NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet a cop-out for blaming ‘the era’ in Nazi costume gag

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is a cowardly cop-out for blaming ‘the era’ for dressing up as a Nazi for his 21st birthday party.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet admitted to wearing a Nazi costume to his 21st birthday. Picture: Seb Haggett.

For my 21st birthday last year, I invited my friends and family to the local bowls club.

Everyone was dressed to the nines to the theme of “rue the day” – in other words, make your ex rue the day they ever let you go.

There was dancing, cake, music, and it was the best birthday ever.

It’s interesting, really, how at no stage of the planning process did I consider dressing as a Nazi.

When you’re 21, life should be big, bright, loud, joyful and full of mistakes.

Part of growing up is screwing up, and fortunately, life is full of grace for our mistakes — but not all errors in judgment are equal.

In 2003, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet dressed up as a Nazi for his uniform-themed 21st birthday party.

Granted, this was 20 years ago – but let’s be real, 2003 only just happened.

In 2003, the US invaded Iraq, Apple launched iTunes, Lord of the Rings won 11 Oscars, and Nazi jokes weren’t funny.

Michael Jordan retired from basketball, season nine of Friends aired, Britney Spears released her hit Toxic, and Nazi jokes still weren’t funny.

I am so sick and disgusted with the excuse of “it was another time”, or “you could get away with more back then”.

Prince Harry was embroiled in global controversy when he wore a swastika. Picture: AFP PHOTO.

Having a moral compass – and a sense of humour that doesn’t rely on mocking one of the most unspeakably horrific events in human history – is a timeless quality that transcends whichever year you may live in.

There were people in the 1800s who knew slavery was wrong.

There were southern Americans in the 1950s who knew segregation was wrong.

Midnight Oil knew in the 1980s that celebrating Australia Day was wrong.

Your paradigm is never an excuse.

Using “the era” as a shield to protect yourself from scrutiny and blame is a cowardly cop-out, because you are deflecting responsibility for educated choices you freely made.

I do not deny anyone the opportunity to grow and learn from their past, because to do so would be shortsighted. After all, not one among us is the same person they were 10, 20, 30 years ago.

But, if nothing else, this whole incident is the perfect advertisement for being a decent human being – no matter how old you are or what year it is.

Nazi jokes have never been funny and they never will be, and it shouldn’t take living in 2023 to work that out.

Originally published as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet a cop-out for blaming ‘the era’ in Nazi costume gag