Member-only story
“No worries, mate. She’ll be right.” Or Will She?
Australia’s cultural blindness and apathy toward male violence is akin to America’s blindness and apathy towards gun violence
There’s probably no other phrase that better describes Australian culture than, “No worries, mate. She’ll be right.”
It carries a carefree, laidback optimism, and is imbued with resilience — that time will pass, and we’ll get through another season, another drought, another hardship.
I have several friends who have made Australia their home from other parts of the world, and they say this is their favourite part of Australia. The no worries attitude is a welcome relief to many whose lives were previously filled with daily worry.
And yet, like any virtue, it also has its shadow. She’ll be right can also fall in the traps of apathy and complacency. It implies that all one needs is a little patience and time will be enough to fix the problem. And then there’s the other matter of those Australians whose lives are filled with daily (or hourly) fear and worry.