DNA_Guru
Okay, on that reasoning we should be as much British, French, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Greek, Canadian, German, etc as we are American. They are all 'western' nations, why isn't our influence being gained from them.
What do you refer to by culture stuff? Australia is reknowned for it's multiculturalism so why is that we are somehow being conformed to an American culture?
In Melbourne, there are more Greeks than any other city other than Athens, why is it then we do not so much have their influence?
I really think Television is a poor excuse for arguing a culture shift, there has to be more than that. I'm sorry but Television only just doesn't cut it.
FIlm almost all of the popculture generated for a mainstream english audience comes form the east coast of America, Aussie filoms haven't really been given the reward they deserve untill reacently, did anyone hear about 'Birthday boy'?. and yes we are multicultural, I agree that is why i don't fully view this country of ours as Americana now with more relaxation, but the seaping of Ideals, products, Rolemodels and methods are starting to borrow heavily from The great new world, Spelling.
The greeks don't shout their influence as loudly with media saturation, eg Germany has ALOT of Turkish workers however the only obviouse change to their culture has been Kabbab shops showing up in smalltowns as Starbucks' show it in picadilly Square alone (sometimes asmany a 3 to a single Block). some of our pulp magazines are renames of others, or strait imports of which only one or two come from Brittan. If you yell that you can do something the loudest then everyone will think of you when they need it done, the greeks don't force their culture on us asmuch as America can becouse they has the means to do it.
If you learn english, in most countrys it is almost enforced as trhe first foreighn language that they learn from 1st grade you eather learn form a Brittish language course or an American Language course, mostly the later seems to be spread further, as such it unevoidably indoctrinates traices of that culture into the students, like having a North or south Korean course, this is mainly shown in the accents the stundents will have after learning with it for some time.
In my oppinion wich i know was lost in that shpeal is that we are Australia, an Identity that can and will roll with teh punches throuwn at it from the global village, but it seems to me that most of those punches that are thrown have an Americanizing after affect, and that is the change. Yes we have French Pattiseries, Chinese Yum Cha, Brittish desighned pubs (not all have gone for the soul-less stainless steal look) and verging on Korean LAN centres, but this is but a part of our australian identity that is suplimented with American stems, not entirly but it's imput seems larger then that of the other cultures, because even though we are of English origan, we have shed or dimmed alot of the ideas and mannerisms that we had when we first landed, manners (wich we are all starting to lose), love of the queen (some of us want to be a rebublic), and the accent. We are no longer truely brittan and as such we are lookingh around for a new modle to build ourselves to and thus we found america, becouse it barked the loudest, but we are incorporating all of those British, French, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Greek, Canadian, German, etc ideas and people with it. Australia is a seperate country but it has to has similarities with other countrys and not everyone is going to wanna have a Barbique with Beer, some want a Cosmopolitan in a stainless steal and neon bar.
