But what is it about that bespectacled koala that seems so spot on? The tweet managed to poke fun at a global figure with just a touch of scorn, but is there some deeper meaning to, as one Sydneysider called it, “the intellectual, friendly, passive-aggressive koala”? David Beirman, a senior lecturer in tourism at the University of Technology Sydney, said the reply captured Australia at its best, subtly mocking itself and others with an image immediately identifiable as Australian. “It’s a nice, fun way of saying, ‘Hey, Donald, we’re over in this part of the world — and we can laugh at ourselves,’” he said. “We didn’t want to be seen to be rude or too weird about it, but we do actually get a lot of people who think we’re the U.S. ABC News, so it’s awesome that Dan found a way to reach out to the ultimate influencer on Twitter.”

Source: International New York Times June 18, 2019 09:32 UTC