[Closed] Australian Dichotomy

Australia is very socially conservative but seems to have this attitude of 'whatever happens overseas, stays overseas' for it's citizens.

Let's just say my boss had a long and positive meet with someone on Tuesday last week, we just deleted his contact card.... Over entitled rice parents and no idea

rice parents.... is that like the term "slope heads"?

sorry rich.... phone typo time
on the socially conservative I'd say it's very split but with a loud socially conservative voice that is bigger than it's backing. Elsewhere in society it's very open and welcoming. On the marrige equality there are probably numbers in parliament to pass it on a free vote but the goverment promised a referendum (sound familiar) which people now see as being just like the EU one...

surroundedbyhills - Member

Those budgie smugglers nine should be put to community work for one week sweeping public toilets.

Kylie Minogue wedding waits for Australian marriage equality

Australia is weird - I kind of view the place as a petulant teenager: old enough to be confident, but not quite wise enough yet to appreciate that things aren't black and white, or as simple as they first appear. I appreciate that's hugely condescending..... but it's an analogy that's stuck with me for the 4 years I've been here.

From the UK, the place seems to be viewed through pretty heavily rose-tinted spectacles (particularly the health service and immigration) and the downsides/compromises aren't immediately evident or reported - especially to people with an axe to grind.

Things are different to the UK, some are better, many are worse. I actually think comparisons to the US are more relevant.

things aren't black and white

But people would like it to be though.

I found the 8 months I spent there a strange experience where racism was so open it was an eye opener for me.

Lived there with my family for 7 years and I think that batting and Quirrel are both correct.

It's not what you think it's like when you see it on TV. We actually moved back to the UK because we were simply bored with the place.

I'd also add in a country that is bigger than Europe there are varitions all over the place, in some areas incredibly diverse and in others not. Issues are being tackled and behaviors being called out.

It's not what you think it's like when you see it on TV.

^^ I just found it odd.

Sitting having a lunch break with some weird alternative hippy guy who lived out of his van on the Murray river out of nowhere in the conversation "Do you think Abos are the ugliest race ever, mate?" followed by "I wouldn't ever have an Abo mate, can't trust them"

Initially on meeting him, he came across as a decent hippy type, quite enjoyed my work with him up until that point. Seemed well educated, just one of those sorts that drops off the grid.

It was around then that I realised how much I had heard it in conversations, and in general life around me. Found it really disconcerting that there was this whole side of society who were so open like this.

Interesting, I find some similar things about New Zealand - it's portrayed over here as this beautiful idyll where you can leave your front door unlocked before going out to enjoy any of a number of extreme sports, with an overall peaceful, "nice" lifestyle. I've heard it described as being "like England in the 1950s" - well yes, sleepy villages, clean air, nice food, and blatant racism, horrendous inequality and an unjustified sense of superiority over the rest of the world seem to characterise it quite accurately I suppose.

The differences between the "haves" and "have nots" is massive and getting wider, and there's a very, very strong correlation between educational attainment, employment, alcoholism, criminality, obesity, poor health outcomes, lower life expectancies and race.

And a popular narrative voiced without shame from many (mostly white) "haves" is that the reason the native population fare so poorly (on average) is because they are lazy, ****less benefit scroungers.

And the familiar narrative of blaming most problems (that aren't blamed on the natives) on "immigrants" sounds particularly odd coming from a population of relatively recent (many second or third generation) immigrants themselves.

Nice scenery though.

^ that's the perception I get of England & Europe. Apart from the peaceful & "nice" lifestyle.
My boss is French & he'd never move back.

For balance to my previous post, I've just been for a surf to start the weekend - as I do every Friday afternoon. Walking home, I saw a 6'4" drag queen walking down the street, and nobody batted an eyelid.

I do love it here

Kylie Minogue's British fiance has said the couple won't get married until same-sex marriage becomes legal in Australia.

Pivotal moment eh 😯

and blatant racism, horrendous inequality and an unjustified sense of superiority over the rest of the world seem to characterise it quite accurately I suppose.

Sorry, are we talking about the UK here?

edlong

I am from New Zealand and lived there for 25 years, and what you describe is a long way from my experience in Wellington, which has a very mixed demographic.

It does sound very much like the South Island, sadly.

surroundedbyhills - Member

This:
Stripping at Malaysian Grand Prix: Nine Australians arrested - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37539728

And this :

Kylie Minogue wedding waits for Australian marriage equality - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37548760

Is it just me that finds it odd that they need to have a public vote on same sex marriage! Yet it so often held up as a place of aspiration and the UK a place for stiff and stuck up attitudes.

I'm struggling to see how the two stories are linked, but then I don't know what 'Dichotomy' means either.

The lads in Malaysia - they're just young(ish) lads, I don't see anything uniquely Australian about them, young lads, doing something a bit silly in the name of fun without much thought about the 'bigger picture'.

As for Kylie, I suspect she'd hedged her bet that marriage equality will come to Australia soon enough, will attempt to take some credit for others work, probably decades in the works. A big part of her fan base is LBGT so it's a no brainer publicity stunt in my very cynical view.

From the UK, the place seems to be viewed through pretty heavily rose-tinted spectacles

not by everybody. i have family and friends in both AU and NZ, i wouldn’t want to live there if you paid me.

Sorry, are we talking about the UK here?

@zokes - yes, that was sort of my point - we look at that "England in the 1950s" image of NZ and think, that sounds nice, quaint Miss Marple types having tea with the vicar in pretty villages and forget that, well, it wasn't all lashings of ginger beer and pooh sticks. And the same with NZ.

For the couple of you with rather defensive comments about NZ, my post wasn't meant as a dig at the place, it's lovely, I love it there, I may retire there, it's great. it was more the blinkered "grass is greener" view that we have from afar.

@hels, I've not spent much time in Wellington so I can't make informed comment, the couple of times I was there it seemed lovely. I have spent a bit of time in Auckland though, and there are plenty of parts of the city that I'd say the same about, but some other districts, less so.

As a general point about inequality and race etc. in New Zealand, in case y'all thought I made it up, some figures, sourced from the Guardian, so whatever credibility that gives, I'm sure they got the numbers from somewhere:

Last year, the top 10% of households owned 60% of total wealth, while the bottom 40% held just 3%. European people’s individual net worth was $114,000; Asian people’s $33,000; M?ori people’s $23,000; and Pacific people’s individual net worth at just $12,000.

Perhaps I should clarify for domestic audiences, "European people" refers to heritage, not just recently arrived immigrants.

And this:

One-third of the country’s children, or 300,000, now live below the poverty line

From these two articles, worth a read if you have an interest. Again, I'm not seeking to knock the country, just maybe remove a few blinkers.

[url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2016/aug/19/jenny-salesa-child-poverty-in-new-zealand-is-sensationalised-not-where-i-sit ]This one...[/url]

[url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/16/new-zealands-most-shameful-secret-we-have-normalised-child-poverty ]...and this one[/url]

I'd also add in a country that is bigger than Europe there are varitions all over the place

...with about 3 people living in it. Extremely white and culturally un-diverse compared to Europe, or London. (From personal experience of having lived there (Tazzie) and travelled around most of the country).

I move back in a heartbeat though. Despite the fact that, yes, I can definitely relate to it being boring, in some ways... 😆

Quality of life man. And the size of the prawns.

[url= http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2iom1b ]Video: Stewart Lee and 'The Prawns'[/url]