topic Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe? in Community Spirit

Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

imastawka — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 01:57:14 GMT

The race that stops a nation may not be our classiest moment. Every year there is video and photo evidence of drunken debauchery, often engaged in by well-dressed Aussies in fascinators and smart suits.

Australians are accustomed to the aftermath shots, have a little bit of a giggle at the photo of the woman in smart racewear and net fascinator riding a bin.

But this year the US, the land of Trump, has discovered our annual day of anything goes, and an opinion piece which labels the event as “decadent and depraved” may well have served as a tourism ad for Australia.

© Provided by Australian Women's Weekly

The article which compares the US’s Kentucky Derby with the Melbourne Cup, believes Aussies come out on top when it comes to total debauchery.

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/photos-of-melbourne-cup-%E2%80%9Cdepravity%E2%80%9D-cause-a-stir-in-the-us/ar-AAjIj93?li=AAavLaF&ocid=spartanntp

I know Aussies look at it as 'a bit of fun', but I'm cringing

after looking at the photos in the article.

I just never gave it a thought that overseas countries might see our 'bit of fun'

I just thought they'd see the race and maybe the fashions.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

collect247 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 02:09:38 GMT

Why didn't she just get on that guys back and ride him lol

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

serendipityricho — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 02:27:39 GMT

Thoroughbred horses on the track--show ponies in the crowd.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

bright.ton42 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 02:37:29 GMT

I just thought they'd see the race and maybe the fashions.

To be honest so did I. This photo and many others I've seen make me want to throw up.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

icyfroth — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 03:13:20 GMT

How embarrassing!

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

lyndal1838 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 05:35:10 GMT

@serendipityricho wrote:
Thoroughbred horses on the track--show ponies in the crowd.

That is an insult to show ponies. The true show pony is the aristocrat of the horse world and would not dream of acting like an idiot.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

ecar3483 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 05:45:05 GMT

One year I got to wondering about VB and whether they had a design team who designed the boxes that VB comes in to accommodate 24 cans, or whether they spent hours agonising over the best shape for a box, so that a head sized hole could be cut in it, and it could be worn as a hat.

Cringe? Nah. People have a few and they do silly things.

Ride a wheelie bin, have an impromptu limbo contest, okay, it's not stuff I'd do.

There are days when people do things like that.

One too many glasses of bubbly at the track leads to, excuse the pun, horseplay.

Green beer on St. Patrick's day, stodgy, Northern European inspired food in the middle of Summer - you might know it better as Christmas.

Shake my head at it, yes, cringe, well maybe a bit, but I'm not going to make a big deal of it.

If people get drunk at the races and fall over they're silly duffers, and if some Yank journo wants to write a tongue in cheek article about it then good for him for if it gets published.

I only had to read it once to see that he was having a bit of a lend, and I commend him for using "emotive words", because if it ruffled the feathers of the pearl clutching set, then it gave those of us who take a little more laid back view of life a laugh.

I'll tell you what, if, to paraphrase the article, bikini clad mud wrestling is allowed at the Cup, then I'll cringe.

🙂

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

lionrose.7 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 05:47:20 GMT

No way would I put my bottom on a dirty rubbish bin ewww

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

freddie*rooster — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 05:57:21 GMT

Thank goodness there were no mobile phones around after a few burbon and cokes

when I was young and carefree.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

serendipityricho — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 06:02:02 GMT

Lyndal -i refered to the Urban Dictionary.

Show Pony-----a person that shows off in the public eye------

Richo//.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

bright.ton42 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 06:13:19 GMT

@ecar3483 wrote:

I only had to read it once to see that he was having a bit of a lend, and I commend him for using "emotive words", because if it ruffled the feathers of the pearl clutching set, then it gave those of us who take a little more laid back view of life a laugh.
I'll tell you what, if, to paraphrase the article, bikini clad mud wrestling is allowed at the Cup, then I'll cringe.

🙂

Good for you for being a little laid back. . Funnily, I'm not one of the pearl clutching set whatever that is (sounds very 50s, lol) and I'd rather see mud wrestling going on than bogan jerks making complete fools of themselves and Australia. Perhaps it also goes on with the Derby I don't know. I must have a look

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

the_great_she_elephant — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 07:28:35 GMT

Straya Day without the flags.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

davidc4430 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 07:35:41 GMT

people with no sense of self worth will allways be idiots.

but what angers me is the rubbish everywhere, disgusting slobs. just throwing or dropping their carp everywhere!

a great look for our beautiful country, not.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

icyfroth — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 08:37:20 GMT

No wonder we're seen as "White Trash" and "Dumb Blondes" by our Asia Pacific neighbours, what with the drunken antics of of Aussie tourists in Bali and Thailand, and back here in Aus.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

lyndal1838 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 11:45:14 GMT

@serendipityricho wrote:
Lyndal -i refered to the Urban Dictionary.

Show Pony-----a person that shows off in the public eye------

Richo//.

That is exactly what 4 legged show ponies do too......show off in public. But they don't make fools of themselves as your 2 legged show ponies do.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

amber-eyed-girl — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 14:16:00 GMT

I'll be honest...a few years back I had an invite into the Birdcage. The antics in there were no less stupid than those of the general public, but were considered acceptable as it was A listers doing it.

This year....I gave it a miss. But regretted it as the one I could have gone to had a pool 😛

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

not_for_sale — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 14:30:36 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
No wonder we're seen as "White Trash" and "Dumb Blondes" by our Asia Pacific neighbours, what with the drunken antics of of Aussie tourists in Bali and Thailand, and back here in Aus.

I think we're seen as white trash, dumb blondes and a lot of other crass things by people from many other countries. And I doubt it's because of behaviour such as a woman pretending to ride a rubbish bin. The reasons are much more religious, cultural and political. The lady was having a bit of harmless fun on a very special day in our country. Who cares what they think - chill out.

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

bushies.girl — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 20:10:02 GMT

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

debra9275 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 22:58:18 GMT

looks like Gina Rinehart overdid it too

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/private-sydney/melbourne-cup-2016-gina-rinehart-and-anthony-pratts-free-lunch-in-the-birdcage-20161031-gsf2e0.html

we've been invited to the Birdcage before too Amber... everyone just eats, drinks, parades and is merry. I never saw anything much very untoward going on in there, most of the action seems to go on in the carpark I thought

Re: Melbourne Cup - Cultural Cringe?

lurker172602 — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 23:20:13 GMT

I've got friends who go to the members carpark every year for the whole carnival. They are the biggest party animals I know