The term "ocker" is used both as a
noun
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Organism, Living creatures (including people ...
and
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ...
for an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal ...
who speaks and acts in a rough and uncultivated manner, using
Strine, a
broad Australian accent.
Definition
Richard Neville Richard Neville may refer to:
*Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), "Warwick the Kingmaker", English noble, fought in the Wars of the Roses
*Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400–1460), Yorkist leader during the Wars of the ...
defined ockerism as being "about conviviality: comradeship with a touch of good-hearted
sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers prima ...
".
[ Although Australians would say thongs, and not flip-flops.] It is mostly fairly neutral, even affectionate—although it can be used in a pejorative sense, especially by Australians who consider themselves cultured or enlightened, or "up themselves" as an "ocker" would say.
History
"Ocker" was recorded from 1916 as a nickname for anyone called Oscar. The 1920s Australian comic strip ''
Ginger Meggs
''Ginger Meggs'', Australia's most popular and longest-running comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-clas ...
'' contained a character called Oscar ("Ocker") Stevens. The term "ocker" for a
stereotypically
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
uncouth Australian came into use when a character of that name, played by
Ron Frazer, appeared in the satirical television comedy series ''
The Mavis Bramston Show
''The Mavis Bramston Show'' was a weekly Australian television satirical sketch comedy revue series which aired on the Seven Network from 1964 to 1968. Inspired by the British TV satirical revue TV shows of the period (notably ''That Was The Week ...
''.
Australian National Museum
/ref>
Uses
Politicians, including former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
, will often take on "ocker" cultural elements such as slang to appeal to various audiences.
Films
Many films made during the Australian film renaissance of the 1970s were marketed as "ocker comedies", representing a "masculine, populist, and cheerfully vulgar view of Australian society". These films were latterly described as " Ozploitation". While popular with audiences, most ocker films were loathed by critics. Among the best known are ''Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons a ...
'' (1971), ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a char ...
'' (1972), and ''Alvin Purple
''Alvin Purple'' is a 1973 Australian sex comedy film starring Graeme Blundell in the title role; the screenplay was written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall, through his production company Hexagon Productions and Village Roadsho ...
'' (1973). The hugely successful 1997 film '' The Castle'' is regarded as an updated variation on the ocker genre.
See also
*Bogan
Bogan ( ) is Australian slang for a person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated. Depending on the context, the term can be pejorative or self-deprecating. The prevalence of the term boga ...
*Bruces sketch
The Bruces sketch is a comedy sketch that originally appeared in a 1970 episode of the television show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', episode 22, "How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body", and was subsequently performed on audio recording ...
*Larrikin
Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions".
In the 19th and early 20th centuri ...
* Westie
*Yobbo
Yob is slang in the United Kingdom for a loutish, uncultured person. In Australia, the word yobbo is more frequently used, with a similar although slightly less negative meaning.
Etymology
The word itself is a product of back slang, a process whe ...
References
Australian culture
Australian slang
New Zealand culture
New Zealand slang
Pejorative terms for white people
Social class subcultures
Stereotypes
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