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Just waiting for a mate

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"Just waiting for a mate" is the informal name given to a viral video clip from the Australian TV reality television show Highway Patrol. The video clip depicts a typical Australian bogan, who responds with preposterous answers to police questioning. The clip has received international attention after viral viewing in Reddit, with the phrase correspondingly entering the Australian Lexicon.

The footage has received 5 million views on YouTube, and inspired the creation of image macros and remix videos. It is widely seen as both a celebration and parody of Aussie bogan culture.

Background

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The clip was filmed as part of the Australian reality show Highway Patrol. In the incident, Senior Constable Ash Bowden attends to an accident in a shopping centre car park, in Carrum Downs. He questions a man who appears to be drunk, who is sitting immobilized in the driver's seat of a car.[1] When asked what he is doing, the man claims he is simply innocently "just waiting for a mate".[2] The car has clearly been in a collision and has been immobilized after an accident.

The man goes on to make further illogical statements and excuses, pretending to be oblivious to the state of his damaged car.[3]

The clip is famous in Australia for the bogan aspect of the responses of the subject of the video. It has been referred to as one of Australia's greatest videoclips[4][5][6][7] and an iconic meme[8] after it went viral.[9] The phrase correspondingly became a common term in Australia, referring to the meme,[10][11] and the incident earned notoriety in legal commentary, with the driver noted as one of "Australia's Top 5 Dumbest criminals".[12] The Guardian referred to the clip as "one of the ten funniest things on the Internet", noting the humour of the driver's relentless denial despite the obvious.[13]

Over time, other commentary on the incident rallied against the humour, noting the seriousness of the incident, given that the individual driver was apparently drink driving.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "It's been 7 years since the 'Just Waiting for a Mate' legend became a meme". Ozzy Man's Mad World Blog. 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  2. ^ "Drink driver said he was just 'waiting for a mate' after car collision". The Border Mail. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  3. ^ TNT Mag (2013-02-25). "Video: Aussie Crash Driver Tells Cops He's Just 'waiting For A Mate', Goes Viral - TNT Magazine". TNT Mag. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  4. ^ "It's been 10 years since a drunk Aussie was just 'waiting for a mate' in his car". LADbible. 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  5. ^ Findlay, Shannen (2022-12-29). "The 2010s were defined by iconic memes. So what happened to the people in them?". Mamamia. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  6. ^ "'Just Waiting For a Mate': Viral Meme Of Drunk Australian Man Completes 10 Years". News18. 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. ^ Overell, Clancy (2020-02-24). "'Waiting For A Mate' Bloke Returns To Public Eye With Man-Of-The-Match All Stars Performance". The Betoota Advocate. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  8. ^ "RBT Producer Reveals Why Drivers Agree To Have Their Bust Aired On TV". Hit Network. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  9. ^ a b Brown, Trudy (26 February 2013). "The Northern Miner". The Northern Miner.[full citation needed]
  10. ^ ""Just waiting for a mate" not classified as one of four reasons to leave the house". The Watsonia Bugle. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  11. ^ "30 Minutes or Less: Just Waiting for a Mate". Broadsheet. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  12. ^ Nedim, Ugur (2015-11-26). "Australia's Top 5 Dumbest Criminals". Sydney Criminal Lawyers. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  13. ^ Nguyen, Jillian (26 July 2023). "The 10 funniest things on the internet". The Guardian.
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