Nuance

Here we go again. The rednecks have taken over the national agenda.

Woolworths has been roundly criticised for selling navy blue men's singlets, colloquially known as wife-beaters, with the Australian flag and the words "If you don't love it, leave" in white. It's one of those catchphrases which sounds benign, even sane, when read literally. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. 

This particular catchphrase* has been hijacked in recent years by rednecks and bogans, and it doesn't mean the same thing. You see it on the back of muscle cars - often alongside a silver fern, of all things. It's no longer a symbol of national pride: it's morphed into a sneering insult thrown by xenophobes at new Australians who want to preserve some of the culture and customs of their heritage.

It might be triggered by something as simple as cooking "ethnic" food, or wearing "foreign" clothes, or it might be the bigger issues of race and religion, regional wars and global politics. It's definitely the kind of taunt thrown at Muslim women who choose to dress modestly and cover their heads. The meaning behind that simple slogan is now that if you come to Australia, you must assimilate, integrate and leave all traces of your old life behind. You must immediately become an outdated xenophobic caricature of what it really means to be an Aussie.

A quick Google search for 'characteristics of typical Australians' yields a wide range of opinions, including the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,   the University of Queensland,  and the satirical website Values Australia. 

Unsurprisingly, Values Australia has summed up the position of the offensive singlet wearers in a section headed Values:

"Australians respect women, other people's beliefs, democracy, and our mates and we always give each other a fair go."

We're a tolerant society and if you don't understand that you can piss off."

Woolworths have seen the commercial light and have withdrawn the singlets from sale, claiming that it was not the style they ordered, it conflicts with their corporate values, and that their quality control processes should've identified the error before the products made it to the shelves.

And that's where this small tale of a small error should end...except that the small minds have joined in. Welcome aboard, 2GB's Ray Hadley, clumsy-mouthed audio thug and leader of the ignorant and ill-informed, preaching about the righteous "positive message" on the singlet and the inclusive nature of Australian society...assuming you follow the Ted Bulpitt rules of being an Aussie.  

"It's very simple; we are inclusive."

"If you're here, if you reside here, if you're an Australian resident, or if you're an Australian citizen, then you love the joint. It's not racist. It’s simply a fact of life, this is the best country in the world. If you don't embrace it you don't deserve to be here."

Hadley's rant does nothing more than prove how out of touch he is with a more nuanced Australian culture in 2014. In Hadley's black and white world view, to love Australia, you must not reject anything about it, or prefer any aspect of any other culture. The irony is that multicultural Australia is being rejected by Hadley's disciples - the same disciples rejecting any form of criticism of criticism.

But wait. 2GB's not done yet! Their afternoon host Ben Fordham has spent his shift giving the offensive singlets away on air...and they promoted the giveaway on social media. Wasn't that where the initial backlash against Woolies started?

* For the record, "If you don't love it, leave it" is not an Australian invention. It's part of the lyrics of a 1969 song called "The Fightin' Side of Me", by American country singer Merle Haggard. The song has been described as patriotic, jingoistic, and appeals to politically and socially conservative Americans.