We’re happy little Vegemites

I a recent episode of Good New Week (GNW) an American  contestant was given a large jar of vegemite as a clue for a news article.  After tasting some and complaining it taste like beer (…and your problem is?) Paul McDermott encouraged the live audience to sing the Vegemite Song.  As a single choir the audience of maybe 200 sang…

“We’re happy little vegemites,

As bright as bright can be.

We all enjoy our vegemite for breakfast, lunch and tea.”

“I feel like I’m in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.”  The American said after the audiences dying notes exploded into applause for their own cultural sychronisity.

If you think that is strange, you will be pleased to know that the Aeroplane Jelly jingle has recently been added to the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

These are examples of  memes at work.  A meme is like a gene for culture, a small identitifiable something, song, phrase, action, thought…etc that is shared within a community.

So, if anyone complains that Australia has no culture, just hum them the Vegemite tune and know they are very, very wrong.

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