Language Analysis

‘They were a weird mob, the Australians of 2013’ is written by Hugh Mackay and is an opinion piece that appeared in The Saturday Age on the 26th of January, 2013. It discusses the issues that are currently facing Australia and how as a nation these problems are still left unaddressed. Hugh Mackay believes that addressing these issues will improve our Australian identity and bring us closer together as a nation. He attempts to communicate with as many Australians as he can with these various issues such as asylum seekers, different school funding, global warming and tries to target those that may have a vested interest. He communicates with his wider audience in a condescending tone and presents his opinion in a satirical form by pretending to be from 50 years into the future.
The opinion piece opens with a list of various issues in our current society. The list also increases slowly in severity, concluding in the ‘Stolen Generation’. This puts light back onto an issue that has been debated and talked about for a long time. The two words ‘White Australia’ also heavily implies the presence of racism that still exists in the society. Following this is a rhetorical question which slightly isolates the reader. This is used to make the reader reflect upon these issues and consider what has actually been done by various organisations to combat these problems. He continues this aggression with the listing of negative qualities to describe the past generations using words such as ‘ignorance’ and ‘recklessness’. The picture accompanies this particular message. In the foreground we can see the Australian flying proudly, but in the background there are dark clouds looming. This communicates the fact that despite all the celebrations and joy, Australia is still faced with many issues that are left unaddressed and are instead being put into the background and ignored.
Hugh Mackay then goes on to talk about the issue with the asylum seekers. In the first sentence, he