Kalgoorlie Miner: (7) Understatement

With the passing of Wally Foreman last week, we not only lost a legendary WA sporting figure and commentator, but I believe we also saw another nail embedded in the coffin of what was once the critical defining feature of Australian-ness: the gentle art of understatement.

Wally was more a Richie Benaud than an Eddie McGuire, more a Bush Tucker Man than a Crocodile Hunter, more a Pat Rafter than a Lleyton Hewitt. He was more a slowly brewed cup of tea than he was an instant coffee.

The slow death of understatement is of course is largely related to the influence of United States culture, and can be observed in just about every aspect of Australian society.

For example, modern Australian man will have an energy drink and watch a game of 20/20 cricket rather than have a beer and watch a test match. He will seek the fleeting fame that comes with morally corrupting himself on reality TV rather than take time to achieve something that is actually worthy of adulation. He will explore for enlightenment in a bookshop before he bothers to explore for it in himself, his environment, or those around him. Quick fixes are everywhere, and quality is hard to find.

The phenomenon is well illustrated by the rapid devaluation of the exclamation mark in writing. Unable or unwilling to express their extreme thoughts and emotions with the thousands of words available in the language, the modern email or text message writer resorts to using ever increasing numbers of exclamation marks, much like an amphetamine junkie who needs to up his intake each day in order to achieve the desired effect.

Where will this exclamation mark addiction end though? Will we invent a new punctuation character that means “extremely excited”? Sadly, many have already resorted to the punctuation equivalent of smoking crack cocaine: smiley faces and emoticons. Don't fool yourself though - the effect of those will wear off too.

The only answer is to just say no. Set yourself the challenge of not using a single exclamation mark in the next email or letter you write. Go cold turkey. You will have strong withdrawls, and your friends may become confused and upset, but stay strong and force them to decide for themselves whether you are serious or joking, genuine or sarcastic. Apparently it's poor email etiquette, but it's much more fun.

Bring back the understatement in your speech as well. A bone-dry quip mumbled by a casual unsmiling larrikin holds in it far more pleasure than brash and predictable American sitcom-style humour.

In fact, let's get rid of the exclamation marks from all aspects of our lives. Let's chill out, slow down, and have a good time. Peter Costello can stick his economic growth targets into the hole in the ozone layer as far as I'm concerned.

Organise some mates to chuck a sickie with you this summer, buy a few cartons of king browns, toast to Wally's memory, and settle in to watch the Ashes until the booze runs dry. Discuss the Englishmen’s pasty complexions and unsanitary bathing habits between overs - it's the Australian way.