Mr. Cab Driver

I worked late the other night so ended up taking a cab home. Lucky me - I ended up with a very chatty cab driver.

The first few comments were harmless enough, like "Where you from?", "Why you here?" blah blah blah, but then - all on his own initiative - the cab driver turned the chit chatty conversation into a political lecture.

At first I tried to be polite yet not encourage the conversation, but to no avail. The rant continued. So then I said nothing and just stared out the window. My lack of response had absolutely zero effect - he just kept going - and you know, after a while (it's a long trip to Manly from the city) it started to get slightly uncomfortable. Some of the topics covered were:

• why no one should be able to hold dual citizenship if one of those citizenships' is Australian (think that was directed at anyone??)
• how Australians have no culture
• how the Free Trade Agreement with the US is bad
• how the Americans are taking advantage of the Australians
• how fast food is carcinogenic
• how chocolate contains deadly poisons.

Okay it was bad enough listening to the whole US/Australian rant (actually I felt like I was back in Canada listening to that - only 15 years ago..... just another piece of proof that Australia is about 15-20 years behind the rest of the Western world) but to try and tell me that chocolate is poisoning me?? That's just going too far!!

I must say though - the one thing that really stood out as I was uncomfortably listening to the rant (I tried not to listen, but I really was an unwilling captive audience in the back of the cab...) - is just how isolated Australia is from the rest of the world. It's vaguely reminiscent of the American insularness from post World War II. The idea or belief that foreigners are bad and that external influences will harm anything and everything Australian is so short sighted. The geography of this country is one of the things that makes it beautiful, but its this geography - specifically being an island - has enabled itself to remain isolated and unexposed to the globalization that is spreading across the rest of the world. Is this bad? Well I'm sure there are arguments both ways - but I really believe that there is such potential here and that exposure to international influences can have a positive effect both on Australian culture and their economy - if they just open their hearts and minds to it.

Well, 40 minutes into the drive (it's a long drive from the city to Manly) I was beginning to seriously resent being subjected to the lecture (not only because I disagree on so many levels, but also because after a 14 hour day I just wanted a little less seriousness in my day...) and even started to get a little claustrophobic in the back of the cab, I pondered how I could get a little revenge. Seeing as tipping, or the lack thereof, is not an integral part of Australian culture - giving the guy no money wasn't going to work, so I was a little flummoxed. That is, until we turned down Sydney Road (about 5 minutes from Manly) and the conversation turned back to the evils of fast food. Then I knew I had it.

I asked to be dropped off at McDonalds.