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Original poster

To think the Ozzies are mad (washing question)

206 replies

beautyspot · 13/03/2011 03:28

Living in Oz and renting. Our beautiful and expensive flat comes with a cold fill only washing machine!

(OliPolly's recent thread re washing her smalls by hand made me think about this)

My neighbour was in the other day and shocked to see me filling the washing machine with hot water from the shower (carrying buckets!). Most of the people I know here are happy to wash in cold water and says it protects their clothes and the environment. I say it can never clean clothes properly.

Am I being unreasonable to think that a cold water wash can never clean properly? My neighbours here think so.

OP posts:
Morloth · 15/03/2011 07:08

FUCK!

savoycabbage · 15/03/2011 07:10

He doesn't like any cats so it has never come up Grin

Morloth · 15/03/2011 07:11

All lanes reopened apparently.

onlion · 15/03/2011 07:24

Maybe the poor bugger who owns the company is called coon...

Bubbaluv · 15/03/2011 07:36

Named after My Coon I believe. Americans must just die a million deaths when they see that on the shelves!
What do people say in normal conversation - I too am fascinated as I just never hear it!

savoycabbage · 15/03/2011 07:36

Well that's the official line as they say. But the company could never prove that this man existed and it was alleged that it was called coon because it was in a black packet.

Bubbaluv · 15/03/2011 07:37

Mr - I meant Mr not MY!!!

Morloth · 15/03/2011 07:45

I like Mainland anyway but I think that is because I had a crush on the cute kiwi apprentice they had in the ads when I was a youngun'

So anyway, back to this everyday racism what do people actually say?

Morloth · 15/03/2011 07:46

Sure you did Bubba.

Bubbaluv · 15/03/2011 07:46

SAvoy - just had a look at that - sounds a bit spurious? Just because Mr Coon didn't lodge his patent for 10 years doesn't mean the brand wasn't called that prior. Lots of small businesses would not lodge a patent until they were big enough and had reason to?
Anyway, so long as everyone understands that to be the case now then I think it's much better that when someone says coon, the only thing that comes to most Aussie's mind is cheese!

Bubbaluv · 15/03/2011 07:48
Blush
savoycabbage · 15/03/2011 07:53

That's true Bubba, on both points.

Morloth · 15/03/2011 07:53

Nah, they should change it. The original intent might not have been raciet, I dunno. But it is a pretty unpleasant word to most of the civilised world.

They could keep the packaging the same and relaunch with cries of 'Where's the doon, goon, zoon?!'

With Peter. Russell. Clark!

elvisgirl · 15/03/2011 08:09

I am in the Shire so maybe tis to be expected. Apparently it is known as the white ghetto of Sydney Shock

Novelist · 15/03/2011 08:12

Most definitely use the word bogan in Queensland. For example, 'Let's go to Ikea today, we'll just duck down the Boganway'. (That's the Logan Motorway.)

Morloth · 15/03/2011 08:13

Oh well the Shire! We all know about the Shire, don't we?

;)

elvisgirl · 15/03/2011 08:15

There is also a biker gang round here & down the south coast called the fourth reich. They stop at the pubs in the nice coastal beach towns on their weekend rides & look well hard.

Morloth · 15/03/2011 08:16

I blame the reactor.

Morloth · 15/03/2011 08:17

Move to the Hills we are all nice a normal over here.

elvisgirl · 15/03/2011 08:19

Shhh, don't mention the reactor, everyone will want one! They're very popular at the moment...

You need a separate passport to get in & out the Shire Grin

Morloth · 15/03/2011 08:21

It certainly is a special place, DH has family in Woronora but I don't hold it against him or anything...

lisianthus · 15/03/2011 08:41

This might just be a WA thing, but no-one has yet mentioned my current favourite term, which is CUB (cashed-up bogan). This probably is WA specific due to all the money from the mines washing about.

FWIW, I liked the two "waffly" posts. I thought they were very insightful and explained things that non Aussies probably wouldn't have known.

And. Aussie is pronounced "Ozzie" anyway!

gotobedsleepyhead · 15/03/2011 09:44

Ooh I like CUB. Glad I now have a history of that cheese! Although I still don't think I'll be able to buy it.

Back to the casual racism - in a previous job we had an Aboriginal customer called Mr Ni**er. I was told that would have been the name given to him by a White boss years ago (he was old). I struggled with that one a bit!

And what's all this about a reactor? We've only just recently got electricity in queensland you know! Wink

Morloth · 15/03/2011 10:15

That isn't casual racism that is appalling.

But realistically what could you do about it? Force the man to change his name?

Bubbaluv · 15/03/2011 10:33

I love CUB!
Brilliant term!

Am so Shock at that poor old blokes name! It's incredible to think how recently racism was pretty much accepted as normal. I'm sure my grandparents held all sorts of views I'm glad I didn't ask about.
My DH's granny once told me to be wary of Welshmen as they are thieves! Grin I had to fein a coughing fit as I was giggling so much.