"Real" Australians and "Australian values" (1 Viewer)

[Captain Hero]

We hear a beat up on the news all the time about "Australian Values" and the "Australian Way of Life" but is there anything really unique to how we live in Australia or are we just trying to find some cultural significance where there is none.

in before meaningless platitudes such as 'mateship' and 'fair go'.

 

[Fathers]

I think it's the immigrants which have given Australia the little culture it has. If you're referring to 'true' Australians, i.e. Anglo Saxons, then no, they don't have anything which anybody would really classify as 'culture' except for VB's and 'snags'.

 

[katie tully]

But why aren't VB and snags culture?

VB I can understand because it tastes like fucking chilled goats piss.

 

[Fathers]

But why aren't VB and snags culture?

VB I can understand because it tastes like fucking chilled goats piss.

Well I guess it is culture, just really shitty and weak culture.

 

[katie tully]

Well I guess it is culture, just really shitty culture and really weak culture.

What constitutes as non shitty, manly strong culture then?

 

[Iron]

As originally a penal colony and a bit later a massive cattle station, our early population has been disproportionatly male. These single men, prisoners or looking for work, were freed from the ancient, embedded institutions of Western culture, like the Church, class system, family, even the state. What they had was a miserable situation, but a great opportunity to better themselves. The culture of blokey mateship inevitably flowed from this. Further, without the rigid structures of the motherland determining your future based on your birthplace etc, even bad men could make a lot of money if they worked hard enough. So the fair go was also inevitable. The early history of federation was a story of enacting this, in a pretty radical social experiment to mandate a minimum wage, pension, compo etc.
From this inevitably flows the ALP as Australia's natural party of government.

 

[katie tully]

I personally don't see any problem with mateship and fair go as values, the ones we don't really understand because theyre so far detached from the original concept developed back during the WWars and the depression. I think those values were admirable.

 

[Lentern]

One thing that seems very prominent in Australia and New Zealand is a kind of seriousness and earnesty about the place. The delusions of grandeur in every single aspect of life are less aparrent instead there is a real "be thankful for what you've got" sentiment. Rather than the way many a nation tried to beat up and paraphrase their economy, military, etc to make it sound better or the odd Hitler who actually tried to change the whole thing to seem better, Australia really seems to say that whilst it may not be perfect of glamorous, we're by and large quite happy, so we're very satisfied with what we have and don't need to pass it off as something else, it does the job.

The exception to this rule is Australia's diplomatic and militaristic presence of a world scale which is blown up to ridiculous levels. Tony Abbott not a month ago was saying that Australia, England and the United States are the three most important nations in this war on terror. Alexander Downer claimbing he was as close as anyone to de-nuking the world and Paul Keating theorizing that should any tension emerge between China and the United States Australia and more specifically Rudd wold be the natural mediator. In this regard we could use a reality check and accept that unless we try and invade the Philipines we aren't going to get much attention. Even the shocking Obama comment by Howard was only reported on half a dozen media in America. Many would have thought it was frontpage news the way we beat it up.

 

[slickstar_01]

One thing that seems very prominent in Australia and New Zealand is a kind of seriousness and earnesty about the place. The delusions of grandeur in every single aspect of life are less aparrent instead there is a real "be thankful for what you've got" sentiment. Rather than the way many a nation tried to beat up and paraphrase their economy, military, etc to make it sound better or the odd Hitler who actually tried to change the whole thing to seem better, Australia really seems to say that whilst it may not be perfect of glamorous, we're by and large quite happy, so we're very satisfied with what we have and don't need to pass it off as something else, it does the job.

The exception to this rule is Australia's diplomatic and militaristic presence of a world scale which is blown up to ridiculous levels. Tony Abbott not a month ago was saying that Australia, England and the United States are the three most important nations in this war on terror. Alexander Downer claimbing he was as close as anyone to de-nuking the world and Paul Keating theorizing that should any tension emerge between China and the United States Australia and more specifically Rudd wold be the natural mediator. In this regard we could use a reality check and accept that unless we try and invade the Philipines we aren't going to get much attention. Even the shocking Obama comment by Howard was only reported on half a dozen media in America. Many would have thought it was frontpage news the way we beat it up.

oh my lord! you have summed it up perfectly..........but in the wrong fucking thread

 

[Will Shakespear]

I think it's the immigrants which have given Australia the little culture it has. If you're referring to 'true' Australians, i.e. Anglo Saxons, then no, they don't have anything which anybody would really classify as 'culture' except for VB's and 'snags'.

spot on

if it weren't for us euros, strayans would still be having chops & 2 veg for dinner every night

 

[slickstar_01]

what about curries? my mum makes good chicken tika with curry.

 

[Captain Hero]

I had to prove my fucking citizenship today and the guy at the post office did a massive double take when I go "dude, look at me, I'm fucking *white*, isn't that proof enough?" as if I'd said something horribly politically incorrect, or something.

 

[Lentern]

oh my lord! you have summed it up perfectly..........but in the wrong fucking thread

How so, aside from indigenous practices it's the only really inherent trait in Australia that isn't just adopted from one of the many wonderful cultures that exist within Australia.

 

[chicky_pie]

Yeah thanks to the Anglo/European/Asian/Middle Eastern/America and etc cultures that influence this country, without it.. we'd be chasing dingoes with our fellow Aborigines

 

[loller]

there is only 1 true australian value:

TALL POPPY SYNDROME

 

[44Ronin]

there is only 1 true australian value:

TALL POPPY SYNDROME

Winner.

It's horrible.

 

[staticsiscool]

Tall poppy syndrome keeps a level playing field.

 

[Trefoil]

We hear a beat up on the news all the time about "Australian Values" and the "Australian Way of Life" but is there anything really unique to how we live in Australia or are we just trying to find some cultural significance where there is none.

in before meaningless platitudes such as 'mateship' and 'fair go'.

It's hard to put Australian culture into words, or differentiate it from American or British culture, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The easy way to note its existence is to travel over to England, Ireland, Canada, America - compare them for yourself.

Culture naturally evolves divergently and we've certainly had long enough to do so - not to mention a different base starting population (not just half British, but they were lower class Brits mostly, plus Irish, plus shitloads of other minorities). The inability to pinpoint really unique and contrasting traits about Australia is not evidence of a lack of unique culture.

No more "Australia has no culture" nonsense kthxplz.

And tall poppy syndrome is a symptom of our culture yes, but it's not 'bad'. It has negative and positive aspects but I happen to think it keeps us grounded, moderate. Especially if you look at America (or even Britain is sort of spiralling out of control in ways).

 

[Captain Hero]

In Australia we only let the truly special be special. I don't think we've let the cult of celebrity take anywhere near as much hold here as overseas. Given that overseas most people treat celebrities with reverence, but over here if they act out of line they'll get the piss ripped out of them, or something.

 

[Graney]

There is a myth that Australia has no culture. Our culture is part of the great, globalised western culture, which dates back to the ancient greeks.

People make the mistake of thinking we have no culture, because our culture is so big, all encompassing, dominating and ancient. it may be big and global, but it's still a culture.

It seems stupidly parochial and nationalistic to limit culture to what has occured within our national borders and 200 years of history.