Steve Irwin was a Larrikin
Steve Irwin was a larrikin - not that there's anything wrong with that.
As an American I was not aware of larrikinism before Steve's tragic death. Larrikins seem to be a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Other larrikins that Americans may be familiar with are Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) and the late Bon Scott (AC/DC).
So what is this larrikinism? And more importantly is it communicable?
Wikipedia defines Larrikinism as: Larrikinism is the name given to the Australian folk tradition of irreverence, mockery of authority and disregard for rigid norms of propriety. Larrikinism can also be associated with self-deprecating humour.
Now I should note that not all Australians are proud of their national larrikins (yes, that includes Steve). I mean would Americans be happy if the rest of the world thought that all Americans were like Larry the Cable Guy?
For discussion:
Do red necks in the US mock authority enough to be considered American larrikins?
For further research:
Larrikinism, Larry the Cable Guy, Red neck.
