Perceptions of Australia

[sylent]

G'day
Cheers for all your responses guys and girls. Ya's 'ave all done well with what I was after, so ta for that. I dunno what you's reckon, but I'd say them aussies have a funny way of talkin' like. All swagger and slang. No style and none of that grace stuff. Just true blue, fair dinkum.

LoL
I can't help who or what I am.
I sorta put the cheers in just for good measure, since its a pretty typical "She'll be right"... "Bob's your uncle" thing to say. I remember being at a cricket game between Aus and Eng, and when things swayed a little unsatisfactorily in the host nation's direction, the cry of "you're all convicts!" came out. I couldn't stop laughing!

Nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry.

[Mr. Mopery]

Hope I don't offend anybody too much here...

From '99 to '00 I spent about 6 months wandering around Oz and I spent a lot of time talking to people in small towns, asking them what they thought of Australian culture. These were towns like Berri, S.A.; Mildura, Vic; Blackheath, NSW; Deniliquin, Vic? (it's right next to Finley, where Spiderbait is from) and places like that.

The impression I got from six months of asking people their opinions about Oz, England, NZ, etc., was that Australia is still searching for it's identity. That Australian culture was something like 1/3 English influenced, 1/3 American influenced and 1/3 pure Australia, but that most people didn't really know what that meant.

I mean, there are obvious symbols of Australia like the Koala (a drug-addled, syphilis suffering grouch of an animal), 'Roos (boucing rodents), Uluru (symbolic of Australia's inability to reconcile with the Aborigines) and things like the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. There is also that horrible creature, the wombat, one of which tried to take a bite out of me. Lousy wombat.

But most people didn't seem to identify much with these things anyway.

A couple of observations:

1. I have never, before or since, had so many people strike up a conversation with me while urinating. Australian men are both friendly AND dodgy.

2. The coolest ride I had while hitchhiking was a Maori truckdriver who treated me with sooo much kindness. And it was really surreal to duet Britney Spears "Baby One More Time" with a Maori guy while bouncing along in a roadtrain through the outback.

3. The worst (and first) ride I had was a 60yo man who wanted me to help him stud horses and who (so he told me) had never gotten oral sex from an American guy. I told him that made two of us.

4. Australia has the best music scene of any place I've lived, including the US. JJJ, even if it's not perfect, beats the hell out of any radio stations in the States. RRR is cool too.

5. Vegemite is Marmite's horrible step-sister.

6. Never, EVER go to a sex show that offers a student discount. (Wait...uh...that's Amsterdam I meant, not Australia)

7. Mmm...Kylie.

7 1/2. Mmm...Kylie and Danii. (Drool...snort...cough)

8. If you see a tiny black spider with a tiny white mark on its back, don't assume it's a harmless baby spider.

9. When faking your tax-file number in order to pick fruit, DO NOT give yourself the name Robert. It turns out that 75% of all Aussie men are named Robert. On one picking team (15people) there was Old Rob, Young Rob, Gunpicker Rob, Foreman Rob...and backpacker Rob.

10. In (rural) Australia it is OK to have a baby in a bar, as long as it's quiet and immobilized in some way. Often enough you'll meet 3 generations of a family and possibly drink heavily with 2 of those generations. And the grandmother may make a pass at you.

[Xen]

Originally posted by Mr. Mopery: 7. Mmm...Kylie. 7 1/2. Mmm...Kylie and Danii. (Drool...snort...cough) 8. If you see a tiny black spider with a tiny white mark on its back, don't assume it's a harmless baby spider.

I like these one

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Davros: quote: Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: quote: Originally posted by Night Stalker: quote: Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: Originally posted by Chewbacca: [qb] I remember when we beat England in the soccer a few months ago, I was buzzed all day, so proud I was of them and to be an achieving Australian! I suppose I'm proud of the nation we say we are, even if we are not always that [img]smile.gif[/img] *Gasp!* Did I see a non North American dare utter the "S" word?!? *shocked*

LOL [img]tongue.gif[/img] . Football is rugby league, man! [/QUOTE]No it isn't - footy is Australian Rules [/QUOTE]Nah, AFL is aerial pingpong.

[sylent]

Loved your post Mr. Mopery!

Offended....?
Nooooo
Never.

A Bouncing Rodent huh? Thats a classic, I've honestly never heard it before. Those are some pretty classic tales you have to tell of your time in Aus. They certainly sum things up, for better or for worse - I'm not really sure at the moment.

I think you're right about the identity issue though, there's definately a lot of haze around that. Some people are proud to be linked to the UK, others not so but the recent referendum shows we're still clinging to the Monarchy. Its pretty inconsequential now though, I mean England hardly plays a card in Australia's actions, if what the media says is anything to go on.

Great Post there though, you had me in fits of mirth on numerous occasions.

Oh, btw I've had a few encounters with Wombats, and they are definately a deceptively savage little beast... Don't be fooled by their debatably soft, cuddly appearance. The Wombat is possibly best known for its ability to enforce brutal damage upon the wheels of an unsuspecting highway commuter. Imagine the damage if you had run over a bowling ball... its the same!

[Mr. Mopery]

Originally posted by sylent: Oh, btw I've had a few encounters with Wombats, and they are definately a deceptively savage little beast... Don't be fooled by their debatably soft, cuddly appearance. The Wombat is possibly best known for its ability to enforce brutal damage upon the wheels of an unsuspecting highway commuter. Imagine the damage if you had run over a bowling ball... its the same!

I really loved my time in Oz, even when I felt kind of freaked out. Which was more often than not.

But I was really surprised that, in six months of hitchhiking, driving my own (ill-fated) vehicle and even stowing away, the only act of roadkill in which I participated wasn't a roo, or a wombat (thankfully) or even a dog.

It was a bat. A massive, brown, draculisious bat that swooped horribly (and comically) out of nowhere...into the windshield of my friends' van, causing 3 grown men to scream like little girls. What followed included some involuntary shivering, a litany of "holy crap, holy $hit, holy f#$%", some nervous giggling. And sincere hope that the bat in question had either gone up over the van or under it--we weren't sure.

Until the next time the driver stepped on the breaks...and a massive wing slapped down against the driver's side window. This, of course, resulted in a second round of horrible girlish screams.

Anyway, the unfortunate bat died and we nearly shat ourselves but at least we didn't hit a wombat. Though, if I had a tank or even a half-track, I'd be tempted to go looking for one of the buggers to run over...

edit: Grammar was been much bad.
edit2: I'm a retard, ok?

[ 07-13-2003, 02:55 AM: Message edited by: Mr. Mopery ]

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Mr. Mopery: It was a bat. A massive, brown, draculisious bat that swooped horribly (and comically) out of nowhere...into the windshield of my friends' van, causing 3 grown men to scream like little girls. What followed included some involuntary shivering, a litany of "holy crap, holy $hit, holy f#$%", some nervous giggling. And sincere hope that the bat in question had either gone up over the van or under it--we weren't sure. Until the next time the driver stepped on the breaks...and a massive wing slapped down against the driver's side window. This, of course, resulted in a second round of horrible girlish screams. Anyway, the unfortunate bat died and we nearly shat ourselves but at least we didn't hit a wombat. Though, if I had a tank or even a half-track, I'd be tempted to go looking for one of the buggers to run over... edit: Grammar was been much bad. edit2: I'm a retard, ok?

So you met a flying fox, did you?

[wellard]

Seeing as my job relies on people flying to Australia. Let me say this is all a joke. There are no poison spiders, killer snakes, blood sucking bats the size of eagles, lurking crocodiles or hungry sharks. Nope these are just rumours to keep the riff raff away. they are not real, just a joke...yeah thats it a joke! haha [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

Please make this the year you visit safe Australia [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

[Sir Krustin]

I don't know what I think a stereotypical ozzie is!

My cousin and a few friends spent some time downunda so i probably have a more accurate view than most north americans.

It's always been my understanding that australians aren't as outgoing as americans or canadians - my cousin got lots of jobs soliciting for clubs and handing out flyers, etc. Very friendly otherwise, though. (My cousin was a looker so maybe that had something to do with it! [img]tongue.gif[/img] )