Aussie Life
Language
Speccie reader Alan writes to say he was having a conversation about Liberal party factions, and (strangely enough!) two expressions…
Aussie life
In the 1980s there was a popular watering hole on Sydney’s Lower North Shore called The Plum. Its popularity with…
Language
I have wanted to write a column on ‘common sense’ for a long time – but it is a surprisingly…
Aussie life
In 1968 the anthropologist Bill Stanner gave the Boyer Lectures on ABC Radio and coined the phrase ‘the great Australian…
Language
Joe Hildebrand excitedly told me about a new word he had come across while doing a Times cryptic crossword puzzle…
Aussie life
Of all the Gospel parables, I’ve always thought the one that would be hardest to pitch to Hollywood would be…
Language
The New York Times has coined the expression ‘dark Woke’ to describe the current strategy being used by the Democratic…
Aussie life
Reading the works of Confucius and other Chinese ancients recently, with their guidance for a life of introspection and honesty…
Language
In the Weekend Australian I read a review of a book about AI and its disastrous impact on undergraduate student…
Aussie life
I happened to be in London when the UK’s Supreme Court confirmed what many people have long suspected about women…
Language
Everyone who has ever worked in an election campaign knows what a ‘corflute’ is. We have all seen them even…
Aussie life
The evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad once described woke as a mind virus. For the past decade, Western intellectual and cultural…
Language
At the end of this year (as every year) the dictionaries of the world will announce their choice for ‘word…
Aussie life
Like every country whose peace and prosperity has depended, for as long as most of its population has been alive,…
Language
In a recent post-budget interview Treasurer Jim Chalmers claimed his tax cuts (worth about a Mars Bar a day) are…
Aussie life
It’s hard to imagine climate fanatics smashing roof-loads of solar panels, gluing themselves to wind turbines or scrawling offensive semi-literate…
Language
Are you a ‘pejorist’? I wouldn’t blame you if you were. I am currently reading Melanie Phillips’ brilliant book The…
Aussie life
A sad legacy of Dark Emu, or rather of the embarrassing embrace of its ludicrous central thesis by our education…
Language
It’s easy to picture the situation: a politician who has been an outspoken supporter of China (insisting their government is…
Aussie life
In a world of pointless questions like ‘Are tariffs good for me?’ and ‘Why does Kevin Rudd have a beard?’,…
Language
I am frequently asked about the expressions ‘First Nations’ / ‘First Peoples’. And Speccie reader Kay has raised it again,…
Aussie life
When Kermit the Frog told us in 1971 that it’s not easy being green it was meant as a plea…
Language
Speccie reader Joseph has written to ask: What is ‘identity politics’? First, the history. The term ‘identity politics’ is recorded…
Aussie life
Following the BLM protests in the US, which were seized on by the Aussie media and in schools, Disney declared…
Language
A Speccie reader, Lillian, has sent me this information about a brand-new word – governmentium. ‘Scientific research has led to…
