Entertainment
18 June, 2021
Wayne’s World: The stupidity of youth, it never changes
G’DAY Tropicairnsians,
Last week I ranted on about opinionated travellers, and after being stopped around town on about every third step by locals saying that I should also mention the great (or not so great) Aussie larrikinism that has given us a reputation overseas that can’t be shaken off.
Now when I was a young adult in the 70s this happened all the time in my frequent overseas trips.
We all had the attitude of being indestructible and bullet proof and we really went berserk as the oldies were not there to clip our ears.
So, while writing this column, I’m having fond flash backs of huge hangovers, blood-soaked bandages, black eyes, sore knuckles, shocking polaroid photos of dangerous acts and waking up in various police cells being just a few.
Our trips back then were different to those today. There were really no rules on cruise ships and countries like the Philippine’s and America loved us Aussie mongrels with very thick accent, wallets, and our stupid adventurous spirit when full of spirit.
All of this was not just because we were young idiot dropkicks.
No it should be blamed on the Aussie’s that mentored us, characters like Hoges, Strop, Bazza McKenzie, Alvin Purple and Merv Hughes to name a few.
Without them I would not have been arrested by the Mt Buller snow police for ski streaking, dropping Melbourne tram browneyes or standing inside the front of a Myers’ elevator facing the trapped shoppers and dropping my baked bean and steamed dim-sim polluted guts with a huge smile on the dial.
Yes, we had bad influencers even before digital times, but we would never be accused of the stupid act of falling from great heights or getting run over by trains, cars, trucks, bulls, and other stupid things just to get a selfie.
Yes, in my generation as youths we did do some naughty and dumb things, but we also did the highly sophisticated experiments like placing our wet hot tongues on a below freezing steel light poles to see if we could say the alphabet.
Canadians loved us.
Wayne
