Follow us on Twitter
Australia and America: 14 Differences That Can Get You in Trouble While Traveling
The USA and Australia are great countries to visit, but beware the unexpected differences between the two cultures. There are many and they could get you in trouble.
Travellers to foreign countries will always notice how different other cultures are. We often expect some differences, but may still be surprised when we get there and discover just how diverse the world is. Nothing could have prepared me for the first time I stepped off a plane in South-East Asia, but the biggest surprises always come when I travel to the USA, expecting no surprises but receiving many.
As it turns out, no two countries are alike. Some of the greatest culture shock that travellers experience is when they travel to a country and don’t expect any differences. People jetting between the USA and Australia are likely to experience some of the greatest culture shock of all.
USA and Australia: The Similarities
The physical geographical size of Australia is almost exactly the same size as mainland USA (without Alaska).
Both Australia and the USA have coast lines on the Pacific Ocean.
Both countries have deserts, mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, islands and snow. Yes, it does snow in Australia and many Australians are keen skiers.
USA and Australia: The Differences
Iced Coffee
An iced coffee in Australia is a tall glass of cold milky coffee topped with whipped cream and icecream, and served in a sundae glass. It is more like a dessert than a beverage.
An iced coffee in the USA is a tall glass of cold black filter coffee served with ice, much like iced tea.
Milkshakes
An Australian thickshake is an American milkshake. I don’t think there is an equivalent of an Australian milkshake in America, and by that same reasoning Americans don’t have thickshakes, either.
An Australian milkshake is made by mixing milk, flavour and sometimes a very small scoop of ice cream in a blender. The result is a froth-filled milky beverage, sometimes served with whipped cream on top. An Australian milkshake can easily be consumed through a straw.
An Australian thickshake, and an American milkshake, is mostly ice cream. This “thick shake” is difficult to slurp quickly through a straw. Thickshakes are much colder than a milkshake due to all that ice cream.
The Thong
A thong is an iconic piece of Australian strappy footwear often constructed from rubber and sold cheaply in supermarkets (known as flip flops or jandals in other parts of the world).
An American thong is a strappy piece of underwear worn (preferably) by slender, tanned women with Brazilian bikini waxes (also known as a G-string).
The Word “Fanny”
In the USA, elderly women often use the term “fanny” to refer to their large backsides. It is also commonly used in the phrase “fanny pack” when referring to the small waste-band satchel frequently worn by tourists.
In Australia, however, the word “fanny” should NOT be used in polite conversation. It refers to a woman’s private part, more commonly known as a “you know what” or a “what-sa-mi-whozit”.
The tourist satchel is always called a “bum bag” in Australia.
To Root
Rooting in the USA simply means “supporting through good cheer”. One “roots for” their local sports team or for their friend’s big job interview.
Rooting in Australia simply means “having sex”. It is a colloquial term that is only slightly more socially acceptable than the “F” word.
How Rooting and Fannies can get you in Trouble
As a 13 year-old Australian girl visiting the USA on a cultural exchange back in 1990, I was told by my host mother, a 50-year-old housewife that her “fanny is sore because we were sitting in the stands rooting for our team all day.”
My response to this statement was a wide-eyed “your WHAT is WHAT because you did WHAT?”
Beaches and Oceans
A huge proportion of the population of the USA lives in the middle of the country. There are many Americans who have never seen the ocean.
Australia’s tiny population lives almost entirely along the East Coast of Australia, touching the Pacific Ocean. The vast majority of Australians can’t believe there are people on Earth who have never seen the ocean.
National Holidays
Australians do not have any reason to celebrate American Thanksgiving. This holiday is NOT recognised in Australia.
Likewise, Americans do not celebrate Australia Day or ANZAC day.
Also, Halloween is not widely celebrated in Australia. Many Australians (wrongly) believe Halloween is a “stupid American thing”. Halloween is actually a pagan holiday from Great Britain, but all the same it has largely been ignored in Australia since 1983 (when I was a child), although it may be currently undergoing a resurgence.
Christmas occurs in summer in Australia and in winter in the USA.
Attitudes to National Flags
The American flag is worshipped almost as a God. The flag is hailed in the American anthem. School children across the USA pledge daily allegiance to the flag. Tourists to the USA are strongly advised to NOT attempt wearing the US flag as a sarong.
The Australian flag is a symbol often found on beach towels and sarongs. Australians do not really care much about their flag. Many Australian flags can be seen falling to pieces on long-forgotten flag poles around the country.
However, as of late 2007 there has been a sudden increase in Aussie “bogans” (Australian for “red necks”) who inexplicably have started sporting the Australian flag symbol (The Southern Cross constellation) as tattoos and T-Shirts. Where this sudden blind-patriotism has sprung from is anyone’s guess, but here’s hoping it dies off as quickly as it appeared.
Sport
Baseball is quite popular in the USA. Cricket is quite popular in Australia. Most Australians could not name a single famous baseball player. Most Americans don’t know what cricket is.
American footballers wear full body armour similar to that found on medieval knights.
Australian footballers wear short shorts and tight shirts.
Toilets
If you need a toilet in the USA, look no further than the nearest convenience store. Most Australians visiting the USA don’t know this fact, but it sure is a good thing to know!
However, poor US tourists in Australia will be crossing their legs looking for a loo (that’s Australia for “toilet”). We do NOT have toilet facilities in convenience stores. You will find them in many petrol (Australian for “Gas”) stations and always in department stores and train stations. There are usually public toilet blocks in large parks and around beaches. Public toilets are usually well maintained in busy areas, but are often very basic facilities in national parks and around camping sites.
Wild Animals
While Australian guide books love to pretend Australia is overrun by poisonous snakes and spiders, there is a very high chance you will not see a single poisonous or dangerous animal while visiting Australia.
If you go camping in the USA there is, however, a good chance you will attacked by a bear if you fail to hide your food properly at night. Bear warnings should be taken seriously in the USA.
You can see Kangaroos in the wild in Australia, but not in the major cities. Take a short drive out of the city and you might see some. However, you will be incredibly lucky if you see any wild Koalas. You will also see possums, wombats and wallabies if you leave the built-up city areas but most Australian wildlife is nocturnal.
Note: Koalas are NOT bears, they are marsupials. Calling them “koala bears” is ignorant and completely wrong, not to mention stupid.
Cities in the USA are seemingly overrun by squirrels and chipmunks (except L.A. which seems devoid of wild animals). It is common to see wild Deer in the forests and mountains of the USA. You can also see prairie dogs in the mid-western states. The USA has some very interesting wild animals that will remind visitors of popular Disney characters.
Accents
Many Americans believe they do not have an accent. This is a strange concept. Everyone has an accent. Americans are notoriously bad at copying other accents. Most Americans sound like British cockney orphans (Oliver Twist) when they attempt an Australian accent.
Australians have a range of accents. Not every Australian speaks like Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin. Some Australians may sound like British aristocracy to the untrained ear. Many Australians believe they are quite adept at copying foreign accents and are especially keen to speak with a Valley Girl accent to every American they encounter. Why they do this is anyone’s guess.
The Greyhound Bus
Catch a Greyhound bus in the USA and you will meet the lowest forms of life still able to be identified as human. A Greyhound bus in the USA is a mental asylum on wheels, or at best a trailer park on wheels. American Greyhound passengers are toothless, unwashed, uneducated, incredibly strange and downright scary.
In Australia, Greyhound is one of many long distance bus companies that (traditionally) have offered a more affordable means of traversing the great expanses between Australian cities. This system of transport has long been favoured by budget conscious university students as a nice way to enjoy a peaceful ride through the country while enjoying stimulating conversation with your intelligent seat mates.
It may be interesting to point out that the two companies are not related, although they share they same name and logo.
Public Buses
Travellers to the USA beware. If you intend to catch a public bus make sure you are carrying the exact change needed for the fare. If you do not have the correct fare, you will be treated much the same as a leper in biblical times. American bus drivers are not known for their smiles and cheery good nature.
If you are visiting Australia, bus drivers do give change. However, they don’t generally respond kindly to a $50 note being used for a $2 fare. Try to have a $5 or (at the most) a $10 note in your pocket.
Also, don’t forget to thank your driver when you hop off the bus. Australian bus drivers are generally quite friendly and they deserve to be appreciated.
Note: The Australian bank ATM system doesn’t agree with the bus change system. The lowest denomination of change from an Australian ATM is $20, which will not be well received on Australian buses. You’ll have to drop into a neighbouring store for some change. The good news is, most Australian businesses will give change if they have it in their till.
Other Differences
The list of differences between the USA and Australia goes on. However, by keeping these few in mind, you (the intrepid world traveller) can avoid difficult, uncomfortable and even dangerous situations while travelling between Australia and the USA.
… and now, the Battle of the Nations continues: 9 More Differences between Australia and America
Liked it
65 Comments
“most Australian businesses will give change if they have it in their till” — Not in my experience. Most of them want you to buy something first. Sometimes you will see a sign, “Haven’t bought anything? Sorry – no change!” or similar.
How do Australians treat black Americans?
Interesting article, but Halloween originated from Ireland, not Great Britain. It comes from Samhain, a pre-Christian festival. It was also celebrated in Scotland, but is believed to originate from Ireland.
Australians don’t really have much exposure to black Americans except in music/sports/movies. So rap/basketball fans would tend to idolise black Americans to some extent. Apart from that, they treat black Americans like any other tourist. Black Americans are so rare here that it’s hard to generalise. They might find themselves getting quite a few stares due to the novelty, outside major cities.
i think your poisonous animal tid-bit needs some updating. i seen more red back spiders hanging from power lines and sprawling trees than your article would lead a person to believe. the red back, also known as the black widow, is all over sydney and surrounding suburbs.
you should also add something about the obnoxious cockatoo skreetch…
and anything that comes in between two ‘hamburger style buns’ is, indeed, a burger – chicken burger, fish burger and not to be confused with chicken sandwich and/or fish sandwich.
fair dinkum!
Not sure when the last time the author rode an American Greyhound was, but not all Greyhounds are ‘rolling trailer parks.’ As a college student myself, I’ve encountered a lot of other college students on the bus. There are also a lot of Amish and Mennonite people who use the bus system.
“A Greyhound bus in the USA is a mental asylum on wheels, or at best a trailer park on wheels.”
Depends on where you catch it. Bus travel is hitting a resurrgence in the US right now because air travel is getting prohibitively expensive. Bus fare from Boston to New York is about $20US! As such, it’s a good option for students or anyone else who values money over time.
Your comment does highlight the existence a general class divide in the American travel system, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that “American Greyhound passengers are toothless, unwashed, uneducated, incredibly strange and downright scary.” It seems this comment stems from a bad experience you had when you were thirteen, and it’s not fair to generalize the entire system from that.
What do you mean that “fanny” refers to a woman’s “private part?” Do you mean, her vagina?
Does that mean both Australians and Americans are afraid to use the word vagina? I know Americans like to use it; something I’ve always found a bit odd.
Funny. I met a Brit once who was very proud of her Valley Girl impression. Must be the most extreme and fun accent to impersonate, just like Americans who belt out, “Aaaaloooo gub’ner!”
“If you go camping in the USA there is, however, a good chance you will attacked by a bear if you fail to hide your food properly at night. Bear warnings should be taken seriously in the USA.”
After reading this I realized you’re an idiot that has no idea what’s going on.
Great article! I’ve been telling a similar “fanny” story for years (only this involved a large group of shocked Australian youths at an international dance festival, and a subsequently very confused festival announcer who’d just invited the room, via a microphone, to “sit your fannies down so we can get this party started!”
I will agree that in Los Angeles, clearly a place of which you are familiar, the bus system, including Greyhound, is frightening at best. From Manhattan though, to all along the East Coast, it carries all types to and from all kinds of destinations. Once of the best, normal, stress-free traveling experiences I’ve ever had was going from Grand Central to Philly via Greyhound. Not one single toothless person on the bus.
Also, if you know where to look, you will find all kinds of wild animals in Los Angeles. I’ve seen everything from deer and coyotes walking down main roads a mile or two out of downtown Hollywood, to a little lost bear in a tree, to wild cats on the hiking trails, to raccoons poking their noses out of trash cans after sunset at Universal Studios.
And I’m glad to hear that I won’t be attacked by a human-eating bug while visiting Australia. That being said, Southern California has the Brown Recluse Spider, an innocuous (looking) but dangerous spider that likes to live in nice, warm, dry homes, and that can cause flesh necrosis/loss of limbs if you’re unfortunate enough to get bitten by one (which, when it happens sometimes does so while one sleeps, and thus without their knowledge). I would recommend all travelers familiarize themselves to what they look like, and what the symptoms of a bite by one are, before they visit.
But do you know where the australian “root” comes from? I tried to dig it out of some australians but they had no idea.
The best advice is, of course, to get to know the *specific* place you are visiting. In theory, bears live in forests all over the U.S., but in practice, there are places where you are much more likely to see them while camping (e.g., Yellowstone) and places where there are very few bears but plenty of wildcats. Elk and moose can be pretty scary, too — those things are *big*. There’s great camping in the desert areas of the western U.S., but invest a little time learning how to identify and handle snakes and scorpions.
Perhaps more importantly, in the western U.S. especially, find out beforehand whether the water is drinkable! That clear mountain stream may be infested with giardia and other nasties.
I understand why the article needs to rely on some generalizations, but keep in mind the part about Australia and the continental U.S. being a similar size along with the fact that the U.S. population is spread across the whole landmass. There is a *lot* of variation here, in social habits and geography and fauna and accents…
The accents part is funny. I try not to do this because British and Australian people always sound so silly when they try it.
Even famous actors/actresses who’ve lived for years in the states and worked with dialect coaches have noticeable strangeness in the cadences of their speech, probably because they’re concentrating so hard on their vowel sounds. 
Fanny in Australia (and other British speaking countries) is a much more crude term than vagina. It’s like the C word for vagina.
Australian drivers typically stop for pedestrians to cross when there’s no traffic light. US drivers don’t. But Aussies and Americans drive on opposite sides of the road so you have to look to the other way first when you’re crossing the street.
In Australia tuna fish comes without mayonnaise, in the US it’s mixed in. Coffee in Australia generally means espresso in the US it means filtered coffee and don’t get me started on hamburgers. Aussies top theirs with an egg, pineapple and/or beet rood while Americans put lettuce, tomato and/or pickles.
Speaking of food, servers in Australia are paid a normal wage so tipping is not nearly so high as in the US where servers are paid almost nothing.
How about the differences between tomato sauce? And all the variations…
“In response to the question how they treat Black Americans?” Like Rock stars, lliterally.
Lots of wildlife in west Los Angeles. There are many opossums in my neighborhood, about three miles from the ocean. We also have giant squirrels, about the size of large house cats. I do not need an alarm in the mourning since extremely loud birds start chattering away before my alarm clock goes off.
BizCoach mentioned pedestrians crossing the street. In many parts of Los Angeles County, pedestrians have the right of way. Drivers are ticketed by the police for failing to yield to pedestrians. Most of the rest of the U.S.A., pedestrians cross at their own risk, but on the westside of Los Angeles, drivers beware.
To the comment by Justin : actually, your comment (sorry chum) seems pretty ignorant. I’ve been camping many a time and have heard other campers having issues with bears, I myself as a child while camping with my parents and grandparents had a bear actually dig into PROPERLY sealed foods, and even dig it’s fingers into a large juice can and drink it. How it even knew it was something to drink is beyond me. Can’t say as I’ve heard of campers being attacked unless they did something stupid by drawing attention to themselves, but stupidity is often rewarded badly. Anyway, try to refrain before jumping on the “clueless” bandwagon, friend.
You are wrong about Los Angeles. Totally.
From the flag section:
“Where this sudden blind-patriotism has sprung from is anyone’s guess, but here’s hoping it dies off as quickly as it appeared.”
Thanks for your opinion, but the subject of your article is differences and similarities between America and Austrialia, and not your leftist/pinko attitude toward patriotism.
@Jeff:
So would “fanny” refer to vagina (the canal) or vulva (the lips)? I think most people say “vagina” when they really mean vulva (or labia).
I went to Australia in 1986 as an exchange student. I went to school proudly wearing my Canadian “Roots” Sweat Shirt. I don’t know why my host parents did not say anything. In fact my host Mom had a smirk on her face all the way to school. The school principal (and a much more conservative Rotarian) had a bit of a fit about it. He threw my school uniform at me and told me to change. I showed all my new friends the sweat shirt and was taking orders for weeks!
I think another thing worth mentioning, drive on the left in Australia.
AUSSIES CAN HAS SHOT FIRST PLORX
The toilet swirls in opposite directions.
If you think that saying “Koala bear” will make us look stupid, you might want to re-examine our most passionate national pastime, football. There is no such thing as an American Footballer, there are Football players. You might think it cute to paint us as sissies for the pads, though a quick check of my sources shows medieval knights wore slightly more protective material. Soft knee and thigh pads, cup, plastic shoulder pads and a helmet.
If your footballers tried to play our game without protection there would be a line for the emergency room stretching halfway to Brisbane (ruling out, of course, instant death from blunt force head trauma). The NFL is so rough the average career is only 3 – 4 years; those lucky enough to play for 10 – 20 years often suffer from severe arthritis, chronic pain, limited mobility, or all of the above. It’s a bit sadistic, but hey, we Americans sure love a train wreck.
I could care less about our flag. Don’t DARE desecrate my sport! You Aussies are sports fanatics too, right? you understand, I’m sure.
Regarding bears:
There are definitely areas where you have to be very careful of bears, eg the Rockies in Colorado and in Alaska. But the US is large and bears are uncommon across much of it, especially near populated areas (eg the whole east coast). Further there is a range of aggressiveness across bear species. In New England, for instance, bears are not generally dangerous and are fairly rare anyway. If you leave food out at night it’s way more likely that you’ll attract raccoons. There is a strong incidence of rabies amongst raccoons, making them far more dangerous than they might appear. So: Properly seal up your food and trash. And make lots of noise, it lets bears know where you are. They don’t want to be near you, either.
Moose are actually more dangerous, at least in my opinion. They can be extremely aggressive and are common in many northern areas. They are especially troublesome in that you’ll be in a world of hurt if you run into one with your car. You won’t find them near populous areas, though, and in most areas moose would prefer to leave people alone.
In terms of random risks in the US you might be concerned with rattlesnakes, especially in the southwest. Even so I’ve never run into one, even in areas where they are relatively common. Some areas, especially on the west coast, have had wildcat issues in recent years but attacks are still very rare.
Generally speaking I just go camping and enjoy myself without getting worked up about the wildlife. There’s not very much that’s really dangerous.
Most of this article is very bland, maybe if you have no idea what goes on outside the US or Austrailia this stuff will be news to you. However most people with interest in going to either will most likely known the genneral differences, and will stumble around the more specific nuances of the particular portion of the country they chose to go to.
I agree, you did peg LA wrong, you must not have spent much time there.
Also as someone who has used the Grey Hound system extensively I both agree and disagree with you, again it depends a lot on where you are ocmming from and where you are going. E.G. here in Pittsburgh you are likely to find college kids on the bus, but that has a lot to do with the huge number of college campuses in this county and it’s surrounding areas. Though when I took the bus from Chipley Florida to Naches (sorry I have spelled this phonetically) well let’s just say, I had the sinking feeling I was sitting around a group of people who were avoiding the law and transporting meth…
Oh, yeah. Do you guys snatch people off to undisclosed overseas locations for “enhanced” interrogations? Because we are apparently fond of doing that. You might want to watch out for that… and the bears.
@Tora3
“How do Australians treat black Americans?”
Almost everything the average Australian knows about black Americans is from TV. Therefore if you are a black person planning on visiting Australia please note we will expect you to:
1. Be as funny as Eddie Murphy (Bill Cosby will do at a pinch)
2. Able to slam dunk like Jordan
3. Have an amusing catchphrase like the little kid from Different Strokes
4. Bust out the MC Hammer dance at will
> In Australia tuna fish comes without mayonnaise, in the US it’s mixed in
Uh, no. This has to be a case of generalizing from a small sample. I’ve seen tuna for sale attached to its own little packet of mayonnaise, intended as a sort of quick-lunch kit, and you can buy fresh tuna salad (that is, mixed with mayo and other ingredients) by weight in many delis and such, but the general format for tuna purchase in the U.S. is in a tin can, packed in your choice of oil or water. There’s a whole rack of them right next to the sardine tins and kippered herring in every grocery store I’ve ever been to.
I enjoyed reading the article (including some of the comments) — quite funny! Some of the people here are sooo serious!
A little thing I noticed in Australia is unlike in the USA is it polite when walking on a sidewalk or in a mall to stick to the Left side. You see in the US we walk on the right side of the sidewalk when we can. I guess it has to do with what side of the road we drive on. Just a little thing but messed me up for a few days. By the way I love Australia and her people.
Also one more thing. Most Americans don’t have a clue about the metric system. If you tell one of us that it is 23 degrees outside we will grab a large Jacket and some gloves and a kilometer is the little number below MPH on a speedometer that we don’t pay attention too.
@Chris: Please, you think American Football is tough? Have you ever watched an Aussie rules Football game? Its harder hitting than American Football and there is no pads – idiot.
American Football is the biggest joke sport in Australia/Europe, see we play real sports like Aussie Rules or Rugby, and we don’t need pads. Not like the pussies who play American Football.
And as for baseball, how boring can a sport be? Complete snorefest!
But I do have to ask, why is the American Baseball championship called the WORLD series when no teams from other countries are invited to play?
re american football – to me a rugby scrum looks the same as the start of any american football play. the difference is rugby players do it without any ‘body armour’. Don’t agree? then watch little george gregan in any rugby match. Small guy, no protection, kick arse captain.
awesome article! didn’t know that much coz im a citizen of none lol
Thanks for your very important information, these really helps me coz im planning to travelling in two weeks time so this kind of information makes me more aware of things to consider.
Very nice article with a wealth of information. Thanks.
Funny, thanks for the laugh. I’m an Australian, if I read something called ‘humour’ I expect it to be tongue in cheek at the very least, and not to be taken seriously. Honestly, how can football raise the emotions like that? Carn the Crows!!
Oh I loved the fanny/root comment! Classic!
Wolfe
Nice article – well written, informative n funny at times!!
Best wishes,
Rookie
Hi Eliza
great idea here. i hardly get more than 4 comments for my articles!
Rachel Faye
Good work Eliza. As a humourous piece, it provided that. As an entry into the Masters textbook on the sociopolitical idiosynchrocies between New World super powers in the wake of the breakup of the Commonwealth it did not quite get there. Thanks heavens! Three cheers for a good laugh.
And another thing, root bear in the USA is a drink whereas in Australia, beer leads the drinker to really want a root.
This made me giggle, Australian’s are so NOT! patriotic like the Americans…
I’m Australian, I went to New York in 2007. I got mistaken for English 99% of the time. When you order coffee in Australia you say “can I get a coffee” then you’re asked what sort? in the USA they promptly go and get perculated coffee, if you want a latte you have to specifically ask for one. If I didn’t have enough change for the bus they let me ride for free if I got lost with trains they let me back in for free.
not as underwear. sex wear ok. but i am so sick of seeing women with their whale tales hanging out
Aussies are not patriotic, unless they find out you’re a Kiwi XD
And it’s not football, it’s Rugby, tyvm!
Aaron (no. 33 May 6) – fair go mate. Don’t think you speak for all Australians or Europeans when you say that the NFL is a joke. I personally love the NFL and find it much more entertaining than our League or Union games. I mention league and union, because they’re much closer by comparison to American Football than Aussie Rules, which even some Australians call “airial ping-pong” (although, don’t get me wrong, I do like the game)
There’s no need to call someone, who really enjoy’s their nations favourite national pastime, an idiot either. Just because you don’t agree with their opinion doesn’t make you any better than them.
Well im a Aussie going to the US in 09, Thanks for all the tidbits. But ill wait to make an oppinion. And nobody is an idiot for stating what they percieve to be true they are just mislead……. I love my country…. but our government has made it hard for us with all this politically correct interpretation. Now we are giving away our own identity because it may offened many of our internation residents.
I watched NFL for the first time on Monday night and it was awesome! I think people who enjoy a bit of AFL, as I certainly do, would find it entertaining.
As for the comment above, I’d like to think Australians were more racially tolerant than most, but our experience might be a little more limited by our demography. I was in the US last year, and I’d certainly never seen a hispanic person in my life before! Aside from that, because of the high levels of US content on our televisions, I found everything eerily familiar.
Also, every bird and furry little animal is adorable and straight from Bambi!
If i make a random coment about sport or bears will everyone go agro agian.
Check out this crazy website about Cultural Differences between US and AUS, theres some crazy generalising going on. Its hillarous.
http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/yankaussie.htm
Just a warning though it’s not trying to be funny which makes it a bit scary.
P.s don’t think all australian can’t spell just becuace i can’t
I totally stole that other persons name. I’m not V MWHA HAHAHAHHA
first of all most of your american “facts” make us sound like sissys
which of course we arent. you dont mess with america
and all youre doing is trashing us.
this is all a bunch of crap
Having grown up in the US (New Mexico, to be specific) and then marrying and Aussie girl and living down here in Brisbane for the last 6 years, I think I need to translate some things. Firstly, football. Rugby and American Football are different sports. Think of it as Chess and Checkers. Played on a very similar field/board, but that’s about it. With American Football, the pads were brought in when the death and paralysis rate got too high. Rugby didn’t go with pads, they went with rules limiting how you can tackle, hit, ect. Also, compare the size of an American Football player to an Aussie rugby player. The Americans are quite larger, (and before the ensuing comments about how fat Americans are come, keep in mind that as of January 08, Australia became “the fattest nation”, beating out the US….)where as Australians as a rule, aren’t. I’m only 6′1″, 126kg and have been asked if I play rugby here as people would hate to go up against me on the field, and it surprised me, as in the States with my family and friends, I’m one of the smaller people…. Just an example.
As to the bears while out in the woods. I worked for the US Forest Service before getting married, and was in scouts my entire life. I came across 3 bears in those 23 years….. and all of them ran as the were more scared…. that was also while I was in some VERY remote locations…. normal tourist campers will have no problems.
Also, you will find the service in resturaunts in Australia a lot more lax that in the US. In Australia, the waiters and waitresses get paid the same amount no matter what they do, where as in the US, they are paid a minimum wage, which is very low, and then rely on their tips for most of their money, therefore encouraging them to give better service….
I think that too many Australians try to make broad generalizations about the US. Most Australians that spew ant-American rhetoric have never been there. I think tht some Australains are too concerned with what’s going on in the US. Believe it or not there are some serious issues here in Australia that need to be resolved.
Most Americans are more concerned with what is going on in their own communities instead of worrying about what is going on in another country thousands of miles away. That doesn’t mean Americans don’t care about the rest of the world or are dumb. I just think there is a lot going on the US, and you should be more concerned with the issues in your own country. The reson why Australians may be aware of so many things about the US is 75% of the news,tv, and movies are from the US. Some Australians like to believe that they are smarter than Americans, but I think a lot of what Australians know about the US is taken from tv and not from school.I have been surprised at the low education requirements here where I live.
The US is too large and diverse to make accurate and correct statements about it. Going from one state to the next can be like going to a different country.
I think in general that customer service in Australia is worse than it is in the US. It isn’t just about US workers being polite for tips. It is the same pretty much all throughout the customer service industry. Here in Australia it seems like a lot of people aren’t trained in the finer points of customer service like smiling and being as helpful as you possibly can. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been told “I don’t know ” in response to a question, with no further attempt to find the answer. I have greeted a cashier with a hello several times to only get a grunt or in most cases no response at all. My wife who is Australian lived in the states for many years agrees that customer service here in Australia is terrible in comparison to what she experienced in the US. Remember anything I say is only based on what I have seen. I am not trying to jude a whole country.
Rdrjo I agree that the service in Australia can leave a lot to be desired but my experience in the US (I have been for business & pleasure at least a dozen times) is that the whole service with a smile thing is as fake as the cream in the coffee. Watch that smile fade when you don’t tip enough. I’d rather speak to a geniune person having a day at work than an over made up woman trying to schmooze dollars out of me just because she is serving me some food. And another thing that whole fake thing seems to apply to the whole country that I’ve seen. It’s a little like a big movie set.. all flash on the surface and then decrepit and fake underneath.
And another thing.. I’ve found that straight talking Australians having business dealings in the United States have a lot of trouble because no-one seems to really speak their mind. There are layers of political correctness and hypocrisy that need to be scraped off a conversation before the real issues are addressed. And WHAT is it about every American I’ve met reading me his/her bloody resume and stating his/her business title like I even care? In Australia we aren’t impressed with titles just ability. I’d rather deal with Canadians they seem more well.. real.
I’ve had great fun in the United States I love the food and even the beer and the people are really friendly if a little slow sometimes especially when it comes to having an idea what is going on outside their borders. But I always leave feeling some pity for the local inhabitants and sheer relief that I have somewhere better to live.
NB* One benefit of knowing next to nothing about the outside world is not knowing how much better it is to live in the other English speaking countries. They do say that ignorance is bliss…
Geoff,
What makes Australia so much better than the USA?
Is it because of any of the following?:
1. Is it because of a weak criminal justice system that seems to find reasons to let criminals go free instead of locking them up? You can go to any Australian news website or read any newspaper and read countless articles about repeat offenders that keep getting light sentences for serious crimes. Even muderers often go free.
2. Is it the need to blame its own obesity crisis on another country? Australia has had an obesity problem for several years, and is now the world’s fattest country. But it is all America’s fault.
3. Is it the lack of school-based extracurricular activities that encourage kids to work hard in class and stay in school? If you want your kids to play sports you have to pay for it. These kinds of activities also give kids the chance to go to univeristy for free. You don’t have that here in Australia. That is why there are so many Australians going to American universities. Kids are encouraged to quit school instead of stay in school. I have heard on numerous occasions of teachers telling kids that they should just quit after year 10 and get an apprenticeship. Most kids that do quit school don’t go on to get apprenticehsips.
4. Is it the nonchalant attitude towards education? You are allowed to leave school at age 15 or 16. Here where I live you only need 50% to pass. In all US states you are required to get at least 70% to pass. When I graduated from high school which was year 9 through 12 in the US we had to take 4 years of English, 1 year of Foreign Language,3 years of Physical Education,3 years of Science,3 years of Math, and 3 years of Social Studies/History to graduate. These are just the core requirements. That is not to mention all of the electives we had to take as well. There are no such requirements here where I live. They are too worried about computers when most people here don’t even know basic vocabulary words. Most people that I have met didn’t graduate from high school. You can see kids of school age walking around in public instead of going to school, and nobody cares. I know at least two parents who think that there is no reason for kids to finish school. One parent says look at me I turned out fine. She is 45 and works at a fish and chips shop.
5. Is it the blind eye turned to statutory rape? You have men with girls that are young enough to be their daughters. 17 year old boys chasing 12 and 13 year old girls. My stepson had a classmate who had a 18 year old boyfriend at 12 years old. Both sets of parents let them live together. Another one his friends’ dad was 40 with a 15 year old girlfriend. He threw her a sweet 16 and she was giving his 13 year old son alcohol. Now he is a policeman.
6. Is it treating women like pieces of meat? You can’t go into a supermarket without seeing at least a half a dozen magazines that have the word sex on the cover and some half-naked girl on the cover. THe majority of the magazines have nudity in them. Girls as young as twelve can be seen walking around dressed like hookesr-in-training late at night. There was a tv commercial for feminine products that had this young lady walking around with an animated beaver. Its slogan was of coure “take care of your beaver.”
7. Is it pornographic magazines such as Penthouse being sold unwrapped amongst the rest of the magazines? I have seen kids as young as 6 looking at those magaznes. Nobody seems to care.
8. Is it the public television that shows nudity, sex, and profanity. Also on the radio.
9. Is it the underage drinking and smoking epidemic? I know parents who provide alcohol for their children. I also know of parents who buy cigarettes for their kids. One guy was a policeman.
10. Is it a government that encourages illegitmate children and teenage pregnancy by giving women thousands of dollars for just giving birth? Is it the 25% of the population that is on welfare?
Having said all of that I am not trying to judge a whole country of 20 million based on the actions of a few. Too bad some people can’t do the same when it comes to a country of 300 million people.I just get annoyed when Australians always bad-mouth the US and Americans when there are plenty of bad things going on in their own country.
You say that most greyhound buses in the USA a mental asylums on wheels..almost like you hold yourself in a higher esstem, yet you dismiss the importance of Australian partiotism.
Quite contradictory.
Im from Northern Ireland and i just want to say i think both nations are great.Ive never been to australia but i just want to say that i bet it is extremely similar to america.
i must admit coming from northern ireland to america was a big culture shock when i was 12 but the more time you spend there the more similar to home it starts to seem.you start to notice more similarities than differences after a while
i loved the states anyway and felt it was the kind of lifestyle i wanted. In fact i hate rainy northern ireland compared to the states.
I do hate however when people bad mouth eachothers country. We are all part of the world and we all bring great things to it.i also hate stereotype which is what most of this article is.It is a bland stereotype of both nations.we are all stereotyped.Im sure u think im a red haired little leprachaun who lives in a cottage but no i am an average dude who goes on the internet and listens to his ipod.leprachauns dont even exist believe it or not!lol
i just want to say that you shouldnt generalise because everyone is different.i also want to let people know that there is more than meets the eye to all places.
and another thing i feel annoyed about is that people seem to love to bad mouth america for being a proud nation.they are not saying they are better than us they are just proud for what they have done so dont be cruel to them for that, afterall they have done so much for us and i thank them for that.
P.S.lets just remember we are all part of the world and we all rock!
Pretty hilarious article; I certainly enjoyed reading it.
One note about the restroom differences. There are plenty of places to use the restroom in most US areas, except for, it seems, New York City. I visited my cousin in Chelsea for about 4 days. One day I was out touring around and I had to use the restroom. I looked for about half an hour for a restroom and came up empty handed. I ended up having to buy a ticket to a tour of the Empire State Building to use the bathroom on the top floor. Most expensive toilet I’ve ever used!
Actually Halloween is an ancient Irish Pagan festival which involved the belief in faries. It had nothing to do with the British or Americans. They stole it.
in response to elle’s comment, while i can’t really compare what australia’s clothing is like because i have never been there [although i desperately hope that i can visit one day], i can say that ,rest assured, america is definitely not lacking in the scantily-clad girls! And about American football, while i’ve never played rugby in any form i can personally say that after playing a neighborhood game of football and being flattened by a 300 pound boy named Darius, that I WISHED I was dressed in full mail knights armor! But seriously, ice hockey defeats all sports. By the way, I have been camping multiple times and have never had any bear troubles, but its a great article nonetheless!
what a load of crap. while a lot of your article was fairly on the money, a lot of it made it seem as though you have been sheltered away from people outside of major cities for a big part of your life in australia
cool
“shrek unit
Posted May 5, 2008 at 10:28 am
i think your poisonous animal tid-bit needs some updating. i seen more red back spiders hanging from power lines and sprawling trees than your article would lead a person to believe. the red back, also known as the black widow, is all over sydney and surrounding suburbs.
you should also add something about the obnoxious cockatoo skreetch…
and anything that comes in between two ‘hamburger style buns’ is, indeed, a burger – chicken burger, fish burger and not to be confused with chicken sandwich and/or fish sandwich.
fair dinkum!”"
That comment about the burger is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I have news for you Americans invented the hamburger! A hamburger consists of groundbeef grilled or fried between 2 pieces of bread! That is the criteria and the short term is just a Burger! This also means hamburger! Once could have a cheese burger. Note that if one were to have a cheese burger one would get not a sandwich with just cheese but one with grilled ground beef topped with cheese. The easiest way to see how foolish your comment is would be to admit that using your rational you would be required to call a peice of boneless chicken breast between 2 pieces of bread or a bun a chicken hamburger!!! this is because you are trying to replace the ingreadiant in the burger with chicken however if you look carefully at the word hamburger you will note that not one piece of ham goes into it!! Everything besides grilled ground beef between bread is a sandwich! Oh by the way Filete is pronounced Fill-eh Not Fill-ett. its a word with a french root. Do you say Fill-ett Minion??? hmmmmm yeah I didn’t think so! Food for thought.