BY JENNI RYALL From Mashable

SYDNEY — Poor Tasmania. It is the island that floats just off the bottom of mainland Australia, and no one can seem to remember it is there.

Tasmanians have copped a lot of slack over the years: A politician even had to issue a press release to help Australians remember the “forgotten state,” and the state tourism organization ran a campaign drilling home the fact Tasmania is “a world apart, not a world away.”

Tassie, as it is known locally, is the 26th largest island in the world and is only separated from the mass of Australia by the Bass Strait. But it seems, as much as they try, Australia just won’t let them join in the mainland party.

Disassociation: Part 1

The first public snubbing came in 1982 during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. The crowd applauded as performers moved coloured cards to first present an Australian flag before merging them to form a map of Australia. Sans Tasmania.

Disassociation: Part 2

As years passed, the resilient group started to rebuild after the humiliation of worldwide shame. Then 2008 hit hard. Baz Lurhmann’s film Australia forgot to include Tasmania on a bunch of movie posters. Instead of shying away from the drama like 16 years earlier, Tasmania Tourism showed those uneducated fools. It ran a campaign before the film with the declaration: “Tasmania: Bigger than Australia.” Take that, Baz.

Disassociation: Part 3

Those Tasmanians were feeling pretty smug with their last play. Then in January 2012, just as they were sticking a fake Southern Cross tattoo on their cheek, they received the news. Tasmania had been left off the commemorative Australia Day Arnott’s Shape biscuits. Ouch.

“Some might say that’s the way the cookie crumbles but it would have been nice to see Tasmania receive the recognition it deserves on such an important day,” acting Tasmania Premier Bryan Green told the Daily Telegraph at the time.

Disassociation: Part 4

If Tasmania wasn’t recognised by Australians, at least they had the Americans on their side. Right? As the world searched for missing flight MH370, Perth in Western Australia became a focal point of the investigation. Well, until Tassie tried to steal the limelight. Even America couldn’t work out what was going on down there.

Disassociation: Part 5

So after years of torture not just at home but across the globe, it could be assumed large organisations might stop and think about the country as a whole when promoting Australia. Then, it happened again.

On the Australian swim team’s uniform there is no island to be seen. Unless it has a kangaroo sitting on top of it. We’re sorry, Tasmania. The Commonwealth Games hates you.

IMAGES:

UNIVERSAL IMAGE GROUP Until next time, try and remember, Tasmanians have feelings too.

CHRIS HYDE, GETTY IMAGES tasmania swimmer

NICK SCOCCO, FACEBOOK tasmania news report

ARNOTT’S SHAPES ARNOTT’S Australia Shape

20TH CENTURY FOX Tasmania movie poster