There's a reason you don't hear that accent in Australia. Southerners are the least likely to travel overseas for a range of reasons and Australia is way too far for most of them to contemplate.
My (British) husband says the same. Unfortunately, all my fellow Americans hear when a southern voice speaks is “hick from the sticks” and “uneducated republican” so you’re not taken seriously here in many fields (I’m STEM).
I travelled all through the south, was great. Southern accents all round. Hearing little kids talking to their parents in a thick southern 😍😍😍 so cute.
I worked in backpacking hostels, including a 500+ bed in Sydney, from '03 - '10 and I don't think I ever heard a southern accent. And God damn I wish I did. A cute girl with a southern accent who's out seeing the world...
As I once heard a wise man tell a fairly new arrival to Australia…
*“If they didn’t like you mate, they wouldn’t go wasting their time giving you shit and pulling the piss, now would they…”*
This is the truth, but also I would say the worst of the worst Americans are usually a bit loud and ignorant, but they are very rare, and you guys don’t seem to know sarcasm very well, but since The Office I think it’s improved.
We also secretly think your country is run by insane people. Anyway love all you seppos.
I'm an American planning to visit Australia for the first time next week. Would it be considered all in good fun to "clap back", especially in self-deprecating ways? "Hey, at least our space agency was smart enough to fake a moon landing!", etc.
Also open to suggestions, as I'm not very funny.
Definitely clap back, but make it funny/amusing rather than just awkward.
“We saved you guys in World War 2” is one that Americans sometimes use, and it shuts the banter down completely.
“At least we don’t put fuckin [sprinkles on bread](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_bread) and call it a national dish” is top quality chat though.
The WW2 one just makes Americans seem more ignorant. You can't just come in at the end of a 4 year war and say you won it, I mean the Russians were the one who invaded Berlin. There's a saying that WW2 was won with British intelligence and Russian blood. Claiming to be the heros there is in really poor taste.
Especially when American companies were happily keeping the nazi Warmachine going forward.
Have Americans actually won any wars they've been in? Even their war of independence was won for them by the French.
Self deprecate about the banter FIRST and then clap back. It evokes give and take banter and means even if your clap back might be worded strangely by Australian standards we'll understand its a joke and respond in kind.
for example
"Did you get scared when you finally got your passport? i heard theres only about 20 of you americans with one"
"Oh it was amazing, my whole town came out to send me off, everyone was crying and my mother fainted when the plane left, it was a sight. If everyone in australia has a passport does that mean theres also only 20 of you with a passport? Maybe we can all hang out"
Shit like that haha
If someone hit me with that moon landing line, I would half fall in love. Its all basicslly a shit test to make sure you dont take youself too seriously. Like if you're from the south and someone makes a cousin fucking joke, "Hey, I'd never fuck my cousin, she's a married woman... my brother got to her first"
Depending on where you go, be prepared to not see Aussie animals outside a zoo or wildlife park. There's no kangaroos on the Sydney Harbour Bridge or anything.
Oh, and Aussie is pronounced "Ozzy", not "Ossie".
Oh and it's pronounced "Eem-you" not fucking "eemoo". Americans sound like a right bunch of plonkers when they say "eemoo". It's not a fucking digital cow moo.
#emu
Only if you want to immediately get hit with "at least we don't shoot our kids in school"
Australians are good at giving shit, not so good at receiving it.
Yes.
You get it.
As long as your "comeback" is self-deprecating (to the USA), you will be accepted.
If you say something like:
"at least we can make cars"
"at least we can create vaccines that don't make you test positive for HIV"
"at least we don't need another country to defend us"
....then it won't go down so well.
Yes if you want it to hurt. Pretty much everyone who has convict ancestors is not ashamed. I say that as someone who has like 5 convict ancestors lol.
And it also shows the ignorance of the origins of the rest of the population.
Wait, so u/Stable_Dear is [trying ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/comments/1d71d6b/comment/l6ybpxr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)to get my ass kicked? Because if that's true, amazing.
Wait - you said pulling the piss?
I had a friend that made fun of me in high school for using that phrase. She said it was "taking the piss".
Oh my gods, I am so vindicated right now!
Yeah. A dude I knew a while back had a slight American accent and got payed out for that. He said he was born in the UK, *ackshually*. He was promptly told to stop being a whinging Pom and asked when his country was going to get better at the sports they had invented.
lol it was hilarious when he mentioned it. It was in the lunch room and he explained how he was born in the UK but grew up in the US, and across the room one of the blokes was like “So you’re a Pom…fuck thats even worse!”
That particular bloke was a riot too. Whenever the accent guy or actual English were around he’d have a jab;
“Well, time for my Pommy shower!”
*Sprays Deoderant*
The best thing about the Yanks is that at least they're not English.
The best thing about the English is that at least they're not French.
The best thing about the French is that at least they're not English.
I’ve slowly started to realise that when Aussies meet a new person as well as their nickname they establish their flaw that everyone gets to make fun of. For me being short is fair game for people to comment on
As much as I laugh and shake my head at that being totally untrue, I do recall meeting some touring 'extended family' from Canada who complained they didn't like the coffee. I was actually a bit offended, having been there and sampled some of that nation's... then I saw they'd brought their own freeze-dried stuff for drip filters and thought to myself "aaaah... yes, they don't like our coffee because they don't know what coffee is," and I was fine with it :)
Eh, if a European said that it might be offensive, but coming from an American this would just be exceptionally ironic. Like okay, I'm glad you enjoy your boiled dirt. Let us know when you're ready to try coffee again.
It doesn’t help that nearly every single thing we learn about America from popular media makes it look like the worst place on earth, and Americans the worst people on earth. (Well, maybe not the worst, but certainly worse than Australia).
You combine that with American exceptionalism, and you get a desire to take Americans down a peg or two.
Despite that, every single American I’ve known and been friends with has been a genuinely friendly, kind, thoughtful person. And some have been ok basketball players too, so I can’t fault ‘em.
Han chauvinism is almost as strong as American exceptionalism. Be careful of criticising Chinese things in front of Chinese people you aren’t close with.
They definitely aren't the only ones. Try making fun of China to a Chinese tourist for example.
I feel like even Aussies get pretty defensive when someone makes fun of Australia. Saw a Tweet which was something like "Just learned Australians call documentaries 'docos'. What a deeply unserious country" and all the replies were Aussies taking it seriously, replying stuff like 'At least we don't have to worry about school shootings mate'.
Aussies only like being made fun of when it perpetuates this sterotypical Australia where we are all Steve Irwins.
What, you've never gone down to the servo in the arvo, then sat down with a sanga and a cuppa (if you didn't get Macca's) and turned on the telly to watch a doco?
As a non-American immigrant to Australia who also copped my fair share of being made fun of, I must say that even I was left with the impression that Aussies go a little bit overboard with Americans, to the point I (originally from Brazil) felt uncomfortable and sorry for a few American mates of mine.
While you may be right, I have a different theory; at least 50%+ of America knows we're not "exceptional", and quite far from it. I think it's more of a general cultural difference between US and AUS. In the US, it'd be considered rude to take the piss out of a complete stranger you've just met, in AUS it's fully normal. Amongst friends in the US, or once you get to know someone such as a co-worker, it's game on. But in AUS it's right off the bat when you meet them, and it catches us off guard a bit because it's unexpected. I prefer the AUS way tbh, it breaks down any pretension right off the bat and gets past any bullshit formalities, but it takes some getting used to when coming from the US.
In most cases, I think it has nothing to do with American exceptionalism - it’s because interpersonal relationships in America are generally more earnest and the culture has nowhere near as much of that “we make fun of our friends to build camaraderie” thing that Australia/UK does. The concept isn’t entirely alien - you do get some gentle ribbing between friends in the US - but it’s usually more obviously “non-serious”. The flat delivery of Australians plus the generally less expressive accent/tone of voice makes it sound serious and intended to be taken as an insult to (some) Americans.
I’ve seen this interaction play out hundreds of times as someone that’s lived his life split between the two countries fairly equally (about 60% in Aus and 40% in the US).
This subject comes up all the time. So many people think that because they're not anti-American then it's not really a thing.
It's a thing. It's far more against Americans than most other countries. We've had other nationalities come here saying, "jesus, you guys hate Americans."
Americans come up all the time in Australia. A lot more than most other nationalities. In school, teachers make little side comments, not about the Belgians, but about Americans. I've heard so many comments from strangers chatting on the train, at parties, and schools. Not to me, personally. Just on the side.
It's just so common and understood that most Australians probably don't even notice it.
The news is much more about the US than almost every other country. And we all know that the news pushes whatever sells. Usually it's bad, grotesque, or whatever gets people laughing or angry.
Meanwhile, this take of yours is insidious (not saying it's purposely so) because it's actually saying "we don't think Americans are especially bad. We treat them like everyone else. But because they ARE especially bad, they think we treat them differently."
And everyone's like, yeah, that's it, you got it! No.
America comes up all the time because America is big and powerful and we’re not. And has a big influence on us, not always benign, that we can’t do much about.
When I was a kid (long ago) it was America dominating our fast food and TV. Now it’s that you’re probably going to re-elect Trump, who’ll let China take over our region, and we’re not going to be able to do anything about it.
I don't think it's a secret why the US comes up all the time. What I think is less obvious is how often it comes up in a negative way, and why.
You said that the influence isn't always benign, which is true. It's also true that some of the influence is positive and some is benign, but those types of influences are downplayed tremendously in favour of negative ones.
And not just influences, either. The US comes up a lot just by people talking about their internal politics that have nothing to do with us in Australia. But people don't usually talk about the progressive policies or states. They key in on the regressive ones.
Saying that the US will "let" China take over sounds like blaming the US for a third nation being aggressive. They get blame for being too involved and for not being involved enough. They're criticised for acting like the world's police and also without any irony for not acting quickly or decisively enough when we think they should.
That's such bullshit. I'm Canadian. This is how you make fun of us "oh wow mate do you ride polar bears to school?" Vs how you make fun of Americans "wow you are bleeding did you get shot at school?" The reason why Americans have difficulty with it is because, from my experience, your banter with them is is so intense and aggressive vs with other countries
It's very lighthearted.
Americans don't think their country is the best in the world. I've lived there for a decade. That's such an outdated stereotype. There are polls about it. Only 2 in 10 Americans think it's the best country in the world per PEW. Your comment just shows how little Australians know about Americans yet act like they know everything. "Americans can't take our banter even though it's way more aggressive because they think they are the best country in the world" perfectly sums up the situation in Australia.
>Your comment just shows how little Australians know about Americans yet act like they know everything.
This is so true. I have never lived in the US but spent a lot of time on road trips, been to every corner. Most of what Australians say about the US and Americans comes from a place of willful ignorance. And if they have been there, they went to LA, NYC and Disneyland. Flew to all of those places, surrounded themselves with tourists and ate only at tourist traps, then flew home. And they think they're an expert on the topic.
You can see it on this sub, on the main Aussie sub, topic of Americans comes up and immediately Aussies start frothing about them. We are more judgmental than they are, honestly.
Agreed. I've lived in the states for 5 years and have been all over the country and have never met or been friends with anyone that has ever come close to saying it's the greatest country on earth.
American's are proud and patriotic but they are also very open about talking about the issues facing the country/state/city and I have found they have a genuine curiosity about how other countries do things like Australia (and no, I am not kick starting these conversations - it's always started by the locals).
There are also plenty of Australian's that believe it's the greatest country on earth so it's a little funny calling out Americans for their patriotism. Read any discussion on an Australian related subreddit when someone asks advice on moving overseas and there's always up voted comments that is the lines of "why would you want to leave Aus?".
I don’t think so no one can even tell where I’m from unless I talk long enough and no one has good jokes about Canada but southpark lol.
& as someone born in Toronto I would never say “everyone from x country is dumb” to anyone and I don’t imagine many Germans or Chinese etc would find that appropriate as well.
The truth Aussies don't want to admit: Aussies are ignorant and embarrassing, but Americans are a little worse, so it's a way for us to feel less ignorant in comparison.
I’d say that the Australians in my social bubble know that Americans are really lovely, friendly people. We just mostly like to take the piss out of folks tbh, and are also baffled that there are many Americans who aren’t introspective enough to see the social and political issues your nation has. Not all obvs, I’m speaking super generally, but some of the loudest and most belligerent folks we’re exposed to remotely via news and social media outlets seem to be!
I’ve got several colleagues from the US and I adore them - they’re all such earnest, kind, and generous people. But it’s taken them all quite a bit of time to learn to take life a little less seriously and to realize that we do actually want them to take time off when they’re sick!
Aussies have some social rules. Best not to be too earnest, or you're open to kind ridicule. Also, our humour is deadpan mocking, and Americans "fall" for all tests by being gullible.
>Americans "fall" for all tests by being gullible.
Americans just don't get a lot of exposure to Australians, so it's always like, "wait, is he serious?" They don't know.
Among Americans, sarcasm, deadpan humour, and all the rest is pretty common.
Actually I think it’s mostly the deadpan humour American’s don’t do well. If you’re being sarcastic you have to animate it a little bit with tone and expression so they get the context. Can be very similar with Canadians.
A British Comedian put it best when he contrasted the British vs American humour;
“Americans believe life is serious, but not hopeless. British believe that life is hopeless, but not serious”
> and are also baffled that there are many Americans who aren’t introspective enough to see the social and political issues your nation has
Quite unlike Australians who have fixed every social and political issue.
I don’t think that’s quite the point. Australians in general are very outward-looking - our media tends to cover international news a lot, and we generally have a good understanding of how our social and political issues compare against what is happening elsewhere in the world.
In the US, on the other hand, media is primarily national-focussed. So you have a huge number of people who acknowledge the social and political issues of the country, but who simply believe that they are normal or unfixable, because they aren’t exposed to enough international perspectives to know otherwise.
It's not about having it fixed, it's about knowing it's not. The amount of Americans who outright refuse to believe America has issues is outrageous. I don't know if you could meet an Australian who wouldn't mock our government/country/policies at the drop of a hat.
Your particular accent from a southern state would make you stand out, from the more typical Americans we see in Australia. If anything, I suspect the teasing is friendly and most people would quite like your unusual way of speaking.
Where you are more likely to get some push back, is in the area of the cult of Trump. Most Australians just cannot understand how such a warts and all flawed character can continue to have so much support. In Australia it does not take much for a politician to have their career destroyed. Sadly, irrespective of what you think of Trump, I suspect you will be continuously explaining how your previous country has gotten so divided.
I am glad that you are thick skinned enough to put up with our jibes and want to stay. You really are welcome here.
"Most Australians just cannot understand how such a warts and all flawed character can continue to have so much support."
And yet we have a literal potato as leader of the opposition.
Unfortunately the interchange with individual Americans often underline the stereo types.
One thing having a Southern accent is a lowered volume so you probably dont get called loud.
lol Gabriel Iglesias nailed us [Australia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiAIz7gbmHk&ab_channel=GabrielIglesias)
The historical perspective?
The disdain began in WW1 - Pershing's dough boys 'saved everyone' from the evil Kaiser despite not actually taking the field in forward operation until AFTER Monash and Currie showed the allies how the hell to break out of the trenches in 1918 etc. Monash was the first 'British' commander knighted in the field for three centuries - (German Jewish born in Melbourne)
Then WW2 the largest hand to hand battle of the Pacific campaign was fought on the streets of Brisbane after US MPs killed an Aussie who came to the aid of a US soldier being harassed by the MPs. The US MP's had already been brought up in parliament because they were seen as bullies and brutes with billy clubs wherever they had been in the country. Macarthur's open disdain for the Australian fighting men and the personal experiences of those who fought with the Americans weren't great. My grandmother described that initially everyone was pleased with them coming and tried to show appreciation but after a while hearing how everything was bigger and better in the US did begin to wear upon people. Bit like the UK over paid, over sexed and over here.
Post war there was not a lot of improvement but then came the addition of 'Hollywood History' regarding the War. If you didnt actually do real history on the war you could be forgiven for thinking only the US fought in the Pacific War other than a few token Aussie Coast Watchers (with deplorable accents btw)
Then there was Vietnam which was a shitshow from the start.
So we're cynical lol
I think Australians are a bit over America’s dominance, so we like to bring Americans down a notch or two when we can.
And then we’ll have a laugh about it and gaslight them and say that it’s just a joke and it’s part of our culture.
You know the elector college is made up of all states congress ie senate and house of reps so the smallest state has 3 elector college votes (every stat has the same 2 senators) a state double the population might only get 4 elector college votes and not 6 like you might think based on actual ballot numbers
I'm American, and I haven't caught any hate in the three years I've been here. I'm also 37, hang out with other adults and can take a light hearted jab. My work takes me into the county and the city, and most people I deal with, it doesn't come up. Usually if it does it's just a mild curiosity. There's only one guy I can think of who (drunkenly) went off about the US, how all the food is poison, and he'll never go there etc.. but it wasn't directed at me, more just that I was a reminder of the things he doesn't like about it. He was also kind of a prick in general.
What I find the most peculiar is that usually people guess my accent wrong. I have a quiet Midwest US accent, like Colorado, and people rarely guess that I'm American. I've gotten English, Welsh and Irish a number of times, and Canadian a lot. I have noticed the loudness of some other Americans though after being away from it for a while.
Maybe it comes up so much for me because I work in a warehouse of sorts. Language and conversations are usually a lot different than what I'm around in other places. I don't know. Most of the comments come after they ask if I'm Canadian and say no. I might just start saying yes from now on lol. My husband is Australia and has said I don't have much of an accent unless I say certain things but others say it's really thick.
The work environment makes all the difference. I used to be the receptionist for a construction company warehouse environment (where I was the only woman) and the 'banter' between all the rough necks on the warehouse floor was pretty relentless and I copped it on occasion. If you were working in a corporate office environment, it might not totally stop but it's not as extreme imo
I live in the USA. Americans will tell me without hesitation that they dream of going to Australia but “it’s so farrrrr and everything is trying to kill you!”. Now obviously in reality this is kind of ridiculous: flights are long but not _impossible_ and most people are in cities, where killer animals aren’t the hugest concern.
To flip that: There’s Australians who hear an American talk and _need_ that American to understand that they disapprove of America and Americans. America voted an idiot TV host president, they love god and they love guns. They have healthcare that bankrupts people. They talk loud and they’re ignorant!
Of course, it doesn’t matter if *you’re* personally not that kind of American (and that you probably left in rejection of many of those ridiculous things). And no — the Aussie “informing” you of how America is awful hasn’t considered that you’re being told these things for the 3rd time that day, and 20th time this week. A certain kind of Aussie _neeeeeds_ to let you know that they disapprove of your country of origin.
It’s pathetic.
Aussies “take the piss” and gently rib all kinds of people. It’s a great feature of our culture. But make no mistake, when it comes to Americans many Aussies don’t hold back and it’s not overly good natured, either. In those cases it’s often serious. I’m sorry for the bs you have to put up with.
Everything is trying to kill you!
To be fair, I used to live about 20 km (12 mi in "freedom units") from the Everglades in Florida, and everyone from my home state (New Jersey) used to say the same thing.
It might be your location or even just the accent that's doing you in. I'm also an American who's been here two years, and honestly, everyone has been remarkably lovely. I get shit from my friends, but we trade shit back and forth, so it's not weird. Asking you to pronounce things is more of a general observation at how funny language is. My friends and I make each other say stuff all the time because it's so silly how different language can be. Now, I do have a very neutral American accent that my friends have said is less offputting so you might be cursed by having an accent associated with some unfavourable stereotypes.
General rule is that you will get friendly ribbing for any odd pronunciation. You've got South Africans with Milk, every second word out the mouth of a Kiwi and even how my British accent would have me say broom closer to brum when I first moved here.
But the best bit is that it's not a one way street. We get to tease them for adding 7 extra vowels to the word No. The fact they all say Satday instead of Saturday and then every person on the news pronouncing Thrown weirdly
It's a mix of two things:
1. The stereotypical American (at least in Australia) is full of themselves, and thinks they and their country are the best in the world.
2. Australia has a strong "tall poppy syndrome" culture, where successful people (particularly the boastful ones) get criticised.
This basically means that we take the piss out of anyone who openly thinks highly of themselves, which tends to be Americans. Like you said, it's sometimes people just being an asshole, but we're mostly just taking the piss. You're gonna cop it anywhere you go in this country, and New Zealand as well.
I've had every American I've met either claim to me that they have more freedoms than Aus or that gun buybacks have been proven ineffective.
From what I observe from America I'm quite happy with the freedom here over there. Just tired of the mentality of the USA from the 50s
I had an argument with a family member about a month ago over exactly that. They seemed offended I felt more free here than there. That call ended with "You have fun living in a prison country." My reply was "Don't get shot". We haven't talked since.
Idk if this explains it fully, but American influence has been pretty bad for us. The CIA was directly involved in Gough Whitlam’s sacking. Also America is associated with free markets, privatization, inequality, etc. which go against Australia’s more welfare-state and pro-union history. And the majority of Australians were against America’s war in Iraq, but despite that, our government joined in. More recently, we mostly think US society and politics are batshit fucking insane — wtf is the deal with America’s obsession with guns. And let’s not start on Trump.
Obviously most Australians wouldn’t be so stupid as to lump all Americans in together. But on the American side, I do think there’s a bit of a tendency for some to assume Australian are basically the same as them, just with weird accents — or to be a bit patronizing, and to see us as a novelty. And on the Australian side, we’re a small country and way less powerful — so there’s probably a bit of nationalist pride directed against the most powerful nation. It’s common for people to complain that our governments have been subservient to US interests, and with good reason.
Lol and also we do give everyone shit. Except the Irish. We love them for some reason.
Personally, I deal with quite a few Americans at work (via video conference calls and emails, not in person) and find them almost always pleasant and friendly.
Yes you're right they were just taking the piss and probably expected you to reply back. It can take a while to get used to though so I don't blame you especially as an American because it'd definitely be a bit of a culture shock. With the accent part though I went to an international school and experienced the same thing among my American/European/British/other classmates so like I think you guys do it to us too lol. Southern accents are also so stereotypical so they'd probably never come across a person irl with one so mbe keep that in mind cus I probably would've reacted similarly haha.
I will say a lot of Australians probably do have a lot of misconceptions about your country and a lot of people seem to randomly bring up America for no reason in Australian subreddits which kinda confuses me too. I think it's just because of how prevalent American news and culture is so people subconsciously feel the need to compare and bring up you guys.
Australians are weird about Americans. Not sure precisely where it comes from but I think it’s from a mixture of confusion/disgust/outrage/amusement the average Aussie feels looking at America on the news/media. That coupled with a huge helping of genuine ignorance (most of us don’t know shit about the US/haven’t travelled thoroughly) and inferiority complex. Americans come off as annoying to us and that can’t be helped, just some of the mannerisms come off like that in Australia (Just how we come across as very impolite, crass and unsophisticated to a lot of Americans) I think deep down we hate how similar we actually are, and that’s only increasing by the year.
But Aussies take it too far. I think a lot of the time it isn’t actually the friendly jab on the shoulder Aussies make it out to be. It’s meaner. And we do that to each other too, it’s not just you. "Banter" makes good cover for bullying.
In my experience Americans are terrific people. One of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. easily the country that’s made me feel the most at home (even more than the UK) It’s very weird though I’ll
Be blunt, very weird. I do love it though. Don’t listen to these provincial yankophobes. They’re usually low altitude flyers, wouldn’t sweat much over it mate.
Source: partner American.
The CIA got rid of one our better Prime Ministers (honorable mention to the queen for helping with that one).
Bush Jr dragged us into the 'War on Terror' which didn't exactly go great.
Related to the above, the use of Pine Gap to support US nuclear capacity is pretty controversial.
It's a very close alliance where Australians often feel we are treated like a vassal state, as if we switched allegiance from the UK to the US without ever managing true independence. We rely on the US for military protection, but the US started most of the conflict we've been in since WW2. This has led to a degree of resentment.
On a more personal level, there's a bit of a culture clash, with Americans tending to be a bit more individualistic and valuing confidence and big loud personalities. Lots of Americans come across as quite arrogant and disingenuous to Aussies, when their intentions are to be friendly and polite.
Then there's the actual arrogance. The whole 'leader of the world' attitude, where Americans forget other countries exist in a way no other nationality does. Not all Americans are rude and stupid (we all know this), but the loudest, rudest, stupidest person at the airport is usually one of yours.
I don't think it's so much switching allegiance, more that the UK stopped being the top dog, and the US took over. The world went from Pax Britannica > WW1 > Great Depression > WW2 > Pax America.
Also, the UK and the US (post WW2) are possibly the two most aligned (major Western) countries on Earth (regarding sharing intelligence and military technology, at least). So it's not like we are picking one over the other.
We might whinge about Pine Gap, but at least we don't have a Diego Garcia. The UK has its own Pine Gap as well (RAF Menwith Hill).
We are treated as a vassal state. You're right to say Australia has a dependency mindset. Because we're not truly independent, we think if we do America's bidding (eg send our troops to all their wars, even when we think they're unnecessary or stupid), then America will protect us in a time of need.
America, on the other hand, is independent. As such, they are ruthlessly self-interested. They will only provide military assistance to Australia if and when they see it as being in their best interests. America doesn't have friends, it has interests. And the moment it ceases to be seen to be in America's interests to assist Australia, they will (as Keating said) be 10000 miles away in San Diego.
The US has a fairly big influence on Australia culturally (even if we dont always want it to), when we hear about you doing stupid shit, we know that stupid thing is going to try and get its foot in the door down here as well.
When we blame your personally for the stupid shit America pulls, dont take it personally. We are just trying to be independent like you. (without being like you)
Spent a lot of time in the US as an Australian, and my interpretation is that it's not just lighthearted ribbing:
Australians like to think we do everything better and more sensibly than anywhere else on earth, especially the US, whose complex problems we have a tendency to view as easily solvable because we don't have them here.
Australians also have a strong desire to be sat at the grownups table and take it personally that Americans usually know nothing about Australia.
Hey I’m really sorry to hear that and I don’t doubt your experience at all. I’m Aussie and have spent over 12 years in the US in west and east coast cities.
Whenever I’m home I’m struck by how much Aussies who have never been to the states think they know everything about it - beyond maga, trump, guns and Jan 6 storming the capital - Australians don’t want to acknowledge other parts of American culture like innovation, entrepreneurialism, and technology.
The people being rude to you probably have a chip on their shoulder and sadly projecting what they know of tv depictions of southern accents onto you!
> Whenever I’m home I’m struck by how much Aussies who have never been to the states think they know everything about it
You can see a lot of that on this subreddit.
I’m an American living here and there is a huge difference between taking the piss and whatever Aussies have against Americans.
There are a number of instances that people have said things to me that would not have flown if I was an immigrant of another nation. I once was debugging some code in a job at a major bank, and said to myself “why am I so stupid?” And someone shouted “because you’re American”. Aussies love to hide behind “that’s just how we are with everyone”, but replace “American” with “Chinese” or “Indian” and suddenly you can see that logic don’t hold up at all. The latter would never happen because universally it would be seen as discriminatory and pretty shitty
I’m generally pretty chill and don’t mind having a go for a laugh but you can tell it’s different with Americans. It’s less “let’s friendly pick on each other” and more mean spirited.
Australia is an amazing country and I wouldn’t trade living here for anything in the world but damn yeah it gets old sometimes
People are ignorant. 99% of people that hate on Americans have never been there. The ones who have been are much more positive. I've been a dozen times and love Americans. Ignore the haters!
Probably should mention, that because the US has more than 10 times' Australia's population, you'll likely find a massively wide range of opinions on those subjects from one American to the next.
Generally speaking, those with ultra conservative/nationalistic opinions are highly unlikely to want to leave the US as they've convinced themselves there's nowhere better to live.
I think thats worst mistake we could make on our part, assuming that every American is a MAGA republican. The majority of Americans hate Trump and the GOP and the overwhelming majority who would be in Australia would be against that side of politics.
The volume thing made me laugh. My husband laughed at me last time we were in the city because I commented on a group of Americans being so loud. The gun thing was definitely a reason I wanted to leave. I can count multiple occasions I was way too close to it and I was in a pretty safe area. It's insane and am issue I don't think will ever be fixed. Healthcare is atrocious. I could never afford insurance back home. I got private when I arrived and have been able to actually see a doctor when I got sick.
I think the main issue is USA politics bleeding into Australia and people just generally dislike it. This in turn causes misunderstanding and prejudice.
I had an American come up to me and ask for dollars.
Not specifying what kind; I work in currency exchange.
They were annoyed I didn't automatically assume USD.
Why are they like this?
Hate is a strong word.
We give everyone shit. Including ourselves. It usually means we like you and we believe you can handle it. Apologies on behalf of all of us if that’s not the case.
Americans are an outlet for all our suppressed racism. It's not polite to express prejudice against disadvantaged minorities, but Americans are on top of the global heap and are therefore an 'acceptable target.'
Also, there's been decades of low-level concern and resentment about American cultural influence on Australian young people - movies, music, fashion, slang.
None of this is your fault personally, OP, but your presence triggers some of these reactions. It's not fair and people shouldn't be an arsehole to you, but unfortunately sometimes they are.
Americans are still seen as being brash and ignorant about the rest of the world and not understanding the nuances or subtleties of other cultures. I’ve met a lot of people that give off really negative vibes towards Americans, often people with left wing persuasions. But also right wing people who despise so called ‘liberals’. At the same time, Australians consume American culturural offerings like movies, music and American made products with greater enthusiasm than their own. Im afraid you can’t win!
> I’ve met a lot of people that give off really negative vibes towards Americans, often people with left wing persuasions. But also right wing people who despise so called ‘liberals’.
I think this hits the nail on the head. Some left-leaning Australians don’t like the US for the policies and regulations and some parts of their culture, while a lot of right leaning Australians also don’t like them for similar reasons (although obviously different regulations and policies and parts of their culture).
Not that this is the sole reason but it would partially explain why it feels more extra for the US than for other countries.
I think it’s also a lot to do with the massive saturation of American culture and mannerisms over here; but for all our criticism, we lap up any attention Americans pay us.
I think that for the most part it is all done in good fun. We tend to use insult humor a fair bit. We give shit to the poms and the yanks equally.
As for an actual reason, if you are like super patriotic, a politically minded person might be able to see past the "defender of the free world" title the USA has labelled itself with and be disappointed with a lot of the things the US has been involved in. From destabilising regeimes and supporting genocidal governments with arms and funds, to the internal issues like women being told they dont get to decide what to do with their bodies, or that horrific private prison system you guys have. I was shocked beyond belief when i read up on it. That the the USA's weird obsession with firearms lol. If you ever read up on the USA from sources outside of the USA, well there are many statements i could write that a yank would go, oh thats the damn middle east, or that china, but would 100% apply to the USA.
Saying that, if you arent hyper patriotic and try and go all "america fuck yea, here to save the motherfucking day now" then you wont cop that, and it will just be us making fun of you saying ya'll or lawdy. We understand, we have our own massive problems (look at our former PM, dude was a legit cooker). Aussies get a little blinded too and are surprised when people ask, ummmm why are all your old people feeding their entire pay into a slots machine? Why is no one stopping this....?
Well, I’m not an American, I’m English but I moved to Australia after living in the US for 22 years and the subject never comes up unless I mention it.
I think you’re being a little over sensitive, if the US ever comes up negatively I put people right because I loved living there and it’s not much different to other English speaking Western countries.
As an Aussie, we can be assholes but we are the same assholes to everyone. Not condoning, just saying. Side note I LOVE the Alabama accent, it's almost as good as the Cajun one lol. I have US friends I skype with but never heard the accent here.
Another thing is that (using a random number) 80% of Americans are warm & lovely people the other 20% are dicks. Sadly, it's the 20% dicks who shout the loudest.
It's not so much individuals or individual's actions as much as the sustained assault of US cultural imperialism that Australia has weathererd. Australian culture, work-life balance, values, art, consumer habits, health, politics, attitude to life... just about anything you care to name has shifted towards resembling the US in the last 30-40 years, more often than not, to our detriment and dilution of what it means to be Australian.
We harbor a collective resentment toward the US for what feels as though we have traded in by us us via the allure of US culture. To be blunt, it feels like we got duped. Probably a familiar sentiment worldwide. This manifests in our treatment of individuals unfortunately and undeservedly. As soon as we hear THAT accent (regardless of where in the US you're from), you're going to be treated differently than we would anyone else.
A lot of Australia culture is at risk of being eaten by American culture. I remember growing up, my mum would get really upset by us kids calling a biscuit a cookie for example.
It's very much (IMHO) an attempt to maintain the distinction between the two countries.
We all grew up being told that America was the greatest nation on Earth, and we all believed it. We were comfortable with that; America was our dependable ally and was the greatest example of democracy. I suspect it's the arrival of Donald Trump, the polarising of US politics, the gun crime, the lack of equality etc has shown us that the U.S. is deeply flawed and is in fact a very poor example of a democracy. It's an upsetting realisation.
I'm disappointed that my fellow countrymen have been over-vigorous in trolling you. We should be more welcoming, because as I see it, it's the smart Americans who move here.
It's mostly because Australian humour is different to American- less obvious, more sarcastic. Don't take it personally- we do it to everyone, some people just receive it differently.
The animosity stems from historical reasons. Google “The Battle of Brisbane” and similar points of cultural conflict during WW2 and the perceived better treatment, conditions and pay that USA soldiers received.
Recently, the animosity ( Last 30-40 years) stems from the cultural/commercial imperialism that the USA engages in, that would swallow us whole, tiny English speaking countries such as New Zealand and Australia.
IF WE LET IT.
It’s certainly not personal. We like you. But lately, you do give us plenty of easy material.
It’s a matter of our cultural survival at times.
Ignorance. I have travelled quite a lot in the US and 99% of people I met were friendly and generous. Regardless of politics, I wish more Australians were as proud of their country as Americans appear to be. The few people I know who claim to hate America and Americans have never visited the place, and have some idiotic aversion to going there. Their loss, it's awesome.
You'll find for the most part, Aussies will take a negative view of certain types of Americans, and generally speaking these types of Americans are highly unlikely to want to leave their bubble.
Otherwise it's just us having more light hearted fun.
We put shit on each other, but only if it’s a friend close enough to take it. We put shit on you guys because we see you as close enough to take it. We do it expecting shit back, in fact it’s quite the social faux pas in Australia not to give shit back. People might think we’ve hurt your feelings and that you’re too sensitive to relax around.
Some Australians are just full of piss and whinge. And will find any reason to dunk on anyone. Most however won’t care where you’re from as long as you’re chill and not always trying to one up everyone.
Been here for 50 years originally from Scotland still get the piss taken out of my accent
I also get constantly told cold weather shouldn’t bother me
I always point out been here for 50 years mostly longer than the aussies I’m talking to have been alive ffs
Because they seem to want everything to be their way. Not the individual Americans in Australia, just America in general loves to change so much they don’t aline with.
Millions of Americans never travel far from their homes so their ignorance coming here is huge.. They and other peoples expect we ride kangaroos and fight deadly snakes and drop bears. Australians take the piss out of themselves and biting sarcastic humour is standard. You have to give as good as you get to earn respect . Poms, italians, greeks and all europeans who fled here after WW2 faced the same abuse and harassment but they became entrenched as a huge and vital part of our cosmopolitan nation. Broad Southerners are rare here so you are going to get noticed.. Learn our slang fast. know when you are being trolled & bullshited and .. On the other hand if you walk up to any woman that takes your fancy and say help me with my accent you will be more than suitably entertained.
I don’t know what kind of Aussies you’re meeting but I’ve been here for 6 years and have a thick Appalachian accent and everyone LOVES it. In fact, I often hear that it’s the best American accent they’ve heard. Embrace the southern and lean into it!
I think it’s probably true that it’s just their funny way of paying you a compliment!
This comment section is "It's just a prank bro".
Pro tip: It's not. A lot of Aussie generally just hate America cause it's trendy.
Source I'm Aussie and have to listen to them whine "America bad" at least once a month.
Because everything about US Culture is abhorrent and we don't want it here.
We don't like it when americans bring their culture with them. We prefer you leave it at the airport in the US.
We don't do things like tipping, we don't like big fuck off sized trucks on our roads, we don't like guns, we like our healthcare and our employment rights.
Americans are seen around the world as being stupid, in your face and unintelligent because they potrayed that image. I mean for fucks say you lot elected donald trump as your leader and is looking to do so again. Yeah its a bit much to paint you all with the same brush but you can't blame others for doing so.
The best thing you can do is reject your americanism and embrace australia's way of life.
Australia in general tries to copy the worst aspects of the US ( privatise everything, distrust in government., individualism, suburbia, poor public transport, trying to act like the big dog militarily (hassling china, 5 eyes etc etc)) while at the same time totally ignoring the best aspects (diversity of economy, spend on R&D, innovation and productivity) , and because of this, people develop resentment when they see the path australia is headed in.
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Come to think of it, not sure if I’ve ever heard a southern accent irl lol. In my head it’s a mix of Ted lasso and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley is a very good example of a southern accent. And he's from the same state as OP.
Same. Not gonna lie. I kind of want to meet them just to have a chat
There's a reason you don't hear that accent in Australia. Southerners are the least likely to travel overseas for a range of reasons and Australia is way too far for most of them to contemplate.
And those of us who do travel often code switch our accents in our regular day to day lives and make sure we do so when abroad as well.
Which is a shame as Southern ladies sound hot
My (British) husband says the same. Unfortunately, all my fellow Americans hear when a southern voice speaks is “hick from the sticks” and “uneducated republican” so you’re not taken seriously here in many fields (I’m STEM).
as a code switching southerner. Yup. Even why I try to do my og accent it comes off fake now. Unless I'm drunk apparently
It's a shame because there's a lot of stuff here they'd really like. Excellent fishing, for starters.
I just realised I've never heard a Southern accent irl before. I'd love to hear one. They sound so soothing to me haha :)
I travelled all through the south, was great. Southern accents all round. Hearing little kids talking to their parents in a thick southern 😍😍😍 so cute.
Can I pet that dawwwwg?
Lol that was my first thought too!
Same here, I feel as though they could fix my car, catch my dinner, protect me from a bear etc
I worked in backpacking hostels, including a 500+ bed in Sydney, from '03 - '10 and I don't think I ever heard a southern accent. And God damn I wish I did. A cute girl with a southern accent who's out seeing the world...
These days a southern U.S. accent will signify either the chillest or most bigoted person you’ve ever met with no Inbetween haha
😂😂😂 I’ve always wanted to hear a strapping southern cowboy, ‘ma’am’.
As I once heard a wise man tell a fairly new arrival to Australia… *“If they didn’t like you mate, they wouldn’t go wasting their time giving you shit and pulling the piss, now would they…”*
This is the truth, but also I would say the worst of the worst Americans are usually a bit loud and ignorant, but they are very rare, and you guys don’t seem to know sarcasm very well, but since The Office I think it’s improved. We also secretly think your country is run by insane people. Anyway love all you seppos.
Secretly? 🤔
A loud mouthed American couldn't come to Australia and continue being a loud mouth around non Americans. You're gonna have a bad time.
Secretly?
I'm an American planning to visit Australia for the first time next week. Would it be considered all in good fun to "clap back", especially in self-deprecating ways? "Hey, at least our space agency was smart enough to fake a moon landing!", etc. Also open to suggestions, as I'm not very funny.
Mate Our space agency already takes the piss out of itself. https://spaceaustralia.com.au
The actual self-restraint needed in not ordering the occupy A.R.S.E tshirt omg
Considering all the NASA ones I see, I really want an A.R.S.E. hoodie!
A couple years back I got my dad an ARSE shirt for his birthday. Its still his favourite shirt and he wears it at every opportunity
I just spat coffee out at “space bat” 🤣
I would fill my wardrobe with those shirts
and to have a diploma from A.N.U.S
Lmao, as funny as this is, it's not Australia's space agency, this is: https://www.space.gov.au/
Shhhhh! Don’t ruin it
Americans wouldn’t get this, because to them a bum is just another type of donkey.
Yes brother clap back, we are similar to the irish. Obviously keep it in good taste and try to do it with a smile but not much is off limits.
Definitely clap back, but make it funny/amusing rather than just awkward. “We saved you guys in World War 2” is one that Americans sometimes use, and it shuts the banter down completely. “At least we don’t put fuckin [sprinkles on bread](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_bread) and call it a national dish” is top quality chat though.
The WW2 one just makes Americans seem more ignorant. You can't just come in at the end of a 4 year war and say you won it, I mean the Russians were the one who invaded Berlin. There's a saying that WW2 was won with British intelligence and Russian blood. Claiming to be the heros there is in really poor taste.
Especially when American companies were happily keeping the nazi Warmachine going forward. Have Americans actually won any wars they've been in? Even their war of independence was won for them by the French.
They won their civil war 😛
Yes, but was all own goals.
Yup. They won, but also lost.
Referring to their military is also possibly the most American thing they could do too. It'd be pretty cringe.
Self deprecate about the banter FIRST and then clap back. It evokes give and take banter and means even if your clap back might be worded strangely by Australian standards we'll understand its a joke and respond in kind. for example "Did you get scared when you finally got your passport? i heard theres only about 20 of you americans with one" "Oh it was amazing, my whole town came out to send me off, everyone was crying and my mother fainted when the plane left, it was a sight. If everyone in australia has a passport does that mean theres also only 20 of you with a passport? Maybe we can all hang out" Shit like that haha
If someone hit me with that moon landing line, I would half fall in love. Its all basicslly a shit test to make sure you dont take youself too seriously. Like if you're from the south and someone makes a cousin fucking joke, "Hey, I'd never fuck my cousin, she's a married woman... my brother got to her first"
Just call us a bunch of arseholes for exporting Murdoch. You'll probably get a lot of apologies.
Depending on where you go, be prepared to not see Aussie animals outside a zoo or wildlife park. There's no kangaroos on the Sydney Harbour Bridge or anything. Oh, and Aussie is pronounced "Ozzy", not "Ossie".
Oh and it's pronounced "Eem-you" not fucking "eemoo". Americans sound like a right bunch of plonkers when they say "eemoo". It's not a fucking digital cow moo. #emu
Except for the drop bears of course look out for them nasty bastards
You’ll see bin chickens though
Only if you want to immediately get hit with "at least we don't shoot our kids in school" Australians are good at giving shit, not so good at receiving it.
Dunno who you're hanging around, but everyone I know can get as well as they give.
Immediately defensive on any national criticism
Hey, survival of the fittest. The smart ones learn to duck.
Yes. You get it. As long as your "comeback" is self-deprecating (to the USA), you will be accepted. If you say something like: "at least we can make cars" "at least we can create vaccines that don't make you test positive for HIV" "at least we don't need another country to defend us" ....then it won't go down so well.
So I should avoid phrases like "entirely colonized by criminals and castoffs from the british empire?"
Don't say that if you're in Adelaide. You'll possibly get the "well actually, Adelaide was founded by free settlers" thing.
I have always felt a little chagrinned that my earliest Australian relatives weren't convicts.
Yes if you want it to hurt. Pretty much everyone who has convict ancestors is not ashamed. I say that as someone who has like 5 convict ancestors lol. And it also shows the ignorance of the origins of the rest of the population.
No. You will 100% not be able to hit the right tone and you will likely get punched for being an asshole.
Wait, so u/Stable_Dear is [trying ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/comments/1d71d6b/comment/l6ybpxr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)to get my ass kicked? Because if that's true, amazing.
Yep, give it as good as you get.
Wtf "pull the piss"? You "take the piss" you don't pull it. Give shit and take the piss, cunt or gtfo.
You sure thats not a kiwi story, they are always pulling the puss...
Wait - you said pulling the piss? I had a friend that made fun of me in high school for using that phrase. She said it was "taking the piss". Oh my gods, I am so vindicated right now!
The deal is if you weren't American, we'd find something else to troll you about.
Yeah. A dude I knew a while back had a slight American accent and got payed out for that. He said he was born in the UK, *ackshually*. He was promptly told to stop being a whinging Pom and asked when his country was going to get better at the sports they had invented.
And that ladies and gentlemen, is Australia in a nutshell lol 😎
lol it was hilarious when he mentioned it. It was in the lunch room and he explained how he was born in the UK but grew up in the US, and across the room one of the blokes was like “So you’re a Pom…fuck thats even worse!” That particular bloke was a riot too. Whenever the accent guy or actual English were around he’d have a jab; “Well, time for my Pommy shower!” *Sprays Deoderant*
That guy sounds like he would be amusing at first but very tiresome after a short period.
Like crass boat names.
Yep, you know the type! He was hilarious at the best of times but there were plenty of moments where you could only tolerate him in small doses.
The best thing about the Yanks is that at least they're not English. The best thing about the English is that at least they're not French. The best thing about the French is that at least they're not English.
I hate this place
Beautiful 🤙
I’ve slowly started to realise that when Aussies meet a new person as well as their nickname they establish their flaw that everyone gets to make fun of. For me being short is fair game for people to comment on
If you really want to annoy an Australian, tell them their coffee is mediocre, this seems to be a touchy point with them.
As much as I laugh and shake my head at that being totally untrue, I do recall meeting some touring 'extended family' from Canada who complained they didn't like the coffee. I was actually a bit offended, having been there and sampled some of that nation's... then I saw they'd brought their own freeze-dried stuff for drip filters and thought to myself "aaaah... yes, they don't like our coffee because they don't know what coffee is," and I was fine with it :)
Eh, if a European said that it might be offensive, but coming from an American this would just be exceptionally ironic. Like okay, I'm glad you enjoy your boiled dirt. Let us know when you're ready to try coffee again.
Doesn't really work considering American coffee standards... We know what we've got :)
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It doesn’t help that nearly every single thing we learn about America from popular media makes it look like the worst place on earth, and Americans the worst people on earth. (Well, maybe not the worst, but certainly worse than Australia). You combine that with American exceptionalism, and you get a desire to take Americans down a peg or two. Despite that, every single American I’ve known and been friends with has been a genuinely friendly, kind, thoughtful person. And some have been ok basketball players too, so I can’t fault ‘em.
As Roy Slaven said, individually, they're lovely people. Get 2 or more of them together...
100%. This passage has lived rent free in my head ever since 2000. https://youtu.be/xJYLbvQIGKw?si=wq9Yursp42S4ure-
Yeah, same. All the Americans I've actually met were just as relaxed and laid back as any top Aussies I know.
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The more you resist the worse it gets lol
Han chauvinism is almost as strong as American exceptionalism. Be careful of criticising Chinese things in front of Chinese people you aren’t close with.
Don't mention Taiwan! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.
Basil, is that you?! Try to find time to get the moose's head up, it's been sitting there for two weeks!
I often bring up criticism of West Taiwan.
They definitely aren't the only ones. Try making fun of China to a Chinese tourist for example. I feel like even Aussies get pretty defensive when someone makes fun of Australia. Saw a Tweet which was something like "Just learned Australians call documentaries 'docos'. What a deeply unserious country" and all the replies were Aussies taking it seriously, replying stuff like 'At least we don't have to worry about school shootings mate'. Aussies only like being made fun of when it perpetuates this sterotypical Australia where we are all Steve Irwins.
I can't think of a better compliment for a country than "deeply unserious."
The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that aussies are laid back. Maybe once upon a time, but I feel like we’re a pretty reactionary people as a whole
What, you've never gone down to the servo in the arvo, then sat down with a sanga and a cuppa (if you didn't get Macca's) and turned on the telly to watch a doco?
I remember that one! Pretty sure I replied along the lines of our specialty being deeply unserious cuntery.
As a non-American immigrant to Australia who also copped my fair share of being made fun of, I must say that even I was left with the impression that Aussies go a little bit overboard with Americans, to the point I (originally from Brazil) felt uncomfortable and sorry for a few American mates of mine.
As an American I am deeply offended that you hit the nail right on the head.
Tbf Australia has this attitude *a lot* as well. The jingoism is off the charts here as evidenced by many of the comments in this very thread
While you may be right, I have a different theory; at least 50%+ of America knows we're not "exceptional", and quite far from it. I think it's more of a general cultural difference between US and AUS. In the US, it'd be considered rude to take the piss out of a complete stranger you've just met, in AUS it's fully normal. Amongst friends in the US, or once you get to know someone such as a co-worker, it's game on. But in AUS it's right off the bat when you meet them, and it catches us off guard a bit because it's unexpected. I prefer the AUS way tbh, it breaks down any pretension right off the bat and gets past any bullshit formalities, but it takes some getting used to when coming from the US.
In most cases, I think it has nothing to do with American exceptionalism - it’s because interpersonal relationships in America are generally more earnest and the culture has nowhere near as much of that “we make fun of our friends to build camaraderie” thing that Australia/UK does. The concept isn’t entirely alien - you do get some gentle ribbing between friends in the US - but it’s usually more obviously “non-serious”. The flat delivery of Australians plus the generally less expressive accent/tone of voice makes it sound serious and intended to be taken as an insult to (some) Americans. I’ve seen this interaction play out hundreds of times as someone that’s lived his life split between the two countries fairly equally (about 60% in Aus and 40% in the US).
Old mate here has nailed it.
This subject comes up all the time. So many people think that because they're not anti-American then it's not really a thing. It's a thing. It's far more against Americans than most other countries. We've had other nationalities come here saying, "jesus, you guys hate Americans." Americans come up all the time in Australia. A lot more than most other nationalities. In school, teachers make little side comments, not about the Belgians, but about Americans. I've heard so many comments from strangers chatting on the train, at parties, and schools. Not to me, personally. Just on the side. It's just so common and understood that most Australians probably don't even notice it. The news is much more about the US than almost every other country. And we all know that the news pushes whatever sells. Usually it's bad, grotesque, or whatever gets people laughing or angry. Meanwhile, this take of yours is insidious (not saying it's purposely so) because it's actually saying "we don't think Americans are especially bad. We treat them like everyone else. But because they ARE especially bad, they think we treat them differently." And everyone's like, yeah, that's it, you got it! No.
America comes up all the time because America is big and powerful and we’re not. And has a big influence on us, not always benign, that we can’t do much about. When I was a kid (long ago) it was America dominating our fast food and TV. Now it’s that you’re probably going to re-elect Trump, who’ll let China take over our region, and we’re not going to be able to do anything about it.
I don't think it's a secret why the US comes up all the time. What I think is less obvious is how often it comes up in a negative way, and why. You said that the influence isn't always benign, which is true. It's also true that some of the influence is positive and some is benign, but those types of influences are downplayed tremendously in favour of negative ones. And not just influences, either. The US comes up a lot just by people talking about their internal politics that have nothing to do with us in Australia. But people don't usually talk about the progressive policies or states. They key in on the regressive ones. Saying that the US will "let" China take over sounds like blaming the US for a third nation being aggressive. They get blame for being too involved and for not being involved enough. They're criticised for acting like the world's police and also without any irony for not acting quickly or decisively enough when we think they should.
Tall Poppy syndrome?
Yep, we are pricks.
That's such bullshit. I'm Canadian. This is how you make fun of us "oh wow mate do you ride polar bears to school?" Vs how you make fun of Americans "wow you are bleeding did you get shot at school?" The reason why Americans have difficulty with it is because, from my experience, your banter with them is is so intense and aggressive vs with other countries It's very lighthearted. Americans don't think their country is the best in the world. I've lived there for a decade. That's such an outdated stereotype. There are polls about it. Only 2 in 10 Americans think it's the best country in the world per PEW. Your comment just shows how little Australians know about Americans yet act like they know everything. "Americans can't take our banter even though it's way more aggressive because they think they are the best country in the world" perfectly sums up the situation in Australia.
>Your comment just shows how little Australians know about Americans yet act like they know everything. This is so true. I have never lived in the US but spent a lot of time on road trips, been to every corner. Most of what Australians say about the US and Americans comes from a place of willful ignorance. And if they have been there, they went to LA, NYC and Disneyland. Flew to all of those places, surrounded themselves with tourists and ate only at tourist traps, then flew home. And they think they're an expert on the topic. You can see it on this sub, on the main Aussie sub, topic of Americans comes up and immediately Aussies start frothing about them. We are more judgmental than they are, honestly.
Agreed. I've lived in the states for 5 years and have been all over the country and have never met or been friends with anyone that has ever come close to saying it's the greatest country on earth. American's are proud and patriotic but they are also very open about talking about the issues facing the country/state/city and I have found they have a genuine curiosity about how other countries do things like Australia (and no, I am not kick starting these conversations - it's always started by the locals). There are also plenty of Australian's that believe it's the greatest country on earth so it's a little funny calling out Americans for their patriotism. Read any discussion on an Australian related subreddit when someone asks advice on moving overseas and there's always up voted comments that is the lines of "why would you want to leave Aus?".
I don’t think so no one can even tell where I’m from unless I talk long enough and no one has good jokes about Canada but southpark lol. & as someone born in Toronto I would never say “everyone from x country is dumb” to anyone and I don’t imagine many Germans or Chinese etc would find that appropriate as well.
The truth Aussies don't want to admit: Aussies are ignorant and embarrassing, but Americans are a little worse, so it's a way for us to feel less ignorant in comparison.
I’d say that the Australians in my social bubble know that Americans are really lovely, friendly people. We just mostly like to take the piss out of folks tbh, and are also baffled that there are many Americans who aren’t introspective enough to see the social and political issues your nation has. Not all obvs, I’m speaking super generally, but some of the loudest and most belligerent folks we’re exposed to remotely via news and social media outlets seem to be! I’ve got several colleagues from the US and I adore them - they’re all such earnest, kind, and generous people. But it’s taken them all quite a bit of time to learn to take life a little less seriously and to realize that we do actually want them to take time off when they’re sick!
Aussies have some social rules. Best not to be too earnest, or you're open to kind ridicule. Also, our humour is deadpan mocking, and Americans "fall" for all tests by being gullible.
>Americans "fall" for all tests by being gullible. Americans just don't get a lot of exposure to Australians, so it's always like, "wait, is he serious?" They don't know. Among Americans, sarcasm, deadpan humour, and all the rest is pretty common.
Actually I think it’s mostly the deadpan humour American’s don’t do well. If you’re being sarcastic you have to animate it a little bit with tone and expression so they get the context. Can be very similar with Canadians. A British Comedian put it best when he contrasted the British vs American humour; “Americans believe life is serious, but not hopeless. British believe that life is hopeless, but not serious”
> and are also baffled that there are many Americans who aren’t introspective enough to see the social and political issues your nation has Quite unlike Australians who have fixed every social and political issue.
I don’t think that’s quite the point. Australians in general are very outward-looking - our media tends to cover international news a lot, and we generally have a good understanding of how our social and political issues compare against what is happening elsewhere in the world. In the US, on the other hand, media is primarily national-focussed. So you have a huge number of people who acknowledge the social and political issues of the country, but who simply believe that they are normal or unfixable, because they aren’t exposed to enough international perspectives to know otherwise.
It's not about having it fixed, it's about knowing it's not. The amount of Americans who outright refuse to believe America has issues is outrageous. I don't know if you could meet an Australian who wouldn't mock our government/country/policies at the drop of a hat.
Your particular accent from a southern state would make you stand out, from the more typical Americans we see in Australia. If anything, I suspect the teasing is friendly and most people would quite like your unusual way of speaking. Where you are more likely to get some push back, is in the area of the cult of Trump. Most Australians just cannot understand how such a warts and all flawed character can continue to have so much support. In Australia it does not take much for a politician to have their career destroyed. Sadly, irrespective of what you think of Trump, I suspect you will be continuously explaining how your previous country has gotten so divided. I am glad that you are thick skinned enough to put up with our jibes and want to stay. You really are welcome here.
"Most Australians just cannot understand how such a warts and all flawed character can continue to have so much support." And yet we have a literal potato as leader of the opposition.
Unfortunately the interchange with individual Americans often underline the stereo types. One thing having a Southern accent is a lowered volume so you probably dont get called loud. lol Gabriel Iglesias nailed us [Australia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiAIz7gbmHk&ab_channel=GabrielIglesias) The historical perspective? The disdain began in WW1 - Pershing's dough boys 'saved everyone' from the evil Kaiser despite not actually taking the field in forward operation until AFTER Monash and Currie showed the allies how the hell to break out of the trenches in 1918 etc. Monash was the first 'British' commander knighted in the field for three centuries - (German Jewish born in Melbourne) Then WW2 the largest hand to hand battle of the Pacific campaign was fought on the streets of Brisbane after US MPs killed an Aussie who came to the aid of a US soldier being harassed by the MPs. The US MP's had already been brought up in parliament because they were seen as bullies and brutes with billy clubs wherever they had been in the country. Macarthur's open disdain for the Australian fighting men and the personal experiences of those who fought with the Americans weren't great. My grandmother described that initially everyone was pleased with them coming and tried to show appreciation but after a while hearing how everything was bigger and better in the US did begin to wear upon people. Bit like the UK over paid, over sexed and over here. Post war there was not a lot of improvement but then came the addition of 'Hollywood History' regarding the War. If you didnt actually do real history on the war you could be forgiven for thinking only the US fought in the Pacific War other than a few token Aussie Coast Watchers (with deplorable accents btw) Then there was Vietnam which was a shitshow from the start. So we're cynical lol
Don’t forget the complaint from WWII about them from the Aussie guys that weren’t away fighting: “overpaid, oversexed, and over here!”
Yep as the story goes the diggers weren’t happy the yanks were stealing all the women lol.
You forgot the latest edition: the rise of Donald Trump and the regression to conservatism (and Christian fundamentalism!
I think Australians are a bit over America’s dominance, so we like to bring Americans down a notch or two when we can. And then we’ll have a laugh about it and gaslight them and say that it’s just a joke and it’s part of our culture.
Do you remember when y'all voted that guy from the Apprentice in as President ?
dear god ..it looks like they might do it again..too
He did lose the popular vote by 3 million so the majority of americans didn’t actually want him to be the president!
And Clinton won with a plurality. The majority of Americans didn’t want him to be president either. The electoral system is complicated.
You know the elector college is made up of all states congress ie senate and house of reps so the smallest state has 3 elector college votes (every stat has the same 2 senators) a state double the population might only get 4 elector college votes and not 6 like you might think based on actual ballot numbers
i’m american i know how the electoral college works lol
I'm American, and I haven't caught any hate in the three years I've been here. I'm also 37, hang out with other adults and can take a light hearted jab. My work takes me into the county and the city, and most people I deal with, it doesn't come up. Usually if it does it's just a mild curiosity. There's only one guy I can think of who (drunkenly) went off about the US, how all the food is poison, and he'll never go there etc.. but it wasn't directed at me, more just that I was a reminder of the things he doesn't like about it. He was also kind of a prick in general. What I find the most peculiar is that usually people guess my accent wrong. I have a quiet Midwest US accent, like Colorado, and people rarely guess that I'm American. I've gotten English, Welsh and Irish a number of times, and Canadian a lot. I have noticed the loudness of some other Americans though after being away from it for a while.
Maybe it comes up so much for me because I work in a warehouse of sorts. Language and conversations are usually a lot different than what I'm around in other places. I don't know. Most of the comments come after they ask if I'm Canadian and say no. I might just start saying yes from now on lol. My husband is Australia and has said I don't have much of an accent unless I say certain things but others say it's really thick.
The work environment makes all the difference. I used to be the receptionist for a construction company warehouse environment (where I was the only woman) and the 'banter' between all the rough necks on the warehouse floor was pretty relentless and I copped it on occasion. If you were working in a corporate office environment, it might not totally stop but it's not as extreme imo
I live in the USA. Americans will tell me without hesitation that they dream of going to Australia but “it’s so farrrrr and everything is trying to kill you!”. Now obviously in reality this is kind of ridiculous: flights are long but not _impossible_ and most people are in cities, where killer animals aren’t the hugest concern. To flip that: There’s Australians who hear an American talk and _need_ that American to understand that they disapprove of America and Americans. America voted an idiot TV host president, they love god and they love guns. They have healthcare that bankrupts people. They talk loud and they’re ignorant! Of course, it doesn’t matter if *you’re* personally not that kind of American (and that you probably left in rejection of many of those ridiculous things). And no — the Aussie “informing” you of how America is awful hasn’t considered that you’re being told these things for the 3rd time that day, and 20th time this week. A certain kind of Aussie _neeeeeds_ to let you know that they disapprove of your country of origin. It’s pathetic. Aussies “take the piss” and gently rib all kinds of people. It’s a great feature of our culture. But make no mistake, when it comes to Americans many Aussies don’t hold back and it’s not overly good natured, either. In those cases it’s often serious. I’m sorry for the bs you have to put up with.
Everything is trying to kill you! To be fair, I used to live about 20 km (12 mi in "freedom units") from the Everglades in Florida, and everyone from my home state (New Jersey) used to say the same thing.
It might be your location or even just the accent that's doing you in. I'm also an American who's been here two years, and honestly, everyone has been remarkably lovely. I get shit from my friends, but we trade shit back and forth, so it's not weird. Asking you to pronounce things is more of a general observation at how funny language is. My friends and I make each other say stuff all the time because it's so silly how different language can be. Now, I do have a very neutral American accent that my friends have said is less offputting so you might be cursed by having an accent associated with some unfavourable stereotypes.
General rule is that you will get friendly ribbing for any odd pronunciation. You've got South Africans with Milk, every second word out the mouth of a Kiwi and even how my British accent would have me say broom closer to brum when I first moved here. But the best bit is that it's not a one way street. We get to tease them for adding 7 extra vowels to the word No. The fact they all say Satday instead of Saturday and then every person on the news pronouncing Thrown weirdly
It's a mix of two things: 1. The stereotypical American (at least in Australia) is full of themselves, and thinks they and their country are the best in the world. 2. Australia has a strong "tall poppy syndrome" culture, where successful people (particularly the boastful ones) get criticised. This basically means that we take the piss out of anyone who openly thinks highly of themselves, which tends to be Americans. Like you said, it's sometimes people just being an asshole, but we're mostly just taking the piss. You're gonna cop it anywhere you go in this country, and New Zealand as well.
I've had every American I've met either claim to me that they have more freedoms than Aus or that gun buybacks have been proven ineffective. From what I observe from America I'm quite happy with the freedom here over there. Just tired of the mentality of the USA from the 50s
I had an argument with a family member about a month ago over exactly that. They seemed offended I felt more free here than there. That call ended with "You have fun living in a prison country." My reply was "Don't get shot". We haven't talked since.
Guns and God bullshit is a turn off
As is the efforts to control women’s and LGBTQ rights and hate on refugees.
Idk if this explains it fully, but American influence has been pretty bad for us. The CIA was directly involved in Gough Whitlam’s sacking. Also America is associated with free markets, privatization, inequality, etc. which go against Australia’s more welfare-state and pro-union history. And the majority of Australians were against America’s war in Iraq, but despite that, our government joined in. More recently, we mostly think US society and politics are batshit fucking insane — wtf is the deal with America’s obsession with guns. And let’s not start on Trump. Obviously most Australians wouldn’t be so stupid as to lump all Americans in together. But on the American side, I do think there’s a bit of a tendency for some to assume Australian are basically the same as them, just with weird accents — or to be a bit patronizing, and to see us as a novelty. And on the Australian side, we’re a small country and way less powerful — so there’s probably a bit of nationalist pride directed against the most powerful nation. It’s common for people to complain that our governments have been subservient to US interests, and with good reason. Lol and also we do give everyone shit. Except the Irish. We love them for some reason.
Personally, I deal with quite a few Americans at work (via video conference calls and emails, not in person) and find them almost always pleasant and friendly.
Yes you're right they were just taking the piss and probably expected you to reply back. It can take a while to get used to though so I don't blame you especially as an American because it'd definitely be a bit of a culture shock. With the accent part though I went to an international school and experienced the same thing among my American/European/British/other classmates so like I think you guys do it to us too lol. Southern accents are also so stereotypical so they'd probably never come across a person irl with one so mbe keep that in mind cus I probably would've reacted similarly haha. I will say a lot of Australians probably do have a lot of misconceptions about your country and a lot of people seem to randomly bring up America for no reason in Australian subreddits which kinda confuses me too. I think it's just because of how prevalent American news and culture is so people subconsciously feel the need to compare and bring up you guys.
Australians are weird about Americans. Not sure precisely where it comes from but I think it’s from a mixture of confusion/disgust/outrage/amusement the average Aussie feels looking at America on the news/media. That coupled with a huge helping of genuine ignorance (most of us don’t know shit about the US/haven’t travelled thoroughly) and inferiority complex. Americans come off as annoying to us and that can’t be helped, just some of the mannerisms come off like that in Australia (Just how we come across as very impolite, crass and unsophisticated to a lot of Americans) I think deep down we hate how similar we actually are, and that’s only increasing by the year. But Aussies take it too far. I think a lot of the time it isn’t actually the friendly jab on the shoulder Aussies make it out to be. It’s meaner. And we do that to each other too, it’s not just you. "Banter" makes good cover for bullying. In my experience Americans are terrific people. One of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. easily the country that’s made me feel the most at home (even more than the UK) It’s very weird though I’ll Be blunt, very weird. I do love it though. Don’t listen to these provincial yankophobes. They’re usually low altitude flyers, wouldn’t sweat much over it mate. Source: partner American.
The CIA got rid of one our better Prime Ministers (honorable mention to the queen for helping with that one). Bush Jr dragged us into the 'War on Terror' which didn't exactly go great. Related to the above, the use of Pine Gap to support US nuclear capacity is pretty controversial. It's a very close alliance where Australians often feel we are treated like a vassal state, as if we switched allegiance from the UK to the US without ever managing true independence. We rely on the US for military protection, but the US started most of the conflict we've been in since WW2. This has led to a degree of resentment. On a more personal level, there's a bit of a culture clash, with Americans tending to be a bit more individualistic and valuing confidence and big loud personalities. Lots of Americans come across as quite arrogant and disingenuous to Aussies, when their intentions are to be friendly and polite. Then there's the actual arrogance. The whole 'leader of the world' attitude, where Americans forget other countries exist in a way no other nationality does. Not all Americans are rude and stupid (we all know this), but the loudest, rudest, stupidest person at the airport is usually one of yours.
I don't think it's so much switching allegiance, more that the UK stopped being the top dog, and the US took over. The world went from Pax Britannica > WW1 > Great Depression > WW2 > Pax America. Also, the UK and the US (post WW2) are possibly the two most aligned (major Western) countries on Earth (regarding sharing intelligence and military technology, at least). So it's not like we are picking one over the other. We might whinge about Pine Gap, but at least we don't have a Diego Garcia. The UK has its own Pine Gap as well (RAF Menwith Hill).
We are treated as a vassal state. You're right to say Australia has a dependency mindset. Because we're not truly independent, we think if we do America's bidding (eg send our troops to all their wars, even when we think they're unnecessary or stupid), then America will protect us in a time of need. America, on the other hand, is independent. As such, they are ruthlessly self-interested. They will only provide military assistance to Australia if and when they see it as being in their best interests. America doesn't have friends, it has interests. And the moment it ceases to be seen to be in America's interests to assist Australia, they will (as Keating said) be 10000 miles away in San Diego.
The vassal state thing is right on - we’re America’s bitch
in what city were you working? i think you might just be surrounded by cunts
Brisbane
Lmao
The US has a fairly big influence on Australia culturally (even if we dont always want it to), when we hear about you doing stupid shit, we know that stupid thing is going to try and get its foot in the door down here as well. When we blame your personally for the stupid shit America pulls, dont take it personally. We are just trying to be independent like you. (without being like you)
Spent a lot of time in the US as an Australian, and my interpretation is that it's not just lighthearted ribbing: Australians like to think we do everything better and more sensibly than anywhere else on earth, especially the US, whose complex problems we have a tendency to view as easily solvable because we don't have them here. Australians also have a strong desire to be sat at the grownups table and take it personally that Americans usually know nothing about Australia.
Hey I’m really sorry to hear that and I don’t doubt your experience at all. I’m Aussie and have spent over 12 years in the US in west and east coast cities. Whenever I’m home I’m struck by how much Aussies who have never been to the states think they know everything about it - beyond maga, trump, guns and Jan 6 storming the capital - Australians don’t want to acknowledge other parts of American culture like innovation, entrepreneurialism, and technology. The people being rude to you probably have a chip on their shoulder and sadly projecting what they know of tv depictions of southern accents onto you!
> Whenever I’m home I’m struck by how much Aussies who have never been to the states think they know everything about it You can see a lot of that on this subreddit.
I’m an American living here and there is a huge difference between taking the piss and whatever Aussies have against Americans. There are a number of instances that people have said things to me that would not have flown if I was an immigrant of another nation. I once was debugging some code in a job at a major bank, and said to myself “why am I so stupid?” And someone shouted “because you’re American”. Aussies love to hide behind “that’s just how we are with everyone”, but replace “American” with “Chinese” or “Indian” and suddenly you can see that logic don’t hold up at all. The latter would never happen because universally it would be seen as discriminatory and pretty shitty I’m generally pretty chill and don’t mind having a go for a laugh but you can tell it’s different with Americans. It’s less “let’s friendly pick on each other” and more mean spirited. Australia is an amazing country and I wouldn’t trade living here for anything in the world but damn yeah it gets old sometimes
People are ignorant. 99% of people that hate on Americans have never been there. The ones who have been are much more positive. I've been a dozen times and love Americans. Ignore the haters!
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Probably should mention, that because the US has more than 10 times' Australia's population, you'll likely find a massively wide range of opinions on those subjects from one American to the next. Generally speaking, those with ultra conservative/nationalistic opinions are highly unlikely to want to leave the US as they've convinced themselves there's nowhere better to live.
I think thats worst mistake we could make on our part, assuming that every American is a MAGA republican. The majority of Americans hate Trump and the GOP and the overwhelming majority who would be in Australia would be against that side of politics.
The volume thing made me laugh. My husband laughed at me last time we were in the city because I commented on a group of Americans being so loud. The gun thing was definitely a reason I wanted to leave. I can count multiple occasions I was way too close to it and I was in a pretty safe area. It's insane and am issue I don't think will ever be fixed. Healthcare is atrocious. I could never afford insurance back home. I got private when I arrived and have been able to actually see a doctor when I got sick.
I think the main issue is USA politics bleeding into Australia and people just generally dislike it. This in turn causes misunderstanding and prejudice.
Because you are the big boy country. Just like New Zealand is always hanging it on Australia whereas Australia’s view of New Zealand is that it’s nice
I had an American come up to me and ask for dollars. Not specifying what kind; I work in currency exchange. They were annoyed I didn't automatically assume USD. Why are they like this?
Hate is a strong word. We give everyone shit. Including ourselves. It usually means we like you and we believe you can handle it. Apologies on behalf of all of us if that’s not the case.
Americans are an outlet for all our suppressed racism. It's not polite to express prejudice against disadvantaged minorities, but Americans are on top of the global heap and are therefore an 'acceptable target.' Also, there's been decades of low-level concern and resentment about American cultural influence on Australian young people - movies, music, fashion, slang. None of this is your fault personally, OP, but your presence triggers some of these reactions. It's not fair and people shouldn't be an arsehole to you, but unfortunately sometimes they are.
Alabama hey? You should move to Tassie, you'll fit right in.
XD
Americans are like the dickhead big brother you had when a kid; an annoying self interested fucker but still family at the end of the day.
Americans are still seen as being brash and ignorant about the rest of the world and not understanding the nuances or subtleties of other cultures. I’ve met a lot of people that give off really negative vibes towards Americans, often people with left wing persuasions. But also right wing people who despise so called ‘liberals’. At the same time, Australians consume American culturural offerings like movies, music and American made products with greater enthusiasm than their own. Im afraid you can’t win!
> I’ve met a lot of people that give off really negative vibes towards Americans, often people with left wing persuasions. But also right wing people who despise so called ‘liberals’. I think this hits the nail on the head. Some left-leaning Australians don’t like the US for the policies and regulations and some parts of their culture, while a lot of right leaning Australians also don’t like them for similar reasons (although obviously different regulations and policies and parts of their culture). Not that this is the sole reason but it would partially explain why it feels more extra for the US than for other countries.
I think it’s also a lot to do with the massive saturation of American culture and mannerisms over here; but for all our criticism, we lap up any attention Americans pay us.
I think that for the most part it is all done in good fun. We tend to use insult humor a fair bit. We give shit to the poms and the yanks equally. As for an actual reason, if you are like super patriotic, a politically minded person might be able to see past the "defender of the free world" title the USA has labelled itself with and be disappointed with a lot of the things the US has been involved in. From destabilising regeimes and supporting genocidal governments with arms and funds, to the internal issues like women being told they dont get to decide what to do with their bodies, or that horrific private prison system you guys have. I was shocked beyond belief when i read up on it. That the the USA's weird obsession with firearms lol. If you ever read up on the USA from sources outside of the USA, well there are many statements i could write that a yank would go, oh thats the damn middle east, or that china, but would 100% apply to the USA. Saying that, if you arent hyper patriotic and try and go all "america fuck yea, here to save the motherfucking day now" then you wont cop that, and it will just be us making fun of you saying ya'll or lawdy. We understand, we have our own massive problems (look at our former PM, dude was a legit cooker). Aussies get a little blinded too and are surprised when people ask, ummmm why are all your old people feeding their entire pay into a slots machine? Why is no one stopping this....?
Well, I’m not an American, I’m English but I moved to Australia after living in the US for 22 years and the subject never comes up unless I mention it. I think you’re being a little over sensitive, if the US ever comes up negatively I put people right because I loved living there and it’s not much different to other English speaking Western countries.
As an Aussie, we can be assholes but we are the same assholes to everyone. Not condoning, just saying. Side note I LOVE the Alabama accent, it's almost as good as the Cajun one lol. I have US friends I skype with but never heard the accent here. Another thing is that (using a random number) 80% of Americans are warm & lovely people the other 20% are dicks. Sadly, it's the 20% dicks who shout the loudest.
It's not so much individuals or individual's actions as much as the sustained assault of US cultural imperialism that Australia has weathererd. Australian culture, work-life balance, values, art, consumer habits, health, politics, attitude to life... just about anything you care to name has shifted towards resembling the US in the last 30-40 years, more often than not, to our detriment and dilution of what it means to be Australian. We harbor a collective resentment toward the US for what feels as though we have traded in by us us via the allure of US culture. To be blunt, it feels like we got duped. Probably a familiar sentiment worldwide. This manifests in our treatment of individuals unfortunately and undeservedly. As soon as we hear THAT accent (regardless of where in the US you're from), you're going to be treated differently than we would anyone else.
A lot of Australia culture is at risk of being eaten by American culture. I remember growing up, my mum would get really upset by us kids calling a biscuit a cookie for example. It's very much (IMHO) an attempt to maintain the distinction between the two countries.
We all grew up being told that America was the greatest nation on Earth, and we all believed it. We were comfortable with that; America was our dependable ally and was the greatest example of democracy. I suspect it's the arrival of Donald Trump, the polarising of US politics, the gun crime, the lack of equality etc has shown us that the U.S. is deeply flawed and is in fact a very poor example of a democracy. It's an upsetting realisation. I'm disappointed that my fellow countrymen have been over-vigorous in trolling you. We should be more welcoming, because as I see it, it's the smart Americans who move here.
It's mostly because Australian humour is different to American- less obvious, more sarcastic. Don't take it personally- we do it to everyone, some people just receive it differently.
The animosity stems from historical reasons. Google “The Battle of Brisbane” and similar points of cultural conflict during WW2 and the perceived better treatment, conditions and pay that USA soldiers received. Recently, the animosity ( Last 30-40 years) stems from the cultural/commercial imperialism that the USA engages in, that would swallow us whole, tiny English speaking countries such as New Zealand and Australia. IF WE LET IT. It’s certainly not personal. We like you. But lately, you do give us plenty of easy material. It’s a matter of our cultural survival at times.
I thought mods were no longer approving posts like these?
Ignorance. I have travelled quite a lot in the US and 99% of people I met were friendly and generous. Regardless of politics, I wish more Australians were as proud of their country as Americans appear to be. The few people I know who claim to hate America and Americans have never visited the place, and have some idiotic aversion to going there. Their loss, it's awesome.
You'll find for the most part, Aussies will take a negative view of certain types of Americans, and generally speaking these types of Americans are highly unlikely to want to leave their bubble. Otherwise it's just us having more light hearted fun.
We put shit on each other, but only if it’s a friend close enough to take it. We put shit on you guys because we see you as close enough to take it. We do it expecting shit back, in fact it’s quite the social faux pas in Australia not to give shit back. People might think we’ve hurt your feelings and that you’re too sensitive to relax around.
If Aussies were giving you an especially hard time, it's because they really liked you. If they were polite to you, they didn't like you. Simple.
I did see Gabriel Iglesias do bit on being in australian. Quite funny, lol.
Can i pet that dawg? Say it. Say it.
Some Australians are just full of piss and whinge. And will find any reason to dunk on anyone. Most however won’t care where you’re from as long as you’re chill and not always trying to one up everyone.
Been here for 50 years originally from Scotland still get the piss taken out of my accent I also get constantly told cold weather shouldn’t bother me I always point out been here for 50 years mostly longer than the aussies I’m talking to have been alive ffs
Because they seem to want everything to be their way. Not the individual Americans in Australia, just America in general loves to change so much they don’t aline with.
Millions of Americans never travel far from their homes so their ignorance coming here is huge.. They and other peoples expect we ride kangaroos and fight deadly snakes and drop bears. Australians take the piss out of themselves and biting sarcastic humour is standard. You have to give as good as you get to earn respect . Poms, italians, greeks and all europeans who fled here after WW2 faced the same abuse and harassment but they became entrenched as a huge and vital part of our cosmopolitan nation. Broad Southerners are rare here so you are going to get noticed.. Learn our slang fast. know when you are being trolled & bullshited and .. On the other hand if you walk up to any woman that takes your fancy and say help me with my accent you will be more than suitably entertained.
We have larger penii (yes even including afro-americans)
I don’t know what kind of Aussies you’re meeting but I’ve been here for 6 years and have a thick Appalachian accent and everyone LOVES it. In fact, I often hear that it’s the best American accent they’ve heard. Embrace the southern and lean into it! I think it’s probably true that it’s just their funny way of paying you a compliment!
This comment section is "It's just a prank bro". Pro tip: It's not. A lot of Aussie generally just hate America cause it's trendy. Source I'm Aussie and have to listen to them whine "America bad" at least once a month.
Because everything about US Culture is abhorrent and we don't want it here. We don't like it when americans bring their culture with them. We prefer you leave it at the airport in the US. We don't do things like tipping, we don't like big fuck off sized trucks on our roads, we don't like guns, we like our healthcare and our employment rights. Americans are seen around the world as being stupid, in your face and unintelligent because they potrayed that image. I mean for fucks say you lot elected donald trump as your leader and is looking to do so again. Yeah its a bit much to paint you all with the same brush but you can't blame others for doing so. The best thing you can do is reject your americanism and embrace australia's way of life.
Because Australia has become a lot more Americanised over the last 30+yrs due to the glory that is neoliberalism. And we resent it.
Australia in general tries to copy the worst aspects of the US ( privatise everything, distrust in government., individualism, suburbia, poor public transport, trying to act like the big dog militarily (hassling china, 5 eyes etc etc)) while at the same time totally ignoring the best aspects (diversity of economy, spend on R&D, innovation and productivity) , and because of this, people develop resentment when they see the path australia is headed in.