Culturally Significant [Cringe-Worthy] Moments

SMH
The Tribal Mind
By David Dale
August 30, 2005

A list of "100 mass media moments that changed the world", chosen by an expert panel recently for Britain's Uncut magazine, has inspired this column to seek comparable landmarks in our own culture.
Of course Australians were strongly influenced by the events on the international list, which starts with Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone and Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel and includes A Clockwork Orange and The Godfather from film, and The Simpsons and Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner from television. But we had our own experiences too, and here's an attempt at The Top 40 Popular Culture Events That Changed Australia in the past 50 years:
1. Men At Work's Land Down Under (song, 1982)
2. Graham Kennedy's tonight shows (TV, 1957-91)
3. Barry Humphries does Edna Everage (stage, 1955-)
4. Peter Allen's I Still Call Australia Home (song, 1981)
5. Number 96 shows first bare breasts, first gay kiss and first terrorist bomb (TV, 1972-75)
6. Crocodile Dundee (film, 1986)
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7. Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning (song, 1987)
8. Homicide tops the ratings (TV, 1966)
9. Mad Max (film, 1979)
10. Bob Hawke cries about infidelity on Clive Robertson's Newsworld (TV, 1989)
11. Wogs Out of Work (stage, 1987)
12. Barry Jones wins Pick-a-Box and makes braininess interesting (TV, 1960-1971)
13. AC/DC make a video clip of Long Way To The Top (TV, 1977)
14. Hugh Mackay's Reinventing Australia (book, 1991)
15. Bandstand (TV, 1958-1972)
16. Big Brother's Merlin protests detention of boat people (TV, 2004)
17. Kath and Kim (TV, 2001-)
18. Picnic at Hanging Rock (film, 1975)
19. Sydney Olympics opening ceremony (TV, 2000)
20. 2UE publishes the first Top 40 singles chart (music, 1958)
21. Oz beats obscenity charges (magazines, 1964)
22. Neighbours (TV, 1986-)
23. Yothu Yindi's Treaty (song, 1991)
24. Normie Rowe fights Ron Casey over republicanism on The Midday Show (TV, 1991)
25. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (film, 1994)
26. SeaChange (TV, 1998-2000)
27. Cleo launches with stories on orgasms and nude male centrefold (magazines, 1972)
28. Frontline satirises A Current Affair (TV, 1994-97)
29. Slim Dusty's Pub With No Beer (song, 1958)
30. Kerry Packer launches World Series Cricket (TV, 1977)
31. Mambo makes Loud shirts (fashion, 1985)
32. The Mavis Bramston Show (TV, 1964-68)
33. SBS starts (TV, 1980)
34. John Farnham's You're The Voice (song, 1986)
35. The Block features gay renovators (TV, 2003)
36. Daddy Cool's Eagle Rock (music, 1971)
37. McDonald's introduces the McOz (fashion, 1999)
38. Mother and Son (TV, 1984-94)
39. John Howard apologises to Aborigines on John Clarke's The Games (TV, 2000)
40. Woman's Day publishes paparazzi shots of topless Duchess of York having her toes sucked (magazines, 1992)
The theory is that all those phenomena were historically significant or symbolised social change. If you'd like to argue, agree, ask, or add, you could write to The Tribal Mind at ddale@fairfax.com.au

David features responses in his column and on the web if you're keen!!