posted
Where I live, pretty much since the US Democratic Party made that allegation that George W. Bush rigged the Florida election, everyone has had an opinion on America.
I swear, there is no longer a single thing uniquely Australian that actual Australians care about. Almost our entire T.V. networks are filled with:
Movies from the US and the UK Reality shows and soap operas from the US and UK Australian Reality shows and soap operas ripping off ideas from US and the UK US and British Sketch Shows News reports from and primarily about the US and UK
Likewise with movies at the cinema. It extends to the entire entertainment and literature industry. This might not seem like much, but entertainment, and to a lesser extent literature, are all most Australians are good at talking about.
Okay, there’s one thing left that’s uniquely Australian that Australian's care about: our sports.
But when I ask anyone around here what’s uniquely Australian, they can’t even come up with that. And yet they’re constantly able to engage in conversations about how horrible and selfish and corrupt Americans are, and how “funny and clever” the latest Michael Moore documentary was.
I suspect if the US wasn't so anti-George Bush there'd be a massive decline in entertainment exports from the US.
The UK stuff above is largely because a huge portion of our population is of UK origin.
[ July 11, 2006, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: cheiros do ender ]
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So, Pirates of the Caribbean II will be successful there because "the US is anti-George Bush"?? Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Everyone has ONLY had an opinion of America since GW won the presidency? Well, who'da thought the US was so inconsequential before he became the president?
quote:But when I ask anyone around here what’s uniquely Australian, they can’t even come up with that. And yet they’re constantly able to engage in conversations about how horrible and selfish and corrupt Americans are, and how “funny and clever” the latest Michael Moore documentary was.
I sense a little jealousy? You sound like you think your Austrailian "culture" is inadequate to the task of competing with US. How can that be? You've given us Peter Jackson and the Lord of the Rings. Er, no he's New Zealander and it was written by a Brit. OK, Mel Gibson then. No, born in the US and lives here too. Nicole Kidman? Ditto. Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious? Bingo. See, nothing to be ashamed of. Seriously though, many of your best actors and other artists come to the US to contribute to the US entertainment products. Even though they sometimes have to hide their nice accents, your people our a valued part of our national product. Plus you a valued member of the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq! So relax, go have yourself a Vegimite Sandwich, and catch some Friends on TV.
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posted
Do you recall the contest to come up with words to complete the phrase "As Canadian as..." (intended to be the Canadian answer to "as Canadian as apple pie")?
The winner was "As Canadian as possible under the circumstances."
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You comment about Peter Jackson being an immigrant to Australia from New Zealand, and then try to rub it in my face that losers like Nicole Kidman and Mel Gibson emigrated there? :S
Then we go onto the subject of Iraq, and see all the stupid things US soldiers (products of US education) have done there, and contrast it against the Australian Defence Forces track record.
Then add in that we have a lower tax burden, the former Chairman of the OECD, we don't allow in stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants and then grant them amnesty at the drop of a hat, and half the world hates you, and yet you persist to interfere in their politics, convinced the "American Way" is the only way.
You can't insult me with vegemite comments, considering you're country bought it to sell to Americans, and Friends only even made it to Australian TV because Americans love that crap so much.
But no, there's no jealousy. Just you having missed the entire point of my first post.
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quote:Originally posted by Mig: I sense a little jealousy? You sound like you think your Austrailian "culture" is inadequate to the task of competing with US. How can that be?
Perhaps because of the pervasive nature of your media.
Also, I'm not sure why you put "culture" in quotes.
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If Australians consume a lot of American media products, I don't think it is the Americans' fault. It is the Australians choosing to buy it.
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quote:Friends only even made it to Australian TV because Americans love that crap so much.
What does that say about Australian network execs (if such a creature exists) that they put on a show that no Australians are interested in, strictly because it's a success here.
quote:Then add in that we have a lower tax burden, the former Chairman of the OECD, we don't allow in stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants and then grant them amnesty at the drop of a hat, and half the world hates you, and yet you persist to interfere in their politics, convinced the "American Way" is the only way.
Davidson's law strikes again.
Tell you what -- name me a time when there was anything uniquely Australian, and tell me what happened to it?
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Your country was founded by uneducated, unskilled, criminal immigrants, so I find your bigotry on the subject very amusing .
Australia has made some good economic decisions in recent years, but its not like other countries (including the US) haven't seen similar periods of prosperity. The real measure of an economy is how it does when under the weather.
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posted
Given how much more money American companies have to spend on producing and transmitting content, it's not hard to envision a time when the smaller domestic TV and film industries in other English-speaking industrialized countries wither because they simply can't match American companies' production values.
Thankfully, the CRTC does a decent job of keeping Canadian media from simply being steamrolled by the American juggernaut.
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quote:Then add in that we have a lower tax burden, the former Chairman of the OECD, we don't allow in stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants and then grant them amnesty at the drop of a hat, and half the world hates you, and yet you persist to interfere in their politics, convinced the "American Way" is the only way.
Lower tax burden? How very Reagan and unEuropean of you. Controlled boarders. Awesome. Helping to bring freedom to Iraq. It sounds like you're already doing things the "American Way," so no need to do any convincing.
I think that half the world that hates the US probably also doesn't care too much for the afluance of Australians.
We haven't granted anyone amnesty yet, but if they hate us so much why do they want to come here? Plus, I think your borders are a little easier to defend than ours.
Don't misunderstand me, Australia has always sounded like a great place to visit and live in, especially with those low tax rates you speak of. And from what I've seen in the movies and from a few tourists, you all have a disproportionate number of beautiful women over there. You have more than enough to be proud of, and there's no need to disparage another country just to make you feel better about, what you percieve to be, your country's inadequacies.
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You all have forgotten about Rupert Murdoch, Australian extraordinare.
...or, wait. Are you not so very proud of him?
Though he's moving his business to the U.S. But that's only because we have these persnickety laws about foreign companies owning broadcast media.
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... No net federal debt (compared to US $9 Trillion), longer average lifespan (we're in the top 10, you're just barely in the top 50), we pay public servants superannuation instead of pay-as-you-go pensions, unemployment ~5%, Rupert Murdoch was educated in Australia (as well as Mig's clever examples above)... oh wait, let's stop there:
Australia is flooded with news coverage from a company owned by a man born and raised, and who made his fortune,in Australia. Was that the point you were trying to make, Katharina?
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quote:I think that half the world that hates the US probably also doesn't care too much for the afluance of Australians.
We haven't granted anyone amnesty yet, but if they hate us so much why do they want to come here? Plus, I think your borders are a little easier to defend than ours.
The entire OECD seems to care quite a lot for Australia's afluence.
And how clever of you to pretend Europe, Australia and half the muslim world (to name a few) are Mexican.
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My point was that if the Australians actually hated it, then they wouldn't consume it.
Anime is huge in Japan, and while there's a healthy market for it here, it is by no means the principle media consumed in America. Because Americans don't want it.
If Australians love Pirates, are you actually condemning Disney for selling it to them?
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quote:Originally posted by Kasie H: You all have forgotten about Rupert Murdoch, Australian extraordinare.
...or, wait. Are you not so very proud of him?
Though he's moving his business to the U.S. But that's only because we have these persnickety laws about foreign companies owning broadcast media.
In the general case, there was also Conrad Black (born Canadian). I'm thinking more of film and TV series than print or TV news, though.
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: If Australians consume a lot of American media products, I don't think it is the Americans' fault. It is the Australians choosing to buy it.
posted
Then I have no idea what you are talking about. What I said and what you recapped are entirely different things.
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What's the point of discussing this if everything I say is going to be twisted.
I say,
quote:I suspect if the US wasn't so anti-George Bush there'd be a massive decline in entertainment exports from the US.
And you manage to look at "massive decline" and see "total elimination". Well done.
I'm left wondering how Pirates of the Caribbean has seemingly become the cornerstone of your argument.
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I think it's normally stated that anytime one makes a post criticising someone else's grammar, invariably that person will make a similar mistake in that same post.
cherios's post actually illustrated a corollary of it, when you attack someone else's intelligence while simultaneously making several elementary grammatical errors (thereby calling your own intelligence into question).
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:And how clever of you to pretend Europe, Australia and half the muslim world (to name a few) are Mexican.
I have no idea what you're refering to. Do you mean that only Mexicans like the US. And are Mexicans the "stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants" that you referenced in your second post?
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Comparing Australia to the US is like my 9 year old cousin challenging me in arm wrestling. There's no need to actually go through with the match, cause the whole family knows how it'll end.
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There was an Australian soap opera called, "Neighbors" that I watched alot as a little kid because my mom watched it.
Steve Irwin? I see him as an Australian export to the US that people really enjoyed for a few years, if you guys do not like him, we can't help that.
I think you are overplaying the American influence in Australia. The culture of the people is still far different from the US in many respects.
Go watch The Man From Snowy River, follow it up with maybe Crocodile Dundee, pour yourself a glass of Milo (I know thats not Australian, but its not American) and go have a breakfast steak, add some veggiemite covered toast and turn on a good rugby game. Your country is still there and its doing just fine.
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As an addendum to my previous post, with respect to the tangent of news media: If the owner of a certain media outlet is of a certain nationality, does that necessarily make the outlet of that nationality as well, culturally speaking? I don't think it inherently does, though I suppose it can.
JT, I'm not really sure what the analogy you're making even means. Is it just that the U.S. is bigger -- in terms of population, GDP, and global cultural and military influence -- than Australia?
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quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: Comparing Australia to the US is like my 9 year old cousin challenging me in arm wrestling. There's no need to actually go through with the match, cause the whole family knows how it'll end.
This coming from a nation that spends almost 7 times as much on defence (or ~4 times as much on debt servicing if you prefer) as education.
Your analogy is like comparing the school bully to the valedictorian.
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Do you think Australians watch American TV because of the amount the US government spends on defense?
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Do you know how much Australia spends on its military as compared to its education system, cherios?
To be perfectly honest, I'm having a hard time figuring out what your point is. Is it that you dislike the pervasiveness of American media in Australia, or that you dislike how popular it is in Australia?
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quote:JT, I'm not really sure what the analogy you're making even means. Is it just that the U.S. is bigger -- in terms of population, GDP, and global cultural and military influence -- than Australia?
More that that seems to be the sort of comparison the cherios wants to make. "Australia is better in all these ways; <list of ways>."
Like this:
quote:Then add in that we have a lower tax burden, the former Chairman of the OECD, we don't allow in stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants and then grant them amnesty at the drop of a hat, and half the world hates you, and yet you persist to interfere in their politics, convinced the "American Way" is the only way.
My point was just that it's not really necessary to defend the US from such accusations, as they're a little ridiculous.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by katharina: I'm not twisting anything. Your argument is incomprehensible. What, exactly, is your point?
It seems to be "Australians are as capable of jingoistic, incomprehensible ranting as anybody else", but I could be wrong.
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quote:This coming from a nation that spends almost 7 times as much on defence (or ~4 times as much on debt servicing if you prefer) as education.
That's quite a bargain, given that the the US is the sole global superpower and has to carry the burden of defending the free world and that, excepting Britain, no one else is really able to offer more than token assistance in that regard.
Again, I have to add, that your fixation on budget spending and fiscal responsibility make you sound like a good-old American Conservative Republican. Apart from the whole jealous-of-the-US thing, it sounds like you'd fit right in over here.
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quote:JT, I'm not really sure what the analogy you're making even means. Is it just that the U.S. is bigger -- in terms of population, GDP, and global cultural and military influence -- than Australia?
More that that seems to be the sort of comparison the cherios wants to make. "Australia is better in all these ways; <list of ways>."
Like this:
quote:Then add in that we have a lower tax burden, the former Chairman of the OECD, we don't allow in stupid uneducated unskilled immigrants and then grant them amnesty at the drop of a hat, and half the world hates you, and yet you persist to interfere in their politics, convinced the "American Way" is the only way.
My point was just that it's not really necessary to defend the US from such accusations, as they're a little ridiculous.
Let me start with Mig's first post.
quote:Everyone has ONLY had an opinion of America since GW won the presidency? Well, who'da thought the US was so inconsequential before he became the president?
No, my point was everyone has had an opinion on the US since then, not no-one did before, and now everyone did. So you, and likely katharina, are either twisting my words, or just plain ignorant.
Then he quotes me, makes a haughty assumption about what I meant, and proceeds to insult the hell out of my country in a similiar tone.
I'm critized by you, El JT Sprang, for making a "list of ways" in return, whilst you defend Mig.
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quote:Originally posted by Scott R: I find the idea of ranting against Americans in a thread called 'Stupid Australian's' to be ironic, at the very least.
But you go, cheiros! Vent that frustration!
By contrast to America, economically, we're not stupid at all. In fact, those in charge of our economy aren't in the least bit anti-American. But they're certainly in a minority, and I wasn't talking about them.
Either way, I am perfectly within my rights to defend my country against the egotists in this thread, no matter what the title is.
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quote:Originally posted by cheiros do ender: Then he quotes me, makes a haughty assumption about what I meant, and proceeds to insult the hell out of my country in a similiar tone.
Your first post "insulted the hell" out of the U.S. I don't think responding in kind was necessarily the best choice, but that doesn't mean it was unjustified.
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No one's twisting your words, cheiros. They're trying to figure out what you're saying, because you're not making any sense. Are you maybe sleep deprived or something?
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I have no idea what you guys are debating about here. So I take the risk of being absolutely out of context and saying that I love Australia. If it wasn't so far from home that's where I would like to live. Australia is such a beautiful country, and the general level of respect and tolerance is higher than in France.
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Because you're seriously not making sense. You usually post at least reasonably coherently, and I'm not trying to be mean, but right now, you're not. Why don't you get some sleep, and see if this thread looks differently to you in the morning.
Incidentally, the reason Scott said your thread title is ironic is because there shouldn't have been an apostrophe in Austrailians.
Edit: Post started when the prior post still said "A little bit. Why?"
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Also, Gloria Jean's. And Sara Lee chessecakes. And free clean toilets everywhere, with toilet paper. And wombats, kookaburras, everything in the rain forest, and the reef...
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