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Democracy Manifest

Coordinates: 27°27′31″S 153°02′01″E / 27.458566°S 153.033737°E / -27.458566; 153.033737
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Surrounded by police, the man is surprised at being arrested, exclaiming: "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest!"

"Democracy Manifest" (also known as "Succulent Chinese Meal", amongst other names) is an October 1991 Australian news segment video by reporter Chris Reason. The Guardian, in 2019, called it "perhaps the pre-eminent Australian meme of the past 10 years".[1] YouTube has several postings of the video with more than a million views each.[2]

The video shows a man being arrested by Australian police at a Chinese restaurant. As the police forcibly detain him, he remarks in a loud and stentorian[3][4] tone, "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest!", "What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?", "Get your hand off my penis!", and after an aborted attempt by a police officer to headlock him, "I see that you know your judo well."

The video was made on 11 October 1991,[4] but it was not uploaded to the Internet until 2009. A mystery developed about who the man was and what the incident involved, with theories centring on Hungarian chess player Paul Charles Dozsa, known for his dine-and-dash exploits. In 2020, an Australian man, later identified as Jack Karlson, appeared in a music video by Australian punk rock band The Chats and revealed himself as the man in the now-viral 1991 video.[5] Karlson, who had been a serial prison escapee, was arrested for credit card fraud by the Queensland Police Service.[6]

Synopsis

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The video shows a man, unidentified at the time, being escorted by police out of a Brisbane Chinese restaurant into a waiting police car.[7] He says, "You just assured me that I could speak." He is clearly agitated by this situation, and when told he is being placed under arrest he exclaims, "I am under what?" As police try to wrestle him into the car, the man says, "Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest."[7] As he is being forced inside the car, he says, "Have a look at the headlock here." As the scuffle continues, he exclaims: "See that chap over there ..." , and then he suddenly shouts, "Get your hand off my penis![7][8] This is the bloke who got me on the penis, people."[6] And, as he is being handcuffed, he asks: "Why did you do this to me? For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?"[7] As the police struggle to restrain the man, he says: "Ooh, that's a nice headlock, sir", and then states, "Ah, yes. I see that you know your judo well. Good one." He is then forced into the car, feet first, while asking someone inside the vehicle: "And you, sir, are you waiting to receive my limp penis?", "How dare ... get your hands off me",[6] and then bidding bystanders "ta ta and farewell".[6]

Search for identity

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The video was taped by then-freshman reporter Chris Reason at Seven News.[7] Reason's reporting said that the man was arrested in a case of mistaken identity ("the police thought they'd caught Queensland's most wanted"). Other later sources said he was a dine and dasher, or an international criminal, while officer Dean Biron who attended the scene recalled he was wanted on 19 counts of fraud and receiving stolen goods worth $70,000.[4] The man gave his name as Cecil George Edwards, but he had also been identified by aliases including Johann Kelmut Karlson and Cecil Gerry Edwards.[7][9] The clip remained obscure until a raw video version was uploaded to the internet in January 2009 and became an immediate viral video.[1] The raw footage was missing Reason's voice-over explaining who the man was, or what the incident was about, and internet speculation attempted to resolve the mystery.[10]

Mistaken identifications

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Theories about the man's identity centered on Paul Charles Dozsa, a Hungarian chess player and notorious dine-and-dasher,[11][12][13][14] but there were also serious doubts about this theory. Observers asked why the arrest was filmed from so many angles, why it was filmed at all and why the allegedly Hungarian man did not sound Hungarian. Friends, family and acquaintances of Dozsa also stated that the man in the video was not Dozsa.[15][16][17][18][19] Other theories included that the man was politician John Bartlett, the video was a skit from an unidentified television show, or that the man was a real dine-and-dasher named Gregory John Ziegler.[20]

Identification in 2020

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The mystery of the man's identity continued until 2020, when Australian punk band The Chats published a music video titled "Dine 'N Dash" that re-created the viral video with an older man acting the part of the arrestee.[21][5] The actor then identified himself in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald as "Cecil George Edwards", the man in the viral video; he was now going by the name of "Jack K". Asked why he made such a show during the arrest, he said he wanted to appear crazy so he might be placed into an asylum where it would be easier to escape. It was also revealed he had an artistic career making paintings, including some of the arrest.[7] That same year, a man only identified as "Mr Democracy Manifest" was interviewed in a video regarding the incident for Sportsbet.[22] In 2021, Seven News covered the story of the arrest, interviewing both Chris Reason and the man arrested in the original video, who only gave his name as Jack. When asked for his surname, he jokingly replied "it depends which one you want".[9]

Jack Karlson

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The video in fact depicts Jack Peter Karlson[23] (born Cecil George Edwards; 1942 – 7 August 2024)[24] being arrested for paying for a Chinese meal with a purportedly stolen credit card. He was being followed by an American Express investigator who identified him as a credit card fraudster and called the police.[3] The incident took place at the China Sea Restaurant on 11 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley. The restaurant has since relocated to Milton.[25]

Karlson began a lifelong career of petty crime in 1956 as a ward of Blackheath Presbyterian Boys' Home in the Brisbane suburb of Oxley, where he alleged to have been subjected to physical and sexual abuse.[24] He was in prison for much of the first half of his life and frequently escaped. In prison, he said he met Jim McNeil and encouraged him to write plays about his prison experience, which became famous throughout Australia. According to Karlson, they remained friends until McNeil's death in 1982.[26]

The Radio National programme Earshot broadcast an hour-long biographical documentary on the incident in January 2022.[27] In June 2022, academic Dean Biron, who was one of the arresting officers accused in the "Get your hands off my penis" part of the video, wrote an article about the incident. Biron gave his version of events, such as why the police were making the arrest, stating that, contrary to other reports made, it was not considered a major case. Biron said that after the arrest, the man — who had used the Edwards alias — was held in police custody and then released on bail overnight, and disappeared until his "15 minutes of fame" in 2020, "somehow scrubbed clean of that pesky past".[4]

In 2023, true crime author Mark Dapin published a biography of Karlson titled Carnage: A Succulent Chinese Meal, Mr. Rent-a-Kill and the Australian Manson Murders. He interviewed Karlson and followed leads to other crimes and criminals.[28][29] The book also documents Karlson's lifelong affinity with Adolf Hitler and Nazism, including regularly celebrating Hitler's birthday.[24][page needed]

Karlson died from prostate cancer on 7 August 2024, at the age of 82.[30][31]

Analysis

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Terry Barnes wrote in The Spectator that when Karlson said "succulent Chinese meal" he was certainly being facetious; "Australian suburban Chinese cafés are legendary for their cheap but bland and tasteless food."[3]

Karlson later explained the meaning of Democracy Manifest as judgement by the people, through the media, saying, "Here's an opportunity to prove my innocence, because they've dragged me out, thinking I was some sort of international gangster, when I knew that I wasn't. Here's a chance, the camera, for the people of Australia and to let democracy manifest itself gloriously. That's why I carried on like that."[31]

Terry Barnes noted that Karlson had become something of an online folk hero in Australia for resisting the police in a case of heavy-handed overreach, a theme which resonated with the public during the COVID-19 years which saw lockdowns and perceived harsh authoritarian responses; "for a time, we were all Jack Karlson", suggesting that this was key to Karlson's popularity.[3]

Influence

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Since being uploaded to YouTube in 2009, the video has become a viral hit in Australian culture.[7] When Australian activist Julian Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2019, comparisons were made between both respective arrests and "it didn't take long for Aussies to all make the same joke".[32]

Mac Miller (under his production alias Larry Fisherman) sampled the video in his 2015 instrumental mixtape Run-On Sentences, Volume Two.[33] In 2019, an orchestral soundtrack to the footage was performed at a Sydney opera centre.[34]

Australian horse racing trainer Chris Waller trains "Democracy Manifest", a horse owned by Steve Allam,[35] most notable for winning the $150,000 Catanach Jewellers Handicap at Randwick Racecourse on 15 April 2023.[36]

The video is alluded to in the 2023 film Napoleon, in one scene of which Jean-François-Auguste Moulin is arrested and protests, "I am enjoying a succulent breakfast!"[37][38][39]

In the month before Karlson died, he and one of his arresting officers had been speaking with Australian media to promote a new documentary about the incident, titled The Man Who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, directed by Heath Davis.[3]

Two episodes of the TV series What We Do in the Shadows have referenced the meme. In the episode P.I. Undercover: New York, the vampire Laszlo Cravensworth offers another character a "succulent Chinese meal" in stentorian tones similar to Karlson's,[40] and in the following episode Come Out and Play, Lazlo also quotes Karlson by saying "I see you know your judo" and "get your hands off me".

References

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  1. ^ a b Zhou, Naaman (30 December 2019). "From iSnack2.0 to Tony Abbott's onions: the best Australian memes of the decade". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  2. ^ Butler, Josh (5 March 2020). "The 'Democracy Manifest' Meme Guy May Not Be Dead, According To The Chats". 10 Daily. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnes, Terry (9 August 2024). "How Jack Karlson became immortal". The Spectator. Retrieved 9 August 2024. Karlson himself had a deep, stentorian and highly theatrical voice
  4. ^ a b c d Biron, Dean (1 June 2022). "Succulent Chinese meme". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022. In stentorian tones as my fellow officers and I wrestle him into the car
  5. ^ a b Newstead, Al (6 March 2020). "The Chats want you to enjoy a meal, a succulent sonic meal". ABC Australia. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Bull, Lawrence (11 February 2022). "His 'Succulent Chinese Meal' rant became a classic meme but the arrested man has a complicated past". ABC Australia. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Drevikovsky, Janek (8 March 2020). "'This is democracy manifest': Mystery star of viral video found at last". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  8. ^ Dapin, Mark (20 June 2024). "The brutal truth behind Australia's most famous arrest". The Australian. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b ""This is democracy manifest!" - 7NEWS meets the man behind the "succulent Chinese meal" meme". YouTube. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  10. ^ "This is Democracy Manifest: Mystery star of viral video found at last". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ Leedham, Nicole (4 May 1995). "Thief served up his just deserts". The Canberra Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  12. ^ Paul Chamberlin (3 November 1988). "Ex-Chef eats on the run again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Former Chef Fined For 54th Eating Offense". Associated Press. 2 November 1988. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  14. ^ Phillips, Daisy (11 June 2016). "The Backstory Behind 'Democracy Manifest' Guy Is As Funny As His Video". Sick Chirpse. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ^ Perrie, Stewart (5 March 2020). "Aussie Band The Chats Team Up With The 'Democracy Manifest' Bloke For New Music Video". LAD Bible. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  16. ^ Tyler Jenke (16 June 2019). "A succulent Australian mystery: Just who is the bloke in this iconic video?". The Brag. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  17. ^ Blair, Tim (7 September 2013). "This Week On The Web". Daily Telegraph. News Limited – via Gale.
  18. ^ Percival, Tom (12 June 2016). "Story Behind The 'Democracy Manifest' Guy Is Even Funnier Than His Video". UNILAD. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  19. ^ Pan, Alexander (6 March 2020). "The Story Behind The 'Succulent Chinese Meal' Guy Is Weirder Than That Cop's Judo". goat.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  20. ^ Wenger, Charles (8 November 2019). "The Succulent Enigma of Paul Dozsa". Level Up Chess. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  21. ^ Smiedt, David (9 March 2020). "Why It's Important To Keep Eating At Asian Restaurants". GQ Magazine. Newslifemedia Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Meet Mr Democracy Manifest". Sportsbet. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  23. ^ "DETECTIVES POSE ENABLE TWO TO ESCAPE". Newspapers.com. Sydney Morning Herald. 11 January 1968. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024. The escapees are Jack Peter Karlson, 25, labourer, of Woronora Road, Hurstville, who has three other aliases
  24. ^ a b c Dapin, Mark (2023). Carnage: A Succulent Chinese Meal, Mr. Rent-a-Kill and the Australian Manson Murders. Simon & Schuster Australia. ISBN 978-1761108099.
  25. ^ Atfield, Cameron (29 August 2023). "Democracy manifest: How a bronze statue could be gold for a tired mall". Brisbane Times.
  26. ^ "Jack Karlson obituary: 'Succulent Chinese meal' Australian meme star". The Times. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  27. ^ ""A Succulent Chinese Meal"". ABC Australia. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  28. ^ Dapin, Mark (28 July 2023). "The brutal truth behind Australia's most famous arrest of 'Succulent Chinese Meal guy' Jack Karlson". The Australian. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023.
  29. ^ Taylor, Belle (28 July 2023). "The wild true story of the prison escapee who just wanted a succulent Chinese meal". PerthNow. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  30. ^ Hinchliffe, Joe (8 August 2024). "Jack Karlson, who shot to fame after 'succulent Chinese meal' arrest, dies aged 82". theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  31. ^ a b Barnsley, Warren (8 August 2024). "Obituary: Jack Karlson, man behind Democracy Manifest Succulent Chinese Meal viral meme, has died". Seven News. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  32. ^ Stewart Perrie (12 April 2019). "Aussies All Made The Same Joke After Julian Assange Was Booted From Ecuadorian Embassy". Lad Bible. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  33. ^ Mac Miller (30 December 2015). "Run On Sentences, Volume Two". 2:48. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2021 – via SoundCloud.
  34. ^ Tan, Michael (2 December 2019). "Democracy Manifest with Symphony Orchestra". Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ Roots, Chris (27 April 2023). "Succulent Chinese deal: Democracy Manifest owner wants to meet viral star". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Democracy Manifest Racehorse Profile, Stats, Form Guide, News & Results". racenet.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  37. ^ "Film buffs are convinced Napoleon references a legendary meme". December 2023. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Joaquin Phoenix's Tired Napoleon Stretches the Idea of Common Knowledge into Fiction - the Curb". 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  39. ^ "13 Best Quotes from Napoleon (2023)". 20 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  40. ^ Bojalad, Alec (26 November 2024). "What We Do in the Shadows Pays Homage to an Internet Classic". Den of Geek. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
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27°27′31″S 153°02′01″E / 27.458566°S 153.033737°E / -27.458566; 153.033737

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