Badmovies.org Forum

In the interests of current news events and gauging international opinion, I thought I'd start this thread just to hear people's opinions.

Basically we are having a little hiccup selling the country overseas it seems.  Our new international ad campaign is attracting a little bit of heat from censorship boards.  The Slogan: "So where the bloody hell are you?"

Here's some articles which hopefully contain more information on reasons and whatnot:

Holidays to Swear By (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/03/19/holidays_to_swear_by/?p1=MEWell_Pos1)

The Canadian angle:Canadians get to see those "bloody" Australian ads (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2006-03-22T204726Z_01_N22379930_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-CANADA-ADVERTISING.xml&archived=False)

The tourism minister's opinion: Tourism minister defends 'where the bloody hell are you' slogan (http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1576853.htm)

Or haveAnother perspective (http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=4281) from an Aussie


Basically these ads [I'll have to look an see if there's an online version around somewhere] were banned [but not anymore] in Britain, for the word 'Bloody' and partially banned in Canada for the use of 'Hell' and now, it seems, for showing people drinking unlabelled beer [though one wonders why that's such a big issue].

Of course now our American campaign is starting and we're getting in trouble again...

I find the whole thing incredibly funny, and so do most people here, since most of us don't think it's that big a deal, and also that some of the tourism people are idiots for coming up with it in the first place, or 'bloody' geniuses for getting all the free publicity, but I'd like to gauge international opinion on the matter here just to see what you guys think, in hilarity or seriousness, about this whole thing.

Oh and here's a link to the ad:

The Advert (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6504766098184920266&q=where+the+bloody+hell+are+you%3F&time=55000)

[a friend just sent me a copy of a funny parody of it entitled 'get your f&@^ing arse over here, but I don't know how to post it, and you kind of have to know what's going on in Australia to get it anyways.]

The thing is, Australians (as well as British) don't say "f**king", they say "bloody".

Sao saying "Where the bloody hell are you?" in Australia is the equivalent of saying "Where the f**king hell are you?" in America.

Hey plan9, Dean is Australian so I think he has a little more knowledge than you about what Australians say and what they mean when they say it.

Trust me plan9...I've been to OZ...(Australia)

"Bloody" does NOT mean the same as "f**king".
At least that's not how I took it with them.
Spend enough time with an Aussie...or hang out with a whole group and listen and talk to them...you can tell the difference.

I do admit it was awkward at first with the slang and all.
But everytime someone would throw out a word or phrase I hadn't heard of, I'd ask what it meant and they would always tell me.

I've read some circa WWI British books, and they wrote things like l___sy  for lousy.  I guess calling something lousy, as in full of lice, was also taboo.

As I get CBC, I'm looking forward to these bloody commercials.

Aussie may or may not say "f**king", but they sure as hell don't substitue "bloody" for it. I've never heard the phraise "Blood off" or "Blood you" before. Eww, I came up with a nasty Bloody phrase but will refrain from posting it in the essence of good tastes.

Hey plan9, in a sense I guess it probably started out as a substitute for f**king when it first was used, but that would have been a while ago, and now the impact of using it has dulled, and the use has changed a heap since then methinks.

See, most of us don't consider it a problem using the word bloody anymore [though perhaps there are limits to good taste] and people consider it 'the great Australian adjective' but I would like to see how it is regarded by people from other countries.

Language is fun!

Seems like the slogan should be popular with younger adults out for a good time, who I would imagine to be the most lucrative tourists. They're the ones ready to spend the time and money partying it up. The people who will be offended certainly aren't.

And it fits with Australia's popular image, as kind of likeably rough around the edges.

I imagine it will be well worth the money. The controversy will only help.

 I always looked at "bloody" as a British centric version of "darn", although they do use the terms "bloody" and  damn together.

 Being from a southern state I am used to quite a few regional "colorful metaphors", such as "dad-gum-it"and "dag-nab-it".

I personally gravitate toward curses with the word s**t in them. "dip-s**t", "s**thead", "s**t for brains", "holy s**t!", etc.....

Dean,
do Aussies use the phrase "bugger off"?  Or is that only in Britain.

Dean...do Aussies really kill each other for gas?

That would only be the really scary ones with mohawks and leather fetishes.

trek_geezer Wrote:
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> That would only be the really scary ones with
> mohawks and leather fetishes.
>
> --------------------------------
>
>


I understand.

This thread got me to thinking whether the British use the "F-word," and I remembered they do. At least, in their films, so I presume they do so in real life. Though, what makes their use of it interesting, is they say it with a different accent, than we do. As someone pointed out, when Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) says it in "Billy Elliot, it comes out more like "Fook***," than "Fuc####!"

And I know some of the Irish sure do. When we were touring Ireland, we pulled into a small seaside town in Ireland, for lunch, just when the local Catholic school let out for lunch as well. And when you walked the streets of the town, one heard "F-word this!" and "F-word that!" And this was not from the boys, but from the girls.

Which makes one wonder, whether the "F-word" is international in scope.

The British word that fascinates me is "sod," which is, I believe, short for "sodomite." That would make it the same as calling somebody a bugger. But not only can you call someone a sod, you can tell him to sod off, or even to get out of the sodding pub. A versatile word that sounds funny as hell to people who aren't used to hearing it.

But then, the F-word has similarly taken on more than its basic meaning. People can f---, they can f--- off, they can be called a stupid f---. To be f---ed can be a good thing in the literal sense or a bad thing in the figurative sense. The word can also be substituted for other words to make common swears and curses even stronger. A popular one where I'm from is to exclaim "For f--k's sake!" using it in place of God or Christ. This makes no sense, but my friends said it quite a bit growing up.

This thread is really starting to drift.

Ah, drifting be good...

The F word certainly is an international word, even in non-english speaking countries [getting insulted by an Indonesian for being a f-ing nerd for instance is really funny, especially since he thought he was giving me the biggest insult possible.]

And yes I do use 'bugger off' a fair bit.  In fact I'm also quite partial to sod off, but that's more me liking cockney British swearing more than an Australian thing [I keep calling a friend of mine an 'absolute git' just because I like the sound of it, more than me actually knowing what the hell it means]

And I think we will be killing each other for petrol soon [damn price rises...time to invest in some leather and some chains...]

As for the ad campaign itself [drifting back slightly on topic] I'm not sure how much of a stir it's actually making in the news overseas to justify the silliness of it all [unless it has, I really don't know] but everytime it gets banned in another country, it makes the news here, and I have a good laugh.

I like the campaign, but I do think it's a little, um, bogan really.  Sure there's lots of shots of the beautiful outback and bikini babes, but nothing is mentioned about coming and visiting the city at all.  I guess they're 'playing to our strengths' but frankly I'm a little sick of it all.  

At least it's a hell of a lot better than the ill-fated campaign with Paul Hogan and 'chuck another shrimp on the barbie.'  I mean, I've only seen that happen once...

Just watched another spoof of the original ad.

See it here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=3RGkNHr17OU)

Dean...how about the word "numpty"? I belong to an anti-scammer board where most of the members seem to be brits and numpty seems to be a fairly popular word. I use it quite often now. I was just wondering if it's used in Australia at all.

Used in a sentence: Anyone that would watch Gigli all the way through is a complete numpty.

I love the British term "wonky", as in "it's gone wonky" to describe something that's not going as expected.

We use "wonky" in Canada. It's not especially common, but you hear it.

Actually, that reminded me of the expression we Canucks seem to have in common with the Aussies -- "G'day." It's been a common greeting here for as long as I can remember, as you might have gathered from watching the MacKenzie Brothers. But when Paul Hogan hit it big in the 80s, he popularized it as an Australian greeting. I mean, it doesn't take much to abbreviate "good day," but it's still interesting that the informal Australian greeting is the same as the informal Canadian greeting.

Anybody know if the British say g'day? I heard Richard Attenborough say it once, but I don't recall any other instances.

Dean - that spoof was made by a mate of mine. He made it for a bit of fun & never imagined it would generate so much interest!

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/tourism-spoof-not-bloody funny/2006/03/27/1143330979106.html

Used in a sentence: Anyone that would watch Gigli all the way through is a complete numpty

That was along way to go to get a Gigli reference in this thread..

Hey Mitch, that's great!

The friend who sent me the link said it was from the Ronnie John show but not aired, so either you know some pretty crazy people, or my friend is a liar who should be shot immediately.

I thought it was much more fun than the Chaser's version.

By the way, the British don't say "G'day!", they say "Cheerio!".

Fearless Freep Wrote:
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> > Used in a sentence: Anyone that would watch
> Gigli all the way through is a complete numpty
>
> That was along way to go to get a Gigli reference
> in this thread..
>

I know...but shouldn't I get extra points for that?

I think, in terms of the english language, no one term is exclusively used by one nation: there's always going to be a cultural bleed affect, I guess, such as G'day being used alot in Canada.  Sure it may be a stereotypical Aussie thing, but it goes both ways.

Oh and Odinn, I don't have a clue what numpty is or means, but I'll take a Gigli reference whenever I can get it!

So then Dean, can I take it that numpty is not used in Australia? Basically it means idiot.

When I lived in Scotland I used Cheerio and Cheers quite often as greetings for my Scottish friends.

Speaking of Canucks, I guess the term "heh" at the end of almost every sentence is akin to an American say "ya know".

The correct term is "eh?"

I know a few people who like to sign their emails "Cheers." One at least has a British father. The others are just pretentious.

Hehe, I use cheers as a way of saying thanks alot, but I certainly hope it doesn't come off as pretentious [I don't think so, but then again I could be a pretentious ass and not know it, oh dear god!!!!  Now I'm going to be paranoid for the rest of the night...]

Yeah...when I was in Australia, everyone would say "Cheers" instead of saying "Thanks".

I bought some beer/grog at the "bottle shop"...the cashier said, "Cheers!"
I showed my I.D. to the bouncer at the door of a nightclub and he said, "Cheers!"

"Cheers" definitely means "Thank you" in OZ.

Hey Dean - yeah my friend Dan is a writer & performer on the Ronnie Johns show, so no need to shoot your friend! Cheers!

"The thread where everybody knows your name"...

I have heard "numpty" used a few times recently (In Australia, of course), however the last time I heard it used it prompted a discussion about "What the bloody hell is a numpty?"
So yes, has been used, but no, not often.


I also use Cheers to sign off my emails because I don't like the formality implied by "Kind Regards" or whatever other professionally dictated version my company wants me to use.


And Dean, I LOVED the Chaser's take on this, but then I love everything they do.


And while I'm at it, "bugger" gets used lots here in Oz, however it was really popularised by a Toyota Hilux ad from a few years ago, where things kept going wrong and people (and babies and a dog) all said simply "bugger".  There was actually a court case here by some boring farts who thought the ad was offensive.... they lost.  Yay!    What most Aussies probably didn't realise was that the ad was actually from New Zealand, and wasn't Australian at all.  Bugger.

Rombles Wrote:
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> And while I'm at it, "bugger" gets used lots here
> in Oz, however it was really popularised by a
> Toyota Hilux ad from a few years ago, where things
> kept going wrong and people (and babies and a dog)
> all said simply "bugger".  There was actually a
> court case here by some boring farts who thought
> the ad was offensive.... they lost.  Yay!    What
> most Aussies probably didn't realise was that the
> ad was actually from New Zealand, and wasn't
> Australian at all.  Bugger.

You know what, that does make a twisted sort of sense.  All the good 'Aussie' things, like Jimmy Barnes, Sam Neil or Russel Crowe are widely accepted as 'fair dinkum Aussie' when in fact they hail from the land of  the Kiwi.  Quite funny really.

That because Americans couldn't tell Australians from New Zealanders if their lives depended on it...

No plan9, I don't mean Americans telling the difference, I mean people here in Australia.

We seem to have a trend of stealing talent from New Zealand and claiming it as our own, sometimes time goes by for so long we almost forget where they came from in the first place.  Not that it matters really: If you find your fame in one country and make it your home, it should pretty much count as your country, I just find it an amusing occurance that happens somewhat a little too often over here: New Zealand talent comes to Australia and finds fame and is accepted as own etc.

Um, actually Jimmy Barnes is Scottish, not a Kiwi!

Mind you the list of "Aussie" Kiwi's is extremely long....

Kind of like the long list of Canadians who are, or have been, stars in the US. Some are a little bit more vocal about where they're from, but others could be easily taken for Americans if you know little of their backgrounds.

I remember seeing a mockumentary called The Canadian Conspiracy some years ago, that highlighted all of the talent we've exported south over the years, but presented it as a deliberate plot to infiltrate American society. Pretty funny.

If you want big mainstream success, you go where the industry is.

Rombles Wrote:
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> Um, actually Jimmy Barnes is Scottish, not a
> Kiwi!
>
> Mind you the list of "Aussie" Kiwi's is extremely
> long....

Scottish?  That does make sense [I am remembering things now] but I do know he has some strong ties there.  Maybe that's where he grew up [meh, I may be thinking of a completley different 'celebrity']

Either way, it is nothing more than an amusing fact: when a country adopts some foriegn talent and basically sells it as a 'look at us we're fantastic' and sort of forgetting that they aren't from around here anyways...  

Like AndyC mentioned, you go where the industry takes you and that's fine, and sure you don't have to be vocal about your roots, but yeah... funny.