Given the hard-partying, Gold-Coast-ruling ways of The Stafford Brothers, what’s often overlooked is the duo’s important contributions to the field of cultural theory in Australia. Undeterred by sceptics, Chris and Matt Stafford have again taken their penetrating studies out of musty university libraries and into the public eye with season two of their Fox 8 reality TV series. With incisive contributions from Matt’s model girlfriend Brooke and the brothers’ manager Joey, The Stafford Brothers: Season Two is emerging as a new touchstone in the critical debate. As we near the halfway point in the season’s run, inthemix has delved into some of the key discussion points, with the help of a few illustrative (if blurry) screen shots.

Modern-day imperialism

Kicking off season two, DJing-brothers Matt and Chris have embarked on a trip to Thailand as part of their first-ever Asian tour. “We’re at the top of our game in Australia,” the pair explain, “but we want to take over the world.” Immediately, then, the Brothers begin to explore the first issue on their political agenda: modern-day imperialism.

It appears that the boys are undertaking a sort of anthropological study and assuming the position of blithely unaware foreign intruders: undressing women in public, depleting local alcohol supplies and brashly commandeering the streets of Thailand. As a Thai ‘tourist policeman’ explains his job of caring for incapacitated westerners to the camera, Stafford Brothers also touches on the transformative power of tourism on a developing nation.

Climate change and international health standards

In their time off, Matt and Chris are sure to experience all their host nation has to offer. It must be hot in Thailand, because even in the supposedly sub-zero climate of an ice bar, the boys both appear shirtless. Perhaps, Matt and Chris have also sought to highlight the dire consequences of global warming on the tropics. Health issues of the third-world, too, get a mention: “Don’t get an open wound in Thailand,” Chris warns, “because I partied in thongs for a couple of days and it ended up getting infected.”