Aussies Are Flipping Dutton The Bird With A+ Hashtag #SoIlliterate

Karl Stefanovic gave him a go on The Today Show, calling his remarks ‘un-Australian’, and now Australia is responding with the #SoIlliterate hashtag, telling stories of themselves and their parents who came to Australia not knowing the language and managing to live and thrive regardless.

It’s certainly a nicer image than Dutton wants to project. There’s two insults to unpick here: first, that refugees are merely a burden. Secondly, the notion illiteracy or struggles with language somehow mean that a person is essentially worthless. There’s a whole bag of nonsense to unpack here.

When my grandparents escaped to Australia from Nazi Europe they spoke eight languages, then they learned English, their ninth. #Soilliterate

— Justine Larbalestier (@JustineLavaworm) May 18, 2016

My Polish mum taught herself English by watching Aussie kids TV. She raised a kid who speaks four languages. #Soilliterate #auspol #cringe

— Lena Rutkowski (@LenaAgnieszka) May 18, 2016

@SBSNews I’m a refugee & just won the #NSWPremiersLitAwards prize. For writing a book. In my 3rd language. Can you read these words, Dutton?

— Osamah Sami (@OsamahSami) May 18, 2016

@PeterDutton_MP Syria has a literacy rate of 86% (UNESCO 2015), just FYI. #auspol #Soilliterate

— keir (@keirpp) May 18, 2016

A massive shout out & thank you to my ESL teacher Mrs Brown from Penrith South Public School for ensuring that I didn’t remain #Soilliterate

— Mariam Veiszadeh (@MariamVeiszadeh) May 18, 2016

.@PeterDutton_MP When I came to Australia from Cyprus in 1983 I didn’t know a word of English. What’s your point? #Soilliterate

— Jim Yiapanis (@jimyiapanis) May 18, 2016

Look. It’s almost certainly the case that Dutton shrewdly wanted this kind of backlash to happen so the Government could keep up its tough on borders rhetoric and image. Sure. But it’s nice to see so many people come together to participate in a cherished tradition: flipping the bird at a politician after they say something intensely stupid.