Australia - Are we becoming Americans?

[kixsy]

That's cute lol isn't Sesame Street American?

 

[Pure Evil Inc]

Yes Sesame Street is American. Thus the need to get rid of it. It's educating Australian children with American pronounciation before we can get them to school.  

[kixsy]

Well sounds like a great start, maybe even to only have Australian shows? I don't know sweatdrop Whats the next step after that?

 

[DNA_Guru]

I watched Sesame Street as a kid and I don't sound like a Yankee.

Besides, over 50% of programming in Australia is Australian content. It is actually specified by law that it must be as it is.
We are lucky to have as many Australian TV shows as we do. If we look at say New Zealand, our neighbours consume over 80% of overseas content. You think we're in an identity crisis? Christ, think about the poor kiwis, they don't know where they are.
Speaking of Australian 'identity' in general; although language usage is a great marker of that and it does add to solidarity withing a community, it doesn't necessarily define who Australians are.
Look at the amount of immigrant families there are in the country, seriously, we're all immigrants bar the Aboriginals. That hardly puts down a hard basis for establishing a unified, 'national identity' now does it?
Our identity is formed by the people within it, we have a diverse, multicultural country and it's hard to say that being Australian is this.I'd go even further and say that it's wrong to say we are one thing.

Americanism, if we want to call it that, effects the world, it's just the cultural 'cool' of things.
Honestly though, we've got nothing on what the Americans have done to Japanese culture and cultural trends. Although there are many, many niches within Japanese society, the American brands and companies still maintain a high regard and are often seen as something to aspire to. Granted the experience of Japan is slightly different with the relative forcing of American cultural items upon them, but it is up to the people of one's nation to fully reject or accept something.

As it has been mentioned, it's pure marketing. If it sells, it sells.
Another thing on that point is that well, we attach the markers of "Americanism" to such articles of clothing, foods and etc. If we look at it from a marketing perspective, they are simply items that can be supplied to a market looking to use said item. The fact they're American or Japanese or Turkish doesn't seem to matter.

Although, if we go back to the issue of language, I don't think we have too much of a problem in that regard. There are many people in this country that speak in different ways based on the way they were raised. I tend to have a strongish accent myself, but compared to others I come across with some refinement. Why even my friend from Sydney here in Japan is often mistaken for being British.
Language is what you make of it often, and kids don't go bad just from watching television. Although it is an environmental aspect of growing up, there are far more other things that affects a child's life. Education is one, parents is the other. Yes, I've heard the argument of TV before school, but essentially I can see the accent being taken on from those closest to you, your parents. Both of my parents do not speak with much of a strong accent. My Father being from New Zealand had adopted an Australian pronunciation and my Mother has always been well spoken. Hence, I'm at where I'm at.

TV plays a part, but it's not the most significant part of an infants life.

We can only blame ourselves for the phenomena.  

[kixsy]

Thank God someone researched something lol I was so wishing I could come up with something like that. Just reading the start of it made my eyes water lol I actually do think these shows are great cultural education is some ways however I do feel that we are a little laid back about other cultural decisions in society...  

[DNA_Guru]

I studied this as part of my degree. I thrive on this kind of research and the kind of arguments "Americanization" raises. I'm almost considering it my duty to straighten out some misconceptions about identity, language and the like.

National identity is a big issue, something we always worry about. We like being different, we like being diverse. Everyone in the Western world at least aspires to be unique and different and set themselves apart from everyone else. (Generally speaking anyway)

It's natural to want to separate ourselves from the mainstream but well, maybe we're not the mainstream and we're fighting a losing battle. This is all but possible but it is up to us to make sure we keep our own identities. Group identity is a big issue is Australia it seems as we all love to call ourselves Australian. Hell, why else would we be in this guild. We, in comparison to a lot of nations, are overtly and almost bizzarely patriotic so it is thus far understandable that we feel threatened when what we think our country is, is changing.

But there's the point isn't it. We're only changing. Whether is be for the better or the worse, we're changing. We can't avoid it, it's a perpetual thing that will last forever as long as we humans think about it and exist.

There was a time when we considered ourselves proud to be part of the 'Empire' and loved 'our Queen' to the degree where we were all but British citizens. Now however that's obviously changed, although there are people who still indulge in the note of kinship with Britain. (I for one appreciate it)
But essentially we've changed from that and become proud of what we are, and I don't think we'll ever lose that to some arrogant bastards from across the pond. Just because they exist, doesn't mean we have to put up with it. We as consumers, as humans, control trends. If the populous is favouring hot dogs, then we're favouring hot dogs but then it changes to hommus, then we're looking to Arabic influences.

Look, what I'm trying to say is, trends die. I dare say with the death of the US as the major economic power our fear of Americanization will be allayed and we'll be facing the interesting task of what I will dub 'China Syndrome'.
We little guys always look up to the big powers in the world and it's inevitable it'll affect us a little bit. America will still be involved with cultural trends but I don't think it will be much more than how British TV affects Australia now.  

[kixsy]

Well, you got to me. I'd love to actually hear you at a seminar or something it would be much more interesting than reading it. I love to see the fire people have burning bright inside them about their passions. Being a uni student also I find any topic of research fascinates me and supplies a great deal of knowledge even if it only mean I open my eyes to greater topics and methodologies for my own research.

I have to agree though I think many people do not allow themselves to be educated by other nationalities and religions and instead only hold these prejudices however fantastical they may be. It is great that people such as yourself have the knowledge and passion to break down these barriers between cultures.  

[DNA_Guru]

Haha, if I'm any good at research I might conduct a seminar one day, but I appreciate the praise in any case.

Americanization and the Imperialistic nature of English are areas I'm quite interested in. I did an assignment on Americanization in Japan and I took a course on the Imperialism of English. I'm actually looking at doing the latter in a broader spectrum.

But yes, we just have to be who we are. Not that hard. American programming is hardly going to lull the Australian public in to thinking they're from the OC.  

[kixsy]

My impact on the world is that I hope to one day have my own company who design and build houses, interiors and furniture based on new ideas from designers or on request. I also hope that this organisation would support single parent and low or no income families by suppling such necessities as a charity.

Many people have different ideas on how the world should be or how it should be "fixed" and I know there is fault in most of my ideas but perhaps Australia needs to be the way it is because there is no one else who can be us. Australia is unique. I think there are parts of Australia that resemble parts of all kinds of different countries but thats what makes us Australia and we will never completely become America's twin only take from them what we want in our culture.

On the subject of lanquage though, I'd really like to study the Australian accent. Why do we sound the way we do and since we are not natives must it then be assumed that our accent is descendent of a foreign country or countries and therefore, altering it by intergrating other cultures would not be any different to what we have always done?  

[DNA_Guru]

That's a side of linguistics I'm not overly familiar with, but somehow with the introduction of different people speaking different accents, we've come up with something to call our own, something that sounds quite unique to our Region.
I'm not sure how it's done but the mish mash of Irish, Italian, English, German and whatever have you settlers have just made the accent that we have.
On the same token though we all have varying 'strengths' to our accent, as many do across the world. I consider myself to have a strongish accent, I never used to but it's just come about that way. My Sydney friend here for example speaks with an almost British pronunciation in some ways.

Speaking of which, I know we like to say we don't have regional dialects but for some reason I've found the way that lifelong Sydney-siders talk to be very typical of Sydney. I'm not quite sure what it is but I can pick up on it sometimes.

On the subject of culture though. Australia is a mash of different people with traditionally different ways of interaction and well, it gets fun sometimes. But with time we've managed to somehow meld what we have in this country, with our diverse people, and made something that is particularly, what one might call, 'Australian'.

As you made allusion to in your argument kixsy, I dare say it is because of our multicultural nature that we will never become the next little America. If we look at say Japan, which is the easiest thing I can comment on, we can see that well, there is one dominant people. The Yamato Japanese. They still get scared when they see Westerners sometimes, such is the xenophobic nature of the country.
I dare say this 'monoculture' may have actually made it easier for the Japanese to adopt pretty much all of American cultural items during the occupation after World War 2.
Japan however is a special case in that point and it is important to note that forced occupation doesn't really give one much of a choice when it comes to adopted new policies particularly in regards to industry.

If we look across the globe though, there isn't really any other country we can say that is 'Americanized'. South Korea might come the closes but it has similar reasons to the Japanese in terms of military co-operation and the like.
If we look to Europe though for example, or even Canada, there seems to be little 'Americanization' going on. It just seems a bit strange to me that we live in fear of 'Americanization' when we've already been 'Britishized', 'Greek-asized' and bloody well 'Chinese-asized'. Why the hell are we worry about Americans?  

[kixsy]

I am quite sure that America in general is a country to fear. Many people still complain to me about the American interferance and abnoxious attitudes to events and issues all over the globe. However good or bad the involvement, or how real this abnoxious attitude is, for a country to have so much power is definitely fearful.

The biggest part I think Australians fear is based on the world wide notice boards and what is said about America all over these boards. When travelling you are warned to be careful and to keep safe. You have to know how to tip properly and how to deal with strange people in certain streets like a man who jumped out at us one time in San Francisco. What we hear is usually something negative like American's being overweight. We hear these things because they are the major issues in America.

Another thing that may cause some fear is the population. If you exclude Alaska, Australia is actually slightly larger than America but with 10% of the population. Meaning we are outnumbered 10 to 1.

We are known as a fairly young country and being referred to this way can be fairly intimidating as we are assumed to need an "adult" to guide us. As we are very close to America it is expected that we will become "like" America and thus adopt both good and bad qualities. Being close to America doesn't help either as we are then compared to them. Even the city of Perth has been called the "Dallas of Australia", Sydney the "New York of Australia", and Melbourne the "Boston of Australia".

There are many things people may fear about America and these are just a few. I believe our fear will either be what pushes us away from America and makes us who we are or it will be what makes us truely paranoid. With most things if you believe it well enough it is likely to happen such as superstition, If you think you will have bad luck for walking under a ladder it is likely you will cause yourself to have bad luck. My step-mother when marrying my father refused to get married on the 13th day of the month for fear of a ruined day, however, the date she chose it rained right up till the moment of the ceremony in which the sun came out whick was lucky in a way since it was an outdoor wedding.

Nevertheless, I believe we fear what America is and the power they have not entirely the culture we may or may not adopt. In the end it us our choice to adopt these cultural details and we will always be Australia no matter what does or doesn't happen.

In relation to my accent... I was always told I sound Canadian but again perhaps I picked it up off my teacher who was teaching me Italian and who is from Canada himself. Then you may be correct about the English you pick up. I watch alot of romantic movies and many these days include English actors or actresses. In the same way sometimes I chose to speak more formally and polite because of the influence of such studies as Jane Austen.

I may also be picking up the accent from my sister who for the last 4years has lived in Englend and its surrounding territories with her husband who is from there. At the same time you should know my voice is quite diverse and I tend to pick up accents just from speaking to certain people. When I travelled to America I seemed to blend in almost immediately and was never considered to be Australian as I sounded so American. Perhaps one day you can hear my voice yourself and tell me what you think.  

[Aaila le stick]

What is it to be Australian other than living here? Before we worry about becoming something else we have to realise what it is that makes us special so different, and i'm sure it's a bit more than just a few brands  

[kixsy]

I love Aussie brands though. I'm hoping one day to represent Australia as a furniture designer. *dreams*  

[DNA_Guru]

Aaila le stick

What is it to be Australian other than living here? Before we worry about becoming something else we have to realise what it is that makes us special so different, and i'm sure it's a bit more than just a few brands

But why is it that we have to make ourselves that much more unique? Sure we're politically known as 'Australia' but there are few things that set us apart from the rest of the world bar our Geographical location.

Australia is always going to have a bit of an identity crisis due to the fact that everyone in the country is an immigrant bar the Aboriginals. We don't have solid foundation to make ourselves a truly unique identity. We don't really have the history. Sure there are bits and pieces about Australia we can generalise that we all tend to have, but it's not really such a great thing to day. What I've learnt from my studies and just from life in general, you can't generalise so much about one culture or country.  

[kixsy]

That is such a heavy realisation for someone to carry. You are almost removing the history from the culture. Our history is what has let to the culture we have. You are almost claiming the majority of us homeless simply because we are not Aboriginal descendants. What does this say about us? Native Australian descendants have adapted to the same culture whether by force or integration but either way today's Australian culture consumes all nationalities. Many countries welcome immigrants and happily accept new citizens. Australian culture is purely Australian no matter how general that is or isn't. We may have picked up a few things from other people and all Australians are different, but aren't all people different? We welcome variety and without variety we would not be true Australians.