The folks are very cool and Australia is something to behold. We spent the first night having drinks with a couple of regular blokes we happened across, and besides being a riot, they are very up on our politics and engaging with Yanks. I’d gather most blue-collar Aussies are common sense type conservatives. Very reassuring to find.Of course, just as the water in the toilet is rumored to swirl the other way, in Australia the conservative political party is called The Liberal Party. And in Australia "blue-collar common sense type conservatism" includes acceptance of Sydney's annual Mardi Gras, the largest gay pride event on the planet, broadcast, prime time even, on ABC there.
If Rentier sends any post cards home, he might want to look for the 50 cent stamp featuring Matthew Mitcham, who won the gold medal in diving in Beijing in 2008. Mitcham's both a national hero and openly gay.
Australia's also the home of the Academy Award-winning film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, whose eponymous bus was part of a parade of Australian popular culture icons at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
Oh, we nearly forgot Dame Edna Everage, Gigastar:
Who knows? Maybe Rentier can bring home some of that common sense conservatism.
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