White Australians were sent to Australia as convicts on great big boats. The scum of the earth, sent to the arsehole of the planet. On the way they must have been going 'I can't believe I'm being sent to this shithole, all I did was steal a loaf of bread, and now I'm being sent to this shithole, it's gonna be horrible, I'm going to hate it', then the convicts docked at Bondi Beach. They all looked up and went 'OH YEAH!'...and a nation was born!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker claims Australians were founded by criminals who surprisingly embraced their harsh fate.
- In plain terms
- Australian history is built on criminals reacting with excitement to exile.
- What can you take from it?
- National myths often romanticize historical reality.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How are national histories simplified?
- What stories define a nation?
Another view
It ignores the violence and suffering involved in colonial displacement.
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