People Are Flooding The Optus Facebook Page To Praise “Optus Dan” For Expertly Taking Down Racists

Late last year, Optus unveiled some new outdoor advertisements around Sydney’s south-west that were in Arabic. They translated to: “We speak your language. Come to one of these Optus stores and chat to us in Arabic.” It was an objectively smart marketing strategy, based on research that found a large percentage of people in that area spoke Arabic at home. They’ve also done this with areas of high numbers of Vietnamese and Chinese residents.

As it turned out though, there was also a large percentage of people in that area who hate and discriminate against people based on race and/or religion, so naturally all hell broke loose.

After Islamophobes started spotting the posters — and presumably spending a substantial amount of time pointlessly but determinedly shaking their fists at them — Optus was inundated with angry, hugely misguided and often incoherent complaints. “This is Australia not islam” and “WE SPEAK ENGLISH IN AUSTRALIA” might sound like hilarious lines from an Australia-based episode of South Park, but were in fact some of the comments being left on the Optus Facebook page.

Finally, when the insanity peaked and Casula Mall store staff started receiving death threats after the Paris terrorist attacks, Optus took the shopping centre ads down, fearing for their employees’ safety.

But out of this horribly depressing and socially regressive mess, there has risen a shining beacon of hope — Optus social media manager, “Dan”. Dan has been praised — and proposed to several times — for upholding real Australian values (read: multiculturalism, being not-garbage to people), and politely but firmly putting xenophobes in their place.

Responding to the ignorant swill on Optus’ Facebook page since it started pouring in around November, Dan has already racked up a Greatest Hits list, some of which you can read below.

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The expert responses have not gone unnoticed, and the love for Dan — our new national treasure — has already started to overtake the hate for Optus/Muslims.

What a man :’).