The term Aussie Battler is an Australian colloquialism referring to "ordinary" or working class individuals who persevere at through their commitments despite adversity^[1]. Typically, this adversity comprises the challenges of low pay, family commitments, environmental hardships and lack of personal recognition. It is a term of respect and endearment intended to empower and recognise those who feel as though they exist at the bottom of society. Look up Colloquialism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

The term has seen recent use in mainstream politics by the Australian Liberal Party to describe a demographic section of the Australian people. The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... Two Australian political parties sometimes have their name incorrectly rendered as the Australian Liberal Party. ... A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. ...

Definition

The term "Aussie Battler" generally refers to working class Australians^[2], specifically, those who feel they must work hard at a low paying job to earn enough money^[3], is actually well respected by Australian society at large as they stoically face financial hardships. The concept of an "Aussie battler" is an example of self-aggrandizing language, designed to counter feelings of stigma or inadequacy, and to bolster confidence in being a member of the Australian underclass. It refers to an Australian who continues to struggle in the face of hardship. It is a term of respect and endearment, not simply used to assess someone's financial situation; the ordinary working-man earning a living against the odds.

The common variation little Aussie battler further adds to the notion that the battler is at the bottom of society, working under bigger things above.^[1]

In Australian English, the concept of a "battler" is a power word similar to the concept of the "hardworking family". It is used by various political personages and entities for their own purposes. Where in one context a person may use the term to refer to people of low socioeconomic status to call for greater welfare, others may use it to refer to a family saving for a private education to call for government payments to private schools. Australian English (AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The phrase Hardworking families or working families is an example of a glittering generality in contemporary political discourse. ...

The Aussie battler is at the core of the Australian national myth and is an indelible part of the national psyche^[4]. The battler is more than merely a hard-working bloke who never earns his due, the battler is the salt of the earth, the foundation of a frontier society. The battler is not resigned to the hard grind of life but unaware of it, considering it his due without a trace of bitterness. Trundling forward with unstoppable force and strength coupled with humility and a blood, sweat, and beer approach to life. The battler is the quintessential "little guy" with an indomnable spirit and a bottomless well of "fight".

Recently, the term "battler" has also gained popularity among young people as a mild or endearing insult to imply a person's lack of skill or knowledge at certain tasks. For example: "Davo is a battler with the women" would indicate that despite his best efforts, Dave does not often attract the attention of females.

Middle-class battlers

Some individuals are self-defined "battlers" without fitting the above definition because of their own interpretations of "earning enough money." Social scientist and author Michael Pusey has described this as "Middle Class Battler syndrome"^[5][6] because these "battlers" earn more than the average wage but see expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities. As a result, they have very little disposable income after servicing debts for these items. Despite the self-inflicted hardship, the myth of the "battler" remains.

Use in political rhetoric

Since the election of the conservative coalition government under the leadership of John Howard in 1996, the phrase has been adapted and widely adopted within Australian public discourse. Howard scored a sweeping victory at the 1996 elections, an achievement some commentators explained by reference to his winning over many traditional Labor Party voters, whom they now termed "Howard's battlers".^{[7] [8]} Conservative may refer to: Conservatism, political philosophy A member of a Conservative Party Conservative extension, premise of deductive logic Conservativity theorem, mathematical proof of conservative extension Conservative Judaism britney spears Category: ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

The term was allegedly popularised by Andrew Robb, the 1996 Liberal Party campaign director, who used it to describe those blue-collar voters who felt ignored by Labor and who were successfully targeted by the Liberals during the election campaign.^[9] This article concerns the modern Australian political party. ...

In a radio interview in 2004, Howard was asked what he thought a 'battler' was and replied that:

During the APEC summit in Sydney in September 2007, US President George Bush referred to Howard himself as being a 'battler'.^[11] APEC may refer to: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Action Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour Advanced Placement European Civilization Atlantic Provinces Economic Council This article consisting of a 4-letter acronym or initialism is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... People George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd (and current) President of the United States (2001–present) and son of George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush (born 1924), 41st President of the United States (1989–1993) and father of George W. Bush George P. Bush (born 1976), son of...

References

External links

• The Australia Institute article :"Overconsumption in Australia: the rise of the middle-class battler (PDF).
• Sydney Morning Herald article on Affluenza and "battlers"
• The Age article on Affluenza