The term "ocker" is used both as a noun and adjective for an Australian 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". 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-class ...

'' 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 Ron Frazer (7 December 1928 – 8 January 1983) alternatively Ron Fraser, was an Australian actor, comedian and screenwriter, he was known for roles in theatre and television, primarily as a character actor. Career Fraser started his career i ...

, appeared in the satirical television comedy series '' The Mavis Bramston Show''.Australian National Museum
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Uses

Politicians, including former

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

Kevin Rudd, will often take on "ocker" cultural elements such as slang to appeal to various audiences.

Films

Many films made during the

Australian film renaissance The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the ea ...

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 an ...

'' (1971), '' The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' (1972), and '' Alvin Purple'' (1973). The hugely successful 1997 film '' The Castle'' is regarded as an updated variation on the ocker genre.

References

Australian culture Australian slang New Zealand culture New Zealand slang Pejorative terms for white people Social class subcultures Stereotypes {{australia-stub

Definition

History

Uses

Films

See also

References