I’m from America and I never realised this common word is ‘offensive’ in Australia
An American expat has shared the one word that ‘offends all Australians’.
Emily Tollefson is originally from Minnesota, but has lived in Sydney for almost two years.
She was shocked when an Australian friend revealed Emily had made the ultimate mistake by calling the man she was seeing ‘champion’.
“Australians, I want you to tell me the truth now,” she said. “Last night my Australian best friend and I were talking about words that might be offensive in Australia but might not be offensive in America, and vice versa.
“She told me the word ‘champion’ is hugely offensive in Australia – and I thought she was taking the p*ss.”
Emily explained to her that ‘champ’ was the same as ‘buddy’, ‘friend’ or ‘mate’ – it’s very informal.
“I’ve been seeing this guy for a while and I sent him a text message that might have offended him,” she shared.
“He had been drinking the night before, so I messaged him in the morning and asked, ‘How are you feeling, champ?’
But all the Australian man said in response was, “Please don’t call me that.”
Emily continued, “In my American brain I thought that was fine. Some guys don’t like being called “champ,” “buddy,” or “buddy” by the girls they see.
“I told this story to my best friend and she told me that ‘champion’ was very offensive in Australia, but I didn’t mean it that way.”
Emily Tollefson has lived in Sydney for almost two years
Several Australians shed light on the matter.
‘Try being a guy who calls another guy ‘champion’ in a pub. It’s a term used for children and if you use it with another adult you’re undermining them,” one man explained.
“If you call a little kid ‘champion,’ that’s fine. “If you call an adult ‘champion’ you’re being super patronizing and you’ll start arguing,” said another.
“Champ, chief, captain, friend, sport and tiger are all seen as derogatory,” one person wrote.
But not everyone agreed.
‘It’s not offensive. Some people are just offended by everything. Get hard, cupcake,” one man wrote.
‘I’m Aussie and one year old today when I learn that champion is an offensive word!! I’ve been living under a rock, it seems.’