This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Are These Streakers Larrikin Heroes Or Crowdfunding Dickheads? You Decide

In the cold light of day, it seems a little forced.
The guy's got cheek, we'll definitely give him that.
Getty Images
The guy's got cheek, we'll definitely give him that.

Hmmmm, not sure about this one. Remember the streakers who briefly brought a bit of interest to an otherwise dull Big Bash game at the SCG on the weekend? OK, so here's the thing about them.

They are being widely celebrated on social media as good old-fashioned Aussie larrikins -- a dying breed in this age of the ever-intrusive nanny state.

"Whatever happened to a bit of Aussie larrikinism? Let them be and shout them a beer!" read a typical, and much thumbs-upped, comment on Facebook.

There is indeed much to admire about the daring of these blokes, not to mention streaking itself, an act in which this writer once indulged (that's another story), and which hurts no one (except, perhaps, the streakers' pride and bank balance when the booze wears off).

But there's another side to this story.

Phew. His hand was in just the right spot.
Mark Kolbe via Getty Images
Phew. His hand was in just the right spot.

Streaker Chad Sharp and his cousin Josh have got this "we're so authentic" shtick so down pat, it's veering towards forced and inauthentic. If you didn't know better, you'd say they're milking their 15 minutes of Facebook fame.

Think of it this way. Remember the bloke late last year who chased a wayward driver down the street in his undies? "All I had was me jocks on and he was chasing me up the street and I'm just like, maaaate!," said ordinary Brisbane hero Daniel McConnell with complete authenticity.

That dude was the real deal. These guys? Well, watch this Channel Seven video. The line "bit of a rock star, eh. It was pretty intense" might give you a hint as to Chad Sharp's motivation.

And get this. Family members of the derobed duo even used Facebook BEFORE their streak to raise money to pay the $5,500 fine.

The image below appears to have been deleted from Facebook, but has been doing the rounds. Planned, pre-funded disobedience doesn't exactly equate to authentic larrikinism.

Facebook

"We've got a support group on Facebook but obviously we're not expecting anything," Sharp told Channel Seven of his crowdfunding exploits.

Yep. That's why you start a thing on Facebook. To have everybody ignore it. Not.

In summary, then. A good few minutes' entertainment during a boring cricket game. And a pair of decent blokes who appear to be trying to get Australia to pay for their larrikin ways. Which is understandable, but which is not quite in the authentic spirit of Aussie larrikinism.

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