He's become a key source of ire [or is it inspiration] for politicians, journalists and corporations, but love him or hate him, there's no denying the cultural impact friendlyjordies [Jordan Shanks-Markovina] has had on Australian discourse over the past decade.
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The online figures for the comedian-turned-political commentator speak for themselves: 627,000 subscribers on YouTube, over 300,000 page likes on Facebook: and his web fame has been enough for political figures such as former prime minister Kevin Rudd and current cabinet ministers Tanya Plibersek and Bill Shorten to agree to interviews.
But 'jordies' wasn't in Bathurst last Friday to discuss his fame, he was here to inform a packed crowd at Keystone 1889 about some interesting socio-political parallels between Ancient Rome and the present day in his latest show A Tale as Old As Rome.
At first, it seemed a completely different beast seeing 'jordies' performing live for a crowd outside a computer or a phone screen, but as soon as he jumped into the silly voices, dodgy photoshop slideshow and egocentric diatribe, it soon became apparent it was the very same person who has left conservative politicians, notably former deputy premier John Barilaro and former federal MP Clive Palmer, rather aggravated.
He made some rather interesting points: particularly how some historians should be treated with even less respect than journalists as they've shaped how the common person views history, which, in turn, has swept some of the morally good traits of history's most brutal dictators, namely Julius Caesar, under the rug.
This was an interesting point considering 'jordies' has forged a career out of providing his viewership with facts that are often missed [or left out] by mainstream journalists, with conservative politicians generally ending up as the bad guy.
But the central purpose of the show was 'jordies' aiming to inform the public that Rome may be considered 'ancient', but the politics of the time haven't really changed, with self-interest and media bias still dominating public discourse.
There's no denying it. Friendlyjordies has rejuvenated interest in politics among a new generation of individuals who were in danger of becoming completely disinterested in the subject.
But there's always the danger of collapsing under the weight of one's ego, and it has brought about the decline of so many historical dictators: Caesar, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte: and while he's not quite a dictator to the degree of the aforementioned, Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has lost Russia significant favour in the Western world.
It wouldn't unwise to deduce that 'jordies' is aware of his own ego. A healthy ego is needed to succeed as a personality with the following he has.
But it would be a real shame to see 'jordies' eventually get too big for his boots, as Australia would certainly be poorer for it given his ability to rally such a vast audience to his cause.
Nevertheless, 'jordies' put on an entertaining show for the Bathurst faithful, with his Von Dutch hat promotion, trademark stupidity and a well-timed phallic joke well received by a sold-out crowd.
It'll be interesting to see what he does next, considering he's facing the first stretch in his career as a political commentator with a Labor government in power federally and conservative political criticism has formed a central part of his brand.
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