One of the most common terms heard in Australia in 2007 was
me-tooism (and its variant
me-too). In popularity, it was closely followed by
sub-prime and
mortgage stress. In an election year dominated by the claim that the Leader of the Opposition was copying Government policies,
me-tooism has some claim to being the Australian Word of the Year for 2007: ‘The rise of Mr Rudd has been extraordinary. Much has been made of his me-tooism: policies more reflective of broad Coalition principles than long-held Labor beliefs’ (
Herald Sun 23 November 2007).
Me-tooism was present earlier in Australian English. It was used in the 1980s to refer to the practice of one manufacturer copying from another, as in this passage from 1987: ‘The me-tooism of the world car industry means that all good ideas are copied as soon as possible’ (
Sydney Morning Herald 1987). It was also used in political contexts in the past: ‘It is much easier, though, to see what the Liberals will have to take out than what they can present that is attractive to voters. They failed to sell radical differentiation; can they market me-tooism? Will people want to vote for Dr Hewson dressed in a Keating policy suit? (
The Age 1993). Similarly, in 2001: ‘Labor left-wing stalwart and former MP Tom Uren was scathing about the party's position on the boat people issue. “It was an utter disgrace”, Mr Uren told ABC radio. “Our position was me-tooism, it was controlled by pollsters, it really was disturbing from my point of view and I know that it was the same view as many other rank and file members of the Labor Party”’ (
The West Australian).
Both
me-tooism and
me-too originated in the United States, and their meanings are entirely in keeping with these Australian uses.
Me-too is first recorded in 1886, and the
Oxford English Dictionary defines it this way: ‘Designating or relating to the adoption or imitation of another’s views, policies, etc., often (frequently depreciative) for political or other advantage. Also, designating or relating to a product (esp. a pharmaceutical) designed to emulate or rival another which has already been commercially successful.’
Me-tooism appears much later, in 1949, and the political meaning is strongly to the fore:
‘The practice of adopting or imitating a policy successfully or popularly proposed by a (usually rival) person or party; (more widely) the practice of following a popular trend.’
There is therefore nothing distinctively Australian about
me-tooism, except that it became a political buzzword in 2007, and was clearly used much more intensively in Australia than in any other country.
Because of its political popularity, towards the end of 2007 and into 2008 the term
me-tooism came to be used in many non-political contexts. On 15 January 2008 the Sydney
Daily Telegraph lamented the plethora of
me-tooism in Rove McManus stories:
ROVE PICS TACKY ME-TOOISM Not quite measuring up to the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet on an artistic level, but pics of Rove McManus and his new girlfriend Tasma Walton taking in the views from their Sydney hotel over New Year have triggered one of the tackiest examples of magazine me-tooism. With New Idea snapping up grainy shots of the TV lovebirds, as they saw in 2008 from a suite in the Quay Grand hotel, paying a small fortune for the ‘exclusive first pictures’ of the newish couple, rival Woman's Day splashed yesterday with a get square. The digital mock-up amped up the storyline too, claiming the couple, who have consistently kept mum on their relationship, had ‘confirmed'’, through friends, they are allegedly trying for a baby.
It will be interesting to see if the 2007 political uses of
me-tooism generate even further uses of the term in Australian English in 2008.
