Aibu to wonder about the perception of life in Australia?

[TheVoiceWithin]

im British living in Australia.
Everybody seems to think the Australian way of life is constant BBQ's/swimming with dolphins/working 10hrs a week and bringing home $300k a year. Everybody spends everyday at the beach. Nobody can't surf. Etc.
It's ridiculous. So, Aibu to wonder what gives people this idea?

Is it the TV shows? I've seen wanted down under (once) and I have to admit I was a bit at the whole thing, because the particular family hadn't seemed to have done a bit of research, figured out they'd be financially worse off AND she'd have to go back to work too. but they wanted to go anyway. But couldn't because neither would qualify for a visa anyway. if not that, then what?

I'm always amazed when I read the racism comments about Australia. I didn't experience much until moving to the UK . I do not deny there is racism but I think it depends on where you live and in which circles you travel. Here in UK I live in a rather red neck area, to be fair,

To be fair though, the people who colonised Australia were white Australians. Don't point the finger at people whose ancestors stayed in Britain and Ireland and had nothing to do with it.

Crikey, that's a new one.

By the way, I went to a health induction day where I was about to work, (aboriginal health), and we went through a cultural awareness session with the aboriginal staff. The British newbies were in tears as they were so unprepared for the attitude towards them. It was really full-on.

OMG 100xxx YES
One more thing. To the pp who were lamenting the lack of culture in Australia, how unfortunate for you that you could not find anything of interest from within the oldest continuous culture on Earth.

@SuperBeagle it easy to dismiss casual racism and a denial of how the colonial past and also government policies towards aboriginals has caused a legacy of deprivation when your not a victim of it. Let's all carry on as normal then as it didn't affect me, I can just go surfing and have a bbq

I'm not sure if that was directed at me, or at toad, isitfriday? I haven't denied Australia's colonial history.

It is very doubtful that your average Joe toiling away in the metropole had any notion of what was going on in the colonies. The origins and maintenance of empire were the doings of the privileged elite.

As a working class northerner there's no way I'm taking on any colonial guilt... and one doesn't need to have even half a brain to realise that not all Australians are racist etc.

Wow @toad your ignorance is astounding. Do you really believe 'white Australians' colonised Australia

You should do a little reading on the subject.

Obviously no one is saying all Australians are racist or that anyone should feel colonial guilt. It's about actually working to overcome stereotyping and acknowledging this still exists and very much so in Australia!

It would be seriously weird if people judged life in Australia from Neighbours. Would be like judging typical life in the UK from one English based drama like Coronation Street or Downton Abbey.

Life isn’t perfect anywhere you live and there are some issues in places that need facing up to wherever you go. Having lived in Aus for a brief time I found experiences in Tasmania vastly different from those in Sydney and Melbourne ~ not just because of the population mix, but because of the rural versus urban attitudes and the differences in climate.

There are also huge disparities between the life expectancy and infant mortality rates when comparing aboriginals with the rest of the Australian population. It's sad that people can turn a blind eye to this just as long as they are able to live the Australian dream.
To do a comparison with the uk I understand there are many people living in poverty here but the levels of this in the indigenous communities of Australia are really astounding even the World Health Organisation have investigated this www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/4/08-020408/en/

I'm Irish but dont live in Irl/UK/Aus but I've travelled for work for years & worked with a lot of people from Aus, along with spending periods of time there. Every Australian friend I had said how Australia is the best country etc etc and also were all quite arrogant, the only australians I knew who weren't racist were the ones who were half something else and had endured racism themselves. I'm not saying they're not nice people as they are lovely! Plus, it IS expensive there it's ridiculous the price of food over there & I don't buy processed products! Drinks also very expensive and the restaurants & pubs close so so early. Beautiful country, but far less character than Europe, and the US.

Wow Iloveabiccy that really added to the quality of the discussion.

Now we're all arrogant too based on meeting a handful of people.

Maybe our drinks cost more but we also get paid more.

Great thread. Just don't come to Australia then, fine by me.

Wasn’t planning to. Snakes and crocodiles and massive spiders and raging bush fires threatening cities and ghastly heat and that accent - are just some of the things that wouldn't enhance my lifestyle.

IClavdivs

rocketgirl "horrid houses"

Could you clarify, please?

Oh come on, surely you must know. The words “bland”, “featureless”, “no historical provenance” might help.

Wasn’t planning to. Snakes and crocodiles and massive spiders and raging bush fires threatening cities and ghastly heat and that accent - are just some of the things that wouldn't enhance my lifestyle.

Yes, because those things are clearly a daily threat to the lives of all Australians. My lifestyle has not once been impacted by any of those, but continue to live on in your ignorance.

Sister has lived in Aus for the last 30+ years.

She lives near a fantastic beach. When we went there on our last visit she turned to her DP and said: "how come we hardly ever come here?" She often says that people forget you still have to get up and go to work and pay your bills if you live in Australia.

However she was moaning about how inconvenient something or other to do with her pool was. I took the piss with fake sympathy and she said she forgets the pool is a luxury as so many people have them there.

Racist? DSis comes out with stuff I would NEVER say - or think! - in a million years. We have had the same upbringing, the only difference is where we have spent the last 35 years. (Oh and the early learning centre sells gollywogs.)

Wasn’t planning to. Snakes and crocodiles and massive spiders and raging bush fires threatening cities and ghastly heat and that accent - are just some of the things that wouldn't enhance my lifestyle.

😂😂😂

Ok then. I gotta go now. There's a fire outside my window and I need to get out. Trouble is the crocodile at my back door is wrestling a wallaby, and out the front a 100 brown snakes are lying in wait. Anyone know what I should do? Maybe I'll just throw a shrimp on the barbie and wait for death.

Right, so because Aussies are arrogant because unlike the English who are embarrased to be be openly proud of their fine country, we openly take pride of being Aussies and are appreciative of living in such a beautiful country.

So every Australian is a racist unless they have a mixed background....

And as well as your obvious contempt and stereotyping ,you put down our accent ... but oh no, you’re not racist....

We do have a lot of modern homes but we do have old Victorian houses as well. Not only that we have gorgeous colonial style homes. However in your ignorance, not even they would have any character.

Bitter much?

Rose suppose you like terrace after terrace of houses looking the same apart from different door colour. Nope, that's not bland (and boring)

Australia's lovely in many ways but not without its faults. You have to work hard

This made me lol because it's quite accurate. I lived in Australia until I was late 20s and when I migrated to the UK I was genuinely shocked at how little work was actually expected of people. I didn't even work in particularly difficult sectors, but tertiary education still had fairly high expectations of my work output. Came here and got a temp job in the NHS and could not believe how little I had to do to get paid...I got so bored at work I would deliberately eat loads of carrots when I got home so that each morning at work I could kill 30 minutes with a big poo. To be fair this was a very low level temp job in the NHS, but when I went back to aus for a holiday and got a temp job doing the exact same thing there, I was re-shocked at how hard they expected me to work.

Why is it that threads about Australia always turn into slanging matches between the pro and anti factions? Australia is a very 'Marmite' country, I get that, but I don't understand the vitriol that always comes out with Australia is talked about.

This made me lol because it's quite accurate. I lived in Australia until I was late 20s and when I migrated to the UK I was genuinely shocked at how little work was actually expected of people. I didn't even work in particularly difficult sectors, but tertiary education still had fairly high expectations of my work output

OMG this couild have been me posting/...er. except for the poo bit.

I've stayed in Aus for a longish period.
People don't go out in the lovely weather. It's too hot and to dangerous because of the risk of skin cancer.
It has horrible insects and animals that can kill you.
It's too far away from anywhere. I can drive for 6 hours in Europe and change culture, architecture, money (ok not so much these days), food, language, scenery.... several times. In Aus I wouldn't even have reached the next city. So not only is it isolated as a country, people in the country are isolated from each other.
The TV is crap - loads of v old BBC programmes.
There is nothing historical to see older than 200 years. The Aboriginal people leave little trace of themselves.
It's becoming very Asian - which is not a racist remark, just an observation for people who think Aus is "Britain in the Sun".
There is no Amazon next day delivery - the country is too big with too few people to make it viable
The centre is becoming a dumping ground for toxic waste.
You can only safely swim in designated spots because of sharks.

Give me Europe any day.

Oh, and the concept of equality for women doesn't seem to have reached Aus yet. Aussie men are very macho and a woman's place is generally in the kitchen.