Michelle Wolf perfectly roasts Australia's 'bag rage'

"But bag rage isn't limited to Australia."
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Some Australian customers are losing their damn minds after finding single-use plastic bags banned from many major supermarkets. One even became violent, a perpetrator of "bag rage."

Oh, Michelle Wolf noticed.

The Break host took a moment during her monologue this week to skewer part of the country's attitude toward the plastic bag ban rolling out in some states, as Australia moves to reduce marine pollution.

Kicking off July 1, the states of Queensland and Western Australia banned single-use, lightweight plastic bags from major retailers. This means aligning with other state bans in the ACT, South Australia, and Tasmania.

During her opening monologue, Wolf noted correctly that some Australian customers (not all) have been abusing supermarket staff at chains Woolworths, Coles, and IGA, dubbing it "bag rage."

It's embarrassingly made international news, Australians throwing tantrums either on social media or in physical stores for having to either bring their own bags, or buy a reusable one. One customer stole a shopping basket in protest. I personally saw a Woolworths customer ranting outside a Sydney supermarket on Wednesday, saying he was "never going to bring his own bags, never! This is bullshit." He almost stamped his foot, I swear.

It was too ridiculous to not make it to late-night — and let's face it, Wolf probably beat John Oliver to the punch (Oliver loves an Australian roast).

"Australian supermarkets are getting rid of single-use plastic bags, and they're dealing with frustrated customers who have "bag rage," including one man who grabbed a worker's throat," said Wolf during her latest monologue.

"Yeah, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that uh, maybe it wasn't about the bag."

The incident Wolf's referring to happened in Western Australia, a man shopping at Woolworths actually put his hands around an employee's throat, as the supermarket had stopped giving out free plastic bags days before the ban. And that's just one incident among dozens over the last few weeks across the country.

"Oh man, this no plastic bag thing is causing quite a ruckus. And like I always say, I'd really like to be a fly on the wall at an Australian jail. I always say that. You'd hear things like, 'What are you in here for?' 'Bag rage, how 'bout you?' 'Yeah, I also had bag rage.' 'Did somebody say they're in here for bag rage?' 'Yeah, I actually had rag rage, I got really mad at a rag, and shortly after my rag rage, I had bag rage."

At this rate, it's not too far a stretch. And seriously, guys, it's not that hard to bring your own bags and not throttle a supermarket employee when they do their damn job. Suck it up and just do it already.

"But bag rage isn't limited to Australia," Wolf went on. "Over here [in the U.S.] we have bag rage too, it's just what we call all the old white women who voted for Trump."

Topics Celebrities

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Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.

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