What is the cultural differences from usa and australia?

Question

this not a joke i need to know for a assignment

Answer 1

I have spent 3 months travelling in the USA and these are some of the differences I noted:

There is not such a big divide between rich and poor in Australia.  We have a much higher minimum wage (around $17 per hour) but the high paying jobs do not pay quite as much here.  Things seem much fairer here.  There is a good safety net if you are down on your luck.  There is good welfare payments and things like health care are free.  We don't have the poverty that America has.  America has a real dog-eat dog mentality.  Australia has a very 'fair go' for all mentality.

Everyday life in America seems to be dominated by money and corporations - from the politicians who get elected and the policies they come up with, to the food you eat, the kind of shops you have, to how people judge each other.

People get judged more on how much money they have rather than what kind of person they are.

Australians like to ' cut down their tall poppies' ie. not let them get too big for their boots, Americans put them on pedestals and have no problem with people selling or bragging about themselves.

The lifestyle on Australia is generally more relaxed.  I am reminded of mice running endlessly around those little wheels when I think of the lives of the Americans I know.  It is more of a rat race in America with everybody trying to either keep up or get ahead.

Australia is not as religious as America and the religious right has no affect on government policy etc.  There is no debate here about creationism vs. evolution.  Not even the churches here would be stupid enough to suggest that.

Australia does not have the gun culture America does.  After the Port Arthur massacre around ten years ago, the government banned semi-automatic and hand guns and had a big gun buy-back where they tried to buy back as many guns in existence in Australia as they could.  It was one of the most popular things they ever did(> 95% support).  Generally only some farmers have rifles and they need to be licensed (no criminal record or history of psychiatric illness).  This would never happen in America.

There seems to be more environmental awareness in Australia.  Everyone drives big cars in the US.  No-one seems to take green bags shopping.  The homes I stayed in had no recycling going on.  There is a layer of orange smog covering the country and no-one seems to give a stuff.

There is a big difference in food.  Americans seem to eat more processed junk food (both at home and out) Australians eat a wide variety of more natural foods.

Americans are very ignorant about the rest of the world.  They don't get much media from outside unless it is about somewhere they are engaging in war there.  Not many Americans travel (only about 20% passport ownership) and then they tend to make short trips to places like Mexico, Canada or the Carribean.  Australians have 80% passport ownership, tend to take long overseas trips (most people get 4-5 weeks annual leave) and are exposed to a lot of media from around the world.  In other words we know a lot more about you than you know about us (or anyone else for that matter).

Having said all that Americans and Australians get along very well together.  I have always found them to be very friendly, polite and interested in Australia.  There questions however reflect a high level of ignorance.  They often don't know much more than Crocodile Dundee, Steve Irwin and kangaroos.  The first two bearing as much resemblance to the average Aussie as the average Yank.  They have no idea that we are a wealthy, sophisticated and very urbanized society.

You should visit one day and find out why we consider ourselves very lucky to have been born here.  Hope your assignment goes well!

Answer 2

It used to be said that there was more culture in a pot of yoghurt than in the the whole of Australia. However, I think that comparison is more suited to the US, well their government at least.

Answer 3

Do some reading on the subject.  Watch American and Australian TV, read some of the books from both countries' leading authors, it becomes obvious quite quickly.  Man, this is a job where you get to watch films and read comics and it counts as research - what's the problem?

And it's "an assignment".  They'll mark you down for that.

Answer 4

I agree watching our TV will help you to understand us.

Our biggest differences stem from confidence. Americans had a dog eat dog existance in their founding.

Entrepreneurs made it big and money talked more than anything else. Men owned slaves and thought themselves better for it.

Australia was founded on the backs of convicts and Aborigines - both were down troden and thought less of themselves. Migrants came to swell our numbers but they were thought inferior because they didn't have english as a first language... so Australians tend to think less of themselves and do not take themselves nearly as seriously - we suffer a bad case of low self esteem and lack self-confidence as a nation.

Other things i've noticed

We don't love our politicians.

We don't believe McDonalds IS real food.

We don't use fake cheese.

We don't scream at Customer Service staff because they can't help us instantly.

We don't count Agressive as Assertive (well those of us who left sydney behind don't anyway).

We don't think that we are the most important people on this earth..