Australian actor Paul Hogan has reportedly called One Nation leader Pauline Hanson a 'pelican' after she invoked his iconic Crocodile Dundee character as an exemplar of 'Australian monoculture.' The remark, made to the Australian Financial Review from Venice Beach, California, has left many puzzled over its meaning.
Hogan's Response to Hanson's Monoculture Push
In a Senate speech on Wednesday, Hanson said: 'Bring back Paul Hogan and Norman Gunston. These are the essential features of Australian monoculture, and there's nothing remotely exclusionary about them.' Hogan, 86, responded by calling her a 'pelican' and adding that she 'sounds very much like this stupid boofhead over here, Trump.'
Hogan further criticized Hanson's concept, telling the AFR: 'She's living in the past, obviously. How can [Australia] be a monoculture? We're all migrants, except the Aboriginals, who as far as we know have been [in Australia] for 60,000 years.' He added: 'I want to die in Australia – in a multicultural Australia!'
What Does 'Pelican' Mean as an Insult?
The term 'pelican' as an insult has historical roots. In Shakespeare's King Lear, the character refers to 'pelican daughters' who feed on their mother's blood. In Australian slang, it is commonly understood to mean a fool or clown, based on the bird's perceived slow and ungainly nature. Hogan himself used the term in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, telling a New York driver: 'Get on the right side of the road, ya pelican!'
Russell Crowe also reportedly used the term in a now-deleted tweet after the 2014 NRL grand final, calling a sponsor a 'pelican.' The executive said he had been misconstrued.
Pelican's Reputation vs. Reality
Despite its use as an insult, BirdLife Australia describes the pelican as 'highly mobile,' cooperative in fishing, and capable of soaring to 3,000 meters. The bird has risen in Guardian Australia's Bird of the Year polls, thanks partly to reporter Matilda Boseley's campaigns.
Hanson's Controversy Machine
Hanson's 'monoculture' comments, first introduced at a National Press Club address, have sparked widespread debate. Hogan's dismissal of the concept as outdated and his defense of multiculturalism have added a populist twist to the controversy. As Hogan famously said in Crocodile Dundee: 'That's not a knife. That's a knife.'
