Australia - Are we becoming Americans?

[Sleep Beauty]

Hmm, I really hope there is no other topic like this.

Anyway, too my point. Probably as most Aussie's have realised that Australia is becoming more and more Americanized as the years pass. And good-ol Johhny Howard is almost doing whatever Bush is telling him too.

I have actually met Americans that thought Billabong was American (although it is American ownded now..but hello!! B-I-L-L-A-B-O-N-G!!) Not that I have anything against America, I don't. I just fear we are loosing our Nationality! We are loosing what we are, our TV's are products are all being over run by American products.

It's sad. I made this thread because I want to know what everyone else thinks? Lets have a discussion....

 

[Beautiful Grotesque]

I was just thinking about this subject the other day. I picked up a book that is purely fictional but it really seems real, like it could actually happen. I think it is called Underground. It is such a good book though. I'll find the title and author. I think it really puts things into a different light and some things that are happening now make sense when you look at it from the books perspective. 3nodding

 

[Frog Juice]

You forgot Arnett's being bought out by an American company as well sweatdrop

I agree about the Billabong thing. That really annoys me. This when do Americans have cool words like Billabong anyway? xD. It does annoy me when Australian things are taken over by a company from anywhere that's not Australia, not just America.

The other thing that sort of gets to me is the amount of American content on TV and stuff. Yeah I know they make good programs, but I doubt any other country is as dominated as we are in that respect. We're bloody lap dogs.

I also don't like some of their culture seeping in. What's with all the wiggers and gangs around? Wearing bandanas and caps on backwards with your pants around your knees is not a cool look! It really annoys me when I see that sort of thing. To me it's like they have no imagination whatsoever and have to copy that sort of thing.

Sorry I was ranting sweatdrop but the Americanisation (notice I use an "S" instead of a "Z"? xD) of Australia is something that really gets me fired up.  

[WellzY]

I'm sort of sick of this topic.

Yes, we're drenched in American culture, but then so is most of the world anyway, given they're still the worlds only super-power. But it really doesn't help considering our shared past and herritage, which makes our bond naturally stronger than with most other countries.

The affects are pretty strong, but at the same time, we're still distinctly Australian, and always will be. There is something about the Austrlian culture that's unique to us. I can't really put it down to any one thing, considering culture covers so many avenues, but I feel its there.

I'd still love it if the culture soaking was thinned out a bit though. And I want my Arnotts back. gonk  

[scruffy012]

yeah this is doen to death, even for the OAG, even more done to death than my drunken rants around the place...

hey live with it... hell one day america will callapse, and then we an laugh at them, hell they gave us the bold and the beautiful, but we gave them neighbours.... at least there is some sort of spark, no matter how lost it is , in the B&B....

and yes soapies suck arse...

hell it wont take much to kill america, off its just they havent pissed the world off enough yet to cut off all its imported produce... lets see how long they will last then without any foodstuffs coming in...

but yeah, some day, the brits, dutch, chinese, and japanese will take over americas spot in the world... and we'll have the remains of antarctica...  

[Sleep Beauty]

@ bohemian - That book sounds interesting, i'd like to see it.
@ Frog Juice - Ugh. I hate that pants around your knees look. Kraft was also australian aswell (but I think it was bought by Germany), I had to explain to my Canadian friend (who thought it was canadian) that even though they sell Kraft products in Canada, there is no way that Vegemite would exsist if at some point Kraft wasn't Australian owned.
@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.
@ Sruffy012 - Wow...that kind of scared me. I don't think the Americans will ever be invaded/taken over because they have a huge army. Unless all the countries in the world make up a huge army...although there is alot of innocent people that wouldn't deserve that to happen to them.

-has now confused herself-

 

[Beautiful Grotesque]

*Pats Sleep's head* Don't fret now. We all confuse ourselves at some point or other. xd Anyways the book is called Underground and it is written by Andrew McGahan.

 

[WellzY]

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.  

[Sleep Beauty]

WellzY

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.

Yeah, I guess your right.
But I am looking forward to coming home in January and to see our Australian (even though the are Americanized) ways.

@ bohemian - lol. I manage to confuse myself all the time. That book sounds familiar.

 

[Frog Juice]

WellzY

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.

I wish we would model our country more on the European (namely Scandenavian) countries rather than America, if we had to model someone. The culture, the history, the people, the attitudes and the governments, to me anyway, seem like a far better model.  

[Sleep Beauty]

Frog Juice

WellzY

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.

I wish we would model our country more on the European (namely Scandenavian) countries rather than America, if we had to model someone. The culture, the history, the people, the attitudes and the governments, to me anyway, seem like a far better model.

Yeah. I totally agree.
This year I am living in Europe, its in Scandanavia.
Denmark actually. And they have a really good goverment system.

Please Vote For Me In the Arena!

 

[Frog Juice]

Sleep Beauty

Frog Juice

WellzY

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.

I wish we would model our country more on the European (namely Scandenavian) countries rather than America, if we had to model someone. The culture, the history, the people, the attitudes and the governments, to me anyway, seem like a far better model.

Yeah. I totally agree.
This year I am living in Europe, its in Scandanavia.
Denmark actually. And they have a really good goverment system.

Please Vote For Me In the Arena!

I had a couple of friends who spent a year in Denmark on exchange and they said it was just amazing. It was better in the way the government was and the way the laws were. And peoples' attitudes were different and better. Another one went to Switzerland and loved it.

I'm so jealous of the fact that you're living there. I've always wanted to visit there.  

[WellzY]

Frog Juice

WellzY

Sleep Beauty

@ WellzY - I know what you mean, but Australia as a whole is alot more Americanised compared to Europe. I have lived in Europe for a year and it is not as bad as in Australia.

I hate you, but yes that doesn't surprise me. As a young nation with little cultural herritage compared to Europe, we quickly look for a role-model, and which better rolde-model than the US? It's just unfortunate that the good comes with the bad.

I wish we would model our country more on the European (namely Scandenavian) countries rather than America, if we had to model someone. The culture, the history, the people, the attitudes and the governments, to me anyway, seem like a far better model.

I could not agree more. Their attitude in a lot of areas is always inspiring of something better.  

[xiridian]

:] At the end of the day, we're only just over a hundred years old, in terms of federation. Most cities are only about a hundred and fifty. We're still finding our way amongst the western/first- world countries.

America is a useful ally, and the time will come when that comes in unbelievably handy. Yeah, the nation is fair ******** up now, and them dragging us into the Gaza Strip isn't helping any either.

But we don't have enough strength on the global scale to say no. We can't afford to say no, if we're gonna' have the national support we need to keep climbing the ladder. The best we can do is what we're already doing - strengthen and develop allies where we can (Timor, NZ, Japan, all those indian-pacific nations) and gradually maneuver ourselves into a position where we will be able to stand up.

America's a bully that is under the hand of a democratic system which doesn't work. It may be a superpower now, but in the next twenty to thirty years, their position is going to change significantly. They're pushing too hard on the rest of the world, and the other nations won't take it much longer. We might not be able to stand up, but others can - and when that happens? Australia will be ready to become a serious contender.

On a lighter note! XD

Their TV is crap, but really. It's not like we can produce much better. The entertainment industry out here isn't large enough; it also needs time to grow. They have hundreds of channels, PA TV (public access, think The Princess Diaries or the Simpson's episode with the Venus diMilo gummi), thousands of artists and scriptwriters and producers. We're the puddle to their swimming pool.

:] Gotta' grin and bear it, though it does suck incredibly. Give me British crime any day. Or sport. That's good too.

 

[DaveOZ]

American television is such a terrible thing, im SICK of all these stupid reality shows, Amercan Idol, Australian Idol, You think you can dance, all those survivor shows, australian princess, etc etc rolleyes


We need more australian comedies, omg how about a decent sitcom? none of this over the top, someone dies all the time neighbours cr$p we have now evil