Talk: Advance Australia Fair
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I removed the line which made the claim that the anthem is largely viewed as 'uninspiring' when compared with anthems of certain other countries. This statement made as one person's opinion would be an obviously subjective view, let alone it being represented as a commonly held opinion.
I have toned down the negative attitude to the anthem present in the article. Firstly, I would heartily disagree with the statement that "few" know the words. Yes, it's not universal, I would argue that particularly older Australians struggle sometimes, but I would think that a majority of Australians can now do a decent rendition. Secondly, nobody argues that we should go back to God Save The Queen. Waltzing Matilda is a point of contention, agreed, and the current edit reflects it. Finally, it seems worth mentioning some of the other patriotic songs, including Land Down Under and Peter Allen's classic.--Robert Merkel
I have an issue with the comparison with the Star Spangled Banner (SSB). I think this is very un-NPOV and should be radically altered.
Firstly, whether some tune is or is not "easier to sing" than any other tune you care to name, is very much a subjective judgement. I, for one, while disagreeing with many current American behaviours and attitudes, have nevertheless always loved the tune of the SSB, and I would disagree that Advance Australia Fair is easier to sing.
But whether I agree or not, I think this comparison entirely misses the point of the article. The article is about Advance Australia Fair, which exists in its own right and has whatever merits it has. The sentence "At least it's easier to sing than ...", makes Advance Australia Fair only marginally better than an anthem the writer appears to dislike, and so whatever the intention of the comparison was, all the reader understands is that it's being damned with faint praise, which is utterly demeaning.
Who says the SSB is the benchmark against which other anthems are to be measured? Who says there should be any benchmark at all? I think this comparison displays an anti-American attitude on the part of the writer. Such an attitude may be completely justified in general terms, but what on earth is it doing in an article on the national anthem of another country? It is irrelevant. The article is not about the writer's attitude to America or any other country, it is about "Advance Australia Fair". Cheers JackofOz 23:13, 2 Apr 2004 (UTC)
- You are completely right. I have removed the biased comparison.
- In a related topic, not being from an English-speaking country, I have never heard "Waltzing Matilda" performed. In fact, before reading about it here on Wikipedia I didn't even know it existed. I read the lyrics though, and although I have no idea of how it sounds when set to music, it appeared to me that it would not make such a good national anthem. I mean, I'm sure the song must be beautiful, but I really do think that "Advance Australia Fair" was indeed the better choice — how nice it is to hear a national anthem that doesn't allude to war, death or vengeance, Australians are to be commended for chosing that song! Redux 23:22, 17 Aug 2004 (UTC)
