In the comment section of a recent post on the late Tom Petty, someone complained that I was ignoring the Southern Hemisphere and the influence thereof. I at first thought this a bit unfair as I had explicitly pointed out that Petty had grown up in Florida. Then I realized the commentator meant the Earth's southern hemisphere. Well, I guess I'm guilty as charged, but first let me give you some mitigating details. I was born in the Northern Hemisphere, grew up in the Northern Hemisphere, and still live in the Northern Hemisphere. What do I know about what's below the equator, other than that it's hot? Trying to figure out exactly what was the beef of the person who left the comment, I saw that he hailed from Australia. It's funny. I've never been there, but it's my impression that Australia is so thoroughly Westernized, it's more like a suburb of the North, which its citizens may or may not take as a compliment. I do know the continent/island/country has made frequent and arguably significant contributions to popular culture. So in the interest of Multiculturalism, Diversity, Equality, World Peace, and anything else that might make a Trump supporter retch, I offer the following sampling:
I realize there are many other, more recent, examples, but these are what immediately came to mind.
Now, if you'll excuse me, mate, I'm going to go out and grab myself a bite to eat.
