Baz Luhrmann deserves to be sucker-punched for making this commercial. Does he have any sense at all? That is a rhetorical question … plus anyone who has seen Australia knows he doesn’t. Actually, this commercial is part of a series of ads made for Australia’s Tourist Board. I’m sure whoever heads up the Aussie Tourist board had a part in the general direction of these commercials, so he or she deserves to be sucker-punched as well. You’re not alone, Bazzie. Taken from Australia.com:

“Sometimes we need to lose ourselves to find what matters most. Australia’s Aboriginal people know as much, going ‘walkabout’ to reconnect with the land and their traditional way of life. For most of us, ‘walkabout’ takes the form of a holiday - a time to re-balance and refresh. It lets us find ourselves when the pressures of daily life have made us lose touch.”

It goes on to say that while most of us have our ‘Walkabouts’ at the Four Seasons in Sydney, Aboriginals have to stick with the bush because it is cheaper. Hey, at least they’re keeping it real, right? I’m totally kidding! Ha! Australia would never admit to anything negative involving Aboriginals. The website actually goes on to describe all the great stuff there is to do in Oz - such as snorkel, go dirt-biking and look for Hugh Jackman. Oh, and listen to the “deep throb of the didgeridoo.” But maybe they were still talking about Hugh Jackman there.

There is not much of a point to this blog. I mainly wanted to say “COME THE FUCK ON AUSTRALIA!” You can pretty much gauge the climate of global awareness on any particular subject according to percentage of comments on a related YouTube page. About 90% of comments on the above video’s page went something like this, “This commercial is memorizing and beautiful. I tear up every time. Crazy!” About 5%: “This commercial is super creepy! I’m never going there!” About 3%: “I’m an Aussie and this ad is bloody shithouse!” And then of course the 1 or 2% shaming the irresponsible portrayal of the Australian Aboriginal as a proverb-whispering, loin-cloth sporting medicine manchild, sprinkling healing sand on your relationship problems and tracking mud through your living room.

“Bloody shithouse” is right.