Aussie bloke proves lawn mowing theory that thousands subconsciously do Down Under: ‘An unwritten law’
An Aussie man has shared a quirky theory about how a common garden chore has the strange potential to spark a contagious reaction amongst neighbours – and it has resonated with thousands of Australians.
Naming it ‘the unwritten rule of lawn mowing’, Queenslander AJ Edwards explained the concept in a 10-second video.
‘If you mow your front lawn, then your neighbour’s got one hour to respond,’ the Logan resident said in the post to his @aj._____ Instagram account.
The brief clip showed AJ standing by his freshly cut lawn. Then, a jump forward 15 minutes revealed not one but two of AJ’s neighbours out the front of their homes, dutifully pushing their mowers across the grass.
When Daily Mail spoke to AJ, he explained that he first came across the theory online after hearing an American suburban resident say, ‘”If you hear your neighbour mowing, you need to get out there within an hour and do your own.”‘
‘It just rang so true for me in my neighbourhood,’ AJ said.
‘For a lot of Aussies, hearing the neighbour fire up the mower is the motivation (or that kick up the arse!) we sometimes need to get out there and sort our own lawn.’
AJ added: ‘When one person gets stuck into their yard, it sort of sets the tone for everyone else.’
Queensland resident AJ Edwards recently made a video about ‘the unwritten rule of lawn mowing’ theory, and it resonated with thousands of Aussies
According to AJ’s theory, if you mow your front lawn, your neighbour will do the same within the hour . He even shared evidence of this occurrence in his street in Logan
When AJ shared his video, he thought the theory might only apply to his local area. But when the short clip quickly amassed over 841,000 views and attracted hundreds of comments from other Aussies, he soon realised it resonated with thousands around the country.
‘This is absolutely true,’ one person replied to the video.
‘Happened to me yesterday,’ laughed another. ‘I started [mowing my lawn] and the neighbours sent their son out to do theirs.’
‘It’s definitely a thing, but I give it 24 hours in my street. By then, most of the yards have been mowed.’
‘I always love watching it play out through the neighbourhood,’ another Aussie agreed.
‘Same in my street, MowWars,’ added one reply. ‘Competition is fierce!’
Several commenters were in the same camp as AJ, relishing being the person who triggers the mowing chain reaction amongst the neighbours.
‘I love getting the ball rolling on my street,’ one wrote.
AJ’s post to his @aj._____ Instagram account resonated with Aussies, with many laughingly agreeing that they never realised they too are subconsciously influenced to do their lawn when they hear their neighbour’s mower
‘Mowed today – neighbour was out by the time my garage door shut,’ noted another.
One joked that it was the ‘adult version of peer pressure’.
‘No one wants to be the black sheep of the street,’ laughingly agreed another.
Others admitted that AJ’s theory made them realise they were the person who’d hear a neighbour mowing and use that as the cue to do their own lawn.
‘I’m that neighbour…it motivates me,’ one replied to AJ’s video.
‘Neighbours do it and then I’m out there too,’ another agreed.
‘It’s straight guilt,’ said another. ‘Whenever I hear that second one fire up, I’m like, “Better get up”.
‘It’s the, “I can hear my neighbour mowing… yeah, suppose I should do it too.” It’s the only reminder I get!’
AJ provided Daily Mail with a picture of his freshly trimmed front lawn, confirming that he takes great pride in maintaining it nowadays
‘Wife be like… ‘Neighbour’s mowing’,’ read one laughing response.
AJ’s video made many viewers realise they’d never properly considered the contagious mowing phenomenon – and applauded him for crystallising it so perfectly.
‘It’s not a theory, it’s a stone cold fact,’ read one reply.
‘Middle age male domino effect,’ laughed another.
AJ told Daily Mail he was surprised at how big the response was to his video, and it made him realise that this desire to contribute to a ‘bit of street pride’ was a widely-shared experience among Aussies.
‘From the comments I’ve received about the video, it definitely seems like a pretty Aussie cultural thing too, as plenty of people can relate.’
He admits that as he’s gotten older, taking immaculate care of his lawn has become a bigger priority in his own life.
‘Nothing really beats standing there in your white New Balance runners with a cold beer in your hand admiring a freshly mowed lawn,’ AJ says, before laughingly adding, ‘I’ve somehow turned into my old man from when I was growing up.’
AJ admitted that taking care of his front lawn was something he had begun to take enormous pride in – much like he remembers his own dad once doing
‘Then a mate drives past and yells something like, “Lookin’ good AJ… lawn’s lookin’ alright too”,’ he cheekily adds.
Although thousands of Aussies resonated with AJ’s theory, not everyone agreed it applied to their area.
‘Definitely not on my street or suburb,’ one Aussie wearily replied.
‘My lawn’s a jungle,’ laughed another. ‘Couldn’t give a f*** – I’m growing a forest!’
