Aussie battler
Encyclopedia
The term Aussie Battler is an Australian colloquialism
referring to "ordinary" or working class
individuals who persevere through their commitments despite adversity. Typically, this adversity comprises the challenges of low pay, family commitments, environmental hardships and lack of personal recognition. It is a term of respect and endearment intended to empower and recognize those who feel as though they exist at the bottom of society. A key requirement of referring to someone as an "aussie battler" is the ownership of a Holden Commodore
. A "battler" without a Commodore is essentially shunned from inner "battler" communities.
The term has seen recent use in mainstream politics
to describe a demographic section of the Australian people.
The common variation little Aussie battler further adds to the notion that the battler is at the bottom of society, working under bigger things above.
In Australian English
, the concept of a "battler" is a power word similar to the concept of the "hardworking family". It is used by various political personages and entities for their own purposes. Where in one context a person may use the term to refer to people of low socioeconomic status to call for greater welfare, others may use it to refer to a family saving for a private education to call for government payments to private schools.
The Aussie battler is at the core of the Australian national myth and is an indelible part of the national psyche. The battler is more than merely a hard-working bloke who never earns his due, the battler is the salt of the earth, the foundation of a frontier society. The battler is not resigned to the hard grind of life but unaware of it, considering it his due without a trace of bitterness. Trundling forward with unstoppable force and strength coupled with humility and a blood, sweat, and beer approach to life. The battler is the quintessential "little guy" with an indomitable spirit and a bottomless well of "fight".
Recently, the term "battler" has also gained popularity among young people as a mild or endearing insult to imply a person's lack of skill or knowledge at certain tasks. For example: "Jono is a battler with the women" would indicate that despite his best efforts, Jono does not often attract the attention of females.
coalition government under the leadership of John Howard
in 1996, the phrase was adapted and widely adopted within Australian public discourse. Howard scored a sweeping victory at the 1996 elections, an achievement some commentators explained by reference to his winning over many traditional Labor Party
voters, whom they now termed "Howard's battlers".
The term was allegedly popularised by Andrew Robb
, the 1996 Liberal Party
campaign director, who used it to describe those blue-collar voters who felt ignored by Labor and who were successfully targeted by the Liberals during the election campaign.
In a radio interview in 2004, Howard was asked what he thought a 'battler' was and replied that:
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit in Sydney
in September 2007, US President George W. Bush
referred to Howard himself as being a 'battler'.
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
referring to "ordinary" or working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
individuals who persevere through their commitments despite adversity. Typically, this adversity comprises the challenges of low pay, family commitments, environmental hardships and lack of personal recognition. It is a term of respect and endearment intended to empower and recognize those who feel as though they exist at the bottom of society. A key requirement of referring to someone as an "aussie battler" is the ownership of a Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
. A "battler" without a Commodore is essentially shunned from inner "battler" communities.
The term has seen recent use in mainstream politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
to describe a demographic section of the Australian people.
Definition
The term "Aussie Battler" generally refers to working class Australians, specifically, those who feel they must work hard at a low paying job to earn enough money, is actually well respected by Australian society at large as they stoically face financial hardships. The concept of an "Aussie battler" is an example of self-aggrandizing language, designed to counter feelings of stigma or inadequacy, and to bolster confidence in being a member of the Australian underclass. It refers to an Australian who continues to struggle in the face of hardship. It is a term of respect and endearment, not simply used to assess someone's financial situation; the ordinary working-man earning a living against the odds.The common variation little Aussie battler further adds to the notion that the battler is at the bottom of society, working under bigger things above.
In Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
, the concept of a "battler" is a power word similar to the concept of the "hardworking family". It is used by various political personages and entities for their own purposes. Where in one context a person may use the term to refer to people of low socioeconomic status to call for greater welfare, others may use it to refer to a family saving for a private education to call for government payments to private schools.
The Aussie battler is at the core of the Australian national myth and is an indelible part of the national psyche. The battler is more than merely a hard-working bloke who never earns his due, the battler is the salt of the earth, the foundation of a frontier society. The battler is not resigned to the hard grind of life but unaware of it, considering it his due without a trace of bitterness. Trundling forward with unstoppable force and strength coupled with humility and a blood, sweat, and beer approach to life. The battler is the quintessential "little guy" with an indomitable spirit and a bottomless well of "fight".
Recently, the term "battler" has also gained popularity among young people as a mild or endearing insult to imply a person's lack of skill or knowledge at certain tasks. For example: "Jono is a battler with the women" would indicate that despite his best efforts, Jono does not often attract the attention of females.
How to Classify a Battler
There are a variety of ways in which an Aussie Battler may be classified. Some criteria in which to use to classify Aussie battlers are:- anybody who believes that "The Castle" is a good movie
- anybody who owns a Holden Commodore or Statesman
- anybody who has appeared on "ACA" or "Today Tonight"
- anybody who has a career in mining, general labor, a trade or an unskilled labor position
- anybody on "the dole" or unemployed
- anybody who believes in the abolition of taxes, generally expressed in conjunction with the statement "F@#$ the government"
- anybody who frequents Rugby League or Aussie Rules matches
- anybody in Western Sydney
Language
Aussie battlers also possess their own language, enlisting a variety of key elements not found in standard Australian English. Heavily accented O, Y, A and Z sounds at the end of words, especially when referring to names and cars e.g. "Thats Dazza's commo" (that is Darrens Holden Commodore) are frequently used, as well as the heavy usage of words such as casual nicknames such as "mate", "tiger" and "champ". Common use of rhetoric devices, primarily used in an aggrivating or frustrating situation, is characteristic of the battler language. When speaking about family members, a battler is not allowed to refer to them by their real name or title, but must say missus (wife), hubby (husband), brats (kids in general) and old folks (parents). Long drawn out words, primarily the words "yea", "nah" and "awe" when responding to something in an unsure, worried or puzzled manner are used as a form of heavy emphasis on key ideas in the sentence or conversation.Middle-class battlers
Some individuals are self-defined "battlers" without fitting the above definition because of their own interpretations of "earning enough money." Social scientist and author Michael Pusey has described this as "Middle Class Battler syndrome" because these "battlers" earn more than the average wage but see expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities. As a result, they have very little disposable income after servicing debts for these items. Despite the self-inflicted hardship, the myth of the "battler" remains.Use in political rhetoric
Following the election of the conservativeConservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
coalition government under the leadership of John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
in 1996, the phrase was adapted and widely adopted within Australian public discourse. Howard scored a sweeping victory at the 1996 elections, an achievement some commentators explained by reference to his winning over many traditional Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
voters, whom they now termed "Howard's battlers".
The term was allegedly popularised by Andrew Robb
Andrew Robb
Andrew John Robb AO , Australian politician and former federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the Division of Goldstein, Victoria for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election.Robb, one of nine children, was...
, the 1996 Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
campaign director, who used it to describe those blue-collar voters who felt ignored by Labor and who were successfully targeted by the Liberals during the election campaign.
In a radio interview in 2004, Howard was asked what he thought a 'battler' was and replied that:
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
(APEC) summit in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in September 2007, US President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
referred to Howard himself as being a 'battler'.