Waleed Aly has made a funny response to a divisive ‘white’ Australian trend that has sparked outrage among tourists.
Channel Ten’s The Project dedicated a segment on Thursday evening in which panellists debated the ‘baffling’ and ‘wild’ habit that has gone viral online for all the wrong reasons.
The debate was sparked by international tourists posting videos on TikTok wondering why Aussies walked around barefoot when going to restaurants, supermarkets and bars.
Even Australian actor Chris Hemsworth is regularly spotted walking the streets of Byron Bay without shoes.
Aly sided with tourists over this odious habit, admitting even he was baffled as to why Aussies opted for bare feet when going out.
“Every now and then I learn something about Australia that reminds me how white I am not,” he said.
Project presenter Waleed Aly (photo) attacked the ‘white’ Aussies who walk around barefoot
‘The shoes off… it seems to me that white Australians wear bare feet on the street and then shoes in the house.’
Comedian and co-host Kate Langbroek quickly interjected: “Can I also point out that black Australians didn’t wear shoes!”
“But it’s a completely different scenario,” Aly replied.
“Yes, but it is something,” said Langbroek.
Aly argued that it was “something completely different.”
Comedian and co-host Nick Cody joked that it should be socially acceptable for people near the beach.
“I don’t think you need shoes now, you need to be able to see the beach,” he said.
“If you can see the ocean, you’re good to go.”
Foreigners visiting Australia are amazed by the custom.
Many have posted videos on social media asking why Aussies prefer not to wear shoes. Some of these clips have gone viral and have been flooded with explanations.
The segment was sparked by a series of TikTok videos posted by tourists wondering why Australians weren’t wearing shoes
British expat Robyn Turner, who lives in Melbourne, said it had “caught her off guard” and surprised her in a video she uploaded in January.
‘This shocked me. In Britain you would never catch someone barefoot on the beach,” she said.
Another British expat, radio host Jordana Grace, described the practice in a clip as “gross and wild.”
Italian tourist Sofia Saccone mentioned it as something that shocked her in Australia in a video she posted in August.
“Everyone likes to go out without shoes,” she said.
‘You don’t know why, I don’t know why, they just do.
‘They want to go shopping, you will meet a lot of people without shoes. On the bus, without shoes,” Ms. Saccone recalled.
“And they’re not crazy people, they’re just regular people like me.”
The panellists discussed the custom, leaving Aly (pictured left with co-host Sarah Harris) baffled, while comedian Nick Cody joked that it should be acceptable if you can ‘see the beach’.
