on a school night.
I think we should celebrate the myriad of cultures that make up Australia, but I think we've been doing a piss poor (excuse my pun) job of it so far.
Excuse me, my grammar was pretty bad in that post, it's 130am.
Me too (enjoying the debate) and your grammar's better than mine mate.
The Long Weekend was my clumsy attempt at metaphor. We are a nation of immigrants, or descendants thereof and it’s safe to say nearly every one of those immigrants has come here in search of a better life, if not for them then their offspring. The second wave of immigrants after the Aborigines were ostensibly sent here against their will, but journals and news articles at the time record many of these people thanking the magistrate when the sentence of transportation was read to the court.
Various religious and ethnic groups from Europe, the UK and Asia and the post-war groups (WW2 and the Vietnam conflict in particular) have all had their influences on what this nation has become. Acquiring cultural heritage is an evolutionary process. It is passed on to us from previous generations and given that we’ve had so many disparate groups come here over the years it’s hardly surprising that our culture defies definition and description in the traditional sense.
I think we do celebrate the myriad of cultures that make our country great, through that thing most dear to your heart Wood: FOOD. Modern Australian cuisine is recognised around the world for what it is, a world-class fusion of European and Asian (east, central and west) influences reflecting our diverse heritage and willingness to try something different. A valid expression of what and who we are, don’t you think? After all, sharing a meal is central to many of the cultures that have set up shop here, whether that be fish n chips, kebabs (or yiros), sushi or tandoori.
Re the “lazy beer hound” tag: I’ll proudly go with “beer hound” but Australians work harder and do longer hours than almost every other OECD nation. I don’t think that’s a good thing necessarily, but we ain’t lazy…. We probably do have that reputation and it may be applicable in some sections of the community (the London-based Diaspora for example :-)) That's a joke by the way... Cheers!
Ah food. The way to my heart. Now that point is something I will definitely agree with you on. Australia has great food, whether it be Asian, Indian, Greek, Italian or Nepalese. The variety and quality in which it is available to us is something we as a nation should be proud of. It is definitely testament to the many cultures that have brought their food to our shores. And what good food it is. I think I need a moment....
My work colleagues have no idea of what they are missing out on. To give you an example, Nando's, which we all know is a slightly classier takeaway version of KFC, is almost considered fine dining here in the UK. My workmates mock me when I get angry at their suggestion to go to Nando's for lunch on a Friday. It's a food sin to go somewhere as vile as that when you have the most amazing fresh food from the Borough Markets which are almost next door. And don't get me started on Asian food. There is a place here called Wagamama's that kind of blends Asian, Indian and Japanese. Badly. And my workmates get the same freaking dish every time we go there. Why? Why! And coffee. They think Starbucks is what coffee should taste like.
Umm, so I think I got a bit carried away and forgot about the original point I was addressing....
Oh yes, food = cultural unity.
P.S who wants to throw their hat in the ring for the Australia is a sporting nation debate? C'mon!
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