EP 86 Tough Titties

Australians Teach English

Do you know how to pronounce tough, though, night and through? Do you know why we pronounce these differently? It's difficult isn't it? Well, tough titties. And that brings us to our episode for this week, where we bring you this now quintessential Australian expression. At the same time we're going to help you pronounce some words with the "gh" spelling. Most people are familiar with "Osho" and his movement and followers. It has received renewed attention since the documentary Wild Wild Country was released. What is less well known, is the influence they had in Australia and in particular, Western Australia. The Sanyassins, Rajneeshees or "Orange People", as they were known thanks to their largely orange coloured clothes began to make their mark in the late 70s and early 80s. Although their main base was in the United States, their "spiritual home" was rumoured to be planned for a small town in South West, Western Australia, called Pemberton. It was this, and the resultant influx of Orange People into Freo, that led to a series of combative interviews with Osho's personal secretary, Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Birnstiel). Her unsympathetic tone led to the airing of the now infamous, "tough titties" during one such interview. The rest is history. Although the movement faded from view, its impact on Australia has been profound. Australia had a particularly conservative culture and this allowed various movements to flourish. Freo and Byron Bay for example, are havens for alternative lifestyles and attractive to travellers for various reasons. They were once upon a time centres for the Rajneesh. We hope you enjoy this episode. Give us your feedback on your knowledge of Osho and the pronounciation of the letters gh!
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