I went to the Caxton Seafood Festival on Sunday. I've heard of it before, but I'd never been. I didn't know what it was really about but I was keen to go and see for myself. I imagined a lively atmosphere, with lots of people, families, activities and seafood.
I was disappointed.
I'm not sure really how to describe how I feel about the event otherwise. Disappointment is a start. But I think after this experience, I am just starting to feel disappointment with Australian people. I'm not sure to what extent behaviour and culture in Brisbane is representative of the rest of the country, but based on my own experience, I feel like I am losing love and respect for Australians.
Damien and I both expected it to be the type of event where you go with your Coles cooler bags. I was expecting entertainment, because what's a festival with no music? I also expected stalls of seafood where we would get to see the fresh catches from the local areas. Different types of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. I expected there would be stalls with cooked seafood to have for lunch or a snack. I expected to buy fresh fish to cook up for dinner and I expected to see fishmongers and lots of ice, smelly fish and an overall market-like atmosphere.
I was dead wrong. It was just one big piss-up.
Although there were people of all ages and some families here and there, it was mostly just young people having a binge on over-priced alcohol. I was not shocked. I was disgusted. This is not the "Caxton Seafood Festival" it is just the "Caxton Festival." Just because the food stalls are serving seafood and Gambaro's is on this street, this does not make it a seafood festival. It was just like the races.
You pay $15 for event organisers to allow you to come in, purchase over-priced alcohol ($3 for a bottle of water!) and do nothing else but eat some fried seafood (all soaked in oil) and have some unknown bands play on the stage. It was just awful, people everywhere just drinking! Why wouldn't you go to a pub or a bar, in the shade, where you can sit, and have reasonably-priced alcohol? I didn't understand.
All I could think of was that this was a joke. I know this festival has been going on for some time now, but seriously Australia, are you kidding me???? I cannot believe that people in this country are surprised that they have a binge drinking problem when not only does their country celebrate over-consumption of alcohol, but also have events like these that pretend to be a seafood festival or pretend to be a horse racing event (as in the races) when all it is is just one big farce to give Australians a big excuse to get wasted drunk in the middle of the day. Don't increase taxes on one category of alcoholic drinks and claim to be doing something about the binge drinking problem here when disgraceful festivals like these are so freely permissible.
Just appalling.
I have never felt so disgusted with Australia before that day. What a disappointment. I feel like you are all just a bunch of idiots who have no idea what you are doing to yourselves and wave it off, saying it's okay because it's part of your culture. Well go ahead. I'll have no part in this so-called culture. What a disgrace.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
An Australian Disgrace
2 comments:
oh, I hear you Nadia!
What I find most distressing is the rampant sheep mentality which leads one dumbass to befriend another dumbass and find mutual ground solely based on drinking. I wouldn't say all Australians are like that but those who are seem to make themselves highly visible.
As an aside, I pity the fact that some people, regardless of nationality, choose to drop their guard and have fun only once after getting drunk. It is as though they desire a legitimate excuse for being themselves.
Hey, I came across you blog and laughed and cried simultaneously. I am not Australian but have been living in Brizzy for two years and had the same feeling TOO often. For what it is worth, I think are most ferrel in QLD. Like the sign says, "Where else but Queensland"
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