to wonder what, culturally speaking, australia has ever given the world?

[workstostaysane]

really.
apart from neighbours, peter carey and patrick white?
anything?

A place to dream about emigrating to, and all of the above

Surely WTSS you are just jealous of the carefree and enjoyable lifestyle that is painted of Australia - I know I am

'good things to do in Perth'

may I suggest meeting up with the Wongster for a nice chat on all things to do with AUstralian culture

nothing i'd like more mrsJC, I'd even bring my own Barossa valley.

lowfat. i'd love to see the country. it does sound extraordinary geographically, but i quite like life in the uk tbh. it would take a lot to move me.

Hmm, Wongster will have to read this thread post for post and make a proper assessment, it is slightly patronising and sneering.

yes
that's why I wanted her to meet YOU
as I knew you'd sort it all out

this is a genuine question suzywong and mrscusack,
the Op may have sounded sneering but from my point of view, there is no reason on earth to say that culturally Aus has offered little to the world, but only that I don;t know what it has. The lightness of the OP was to draw attention but also because the UK and australia have always had a playful relationship with each other about what they are good at and crap at.

Anyway my question is this: unless you thought the answer was 'nothing', why would you take offence? some posters suggested that if aus had been replaced with nigeria or poland then it would have been called racist, but poland and nigeria have offered loads to the world so why is asking that question racist? surely if you assume the question is offensive, the only thing you are saying is that you think that there is nothing to reply - not that the person asking the question thinks there is nothing.
someone posted that they thought it funny that people in the uk think it a cultural wasteland but that the biggest immigrant group to oz in from the uk. does that not clearly make the point that people don't think its a wasteland, but rather the opposite?

thats long winded, but i hope you get what i'm asking. as i say its a genuine question and not intended to cause offence.

the problem is that it's an oft-repeated cliche and Australians hear a lot of it and they just get fed up. Same as those of us in NZ get irritated with hearing the old story about how it's all sheep here. It just get a bit old when you hear it a lot.

I don't take massive offence TBH, hence why I've been taking the piss back a bit but I can see why people do. Also it's easy to forget about the non-European people here. And if you don't go haha how funny, then you appear to be lacking a sense of humour or getting chippy, which is also quite tedious

I know this thread is light hearted, but don't be too suprised when people take offence

Nice try at a recovery WTSS, but don't you think it would have been more honest to say that you just like the attention and being the op on a thread that gets plenty of replies?

Why don't you just ask something like: AIBU to wonder why people continue to have children when the environment is already being ruined by over-population?

well lots of replies is always nice. but as with your other post AS, it doesn't really add up. As you have researched so thoroughly, there are plenty of posts of mine that have very few replies and only 2 that have a lot. both happen to be subjects i am interested in, so lucky me.

sitting bull where would you have posted? I am of the opinion that all posters in the AIBU threads are being unreasonable, but that doesn't make the question any less genuine.
but the question remains, unless you felt that the answer to the original Op was 'nothing' - why would you take offence?

mrscusack, i see that the Op may have been said before and therefore qualify as boring, but noone said that. the objections were that it was offensive. but you certainly have a point

How about medical breakthroughs... would they count as culture? e.g. cervical cancer vaccination.

Australians do not have to justify Australia being a great country - it's just the way it is. Anyone who has travelled to or lived in other countries will tell you that.
I'm not going to comment any further on what others have said, but I'd like to add another great Australian success story.
John Pauline, the Australian born architect who designed The Water Cube in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

(This is an old thread btw, I remember us all being outraged the first time).

However, Australia is a great country. I've lived in many and it's one of the best. It's not perfect of course, nowhere is, but I'd much rather be here than any other English speaking country.

Traffic wardens are buggers though. I thought London was bad until I got here.

Cold Victoria Bitter and Cold Chisel ?

Wine!

"arse antlers" for those tats in the small of the back.

A sterling piece of Antipodean slang.

The Aussie 18 footer sailing dinghies are just incredible machines - great for blasting around Sydney harbour in . Not very cultural though - plays to their sporting strength.

The Australian Ballet

Russell Crowe is from New Zealand and Mel Gibson was born in the USA.

Sydney Opera House was designed by a Dane, Jorn Utzon.

Pat Cash

Staffylover, it was the Australian Government that commissioned Utzon, an incredibly bold move back then. Mel Gibson emigrated to Oz when he was 12 and Russell Crowe when he was 4 so I think it's safe to say their formative years were in Australia.

I haven't read the thread but I find it pretty staggering that anyone can even ask the question. What other country which was settled less than 250 years ago and has a population of under 20 million has produced global leaders in acting, painting, poetry, writing, architecture, medicine, science and dance?

Australia's food has also played a key part in transforming London's restaurant scene. Conran employs mostly Australian chefs and people like John Torode have been incredibly influential.

I once knew a very gorgeous man from down under, he was the best bloody export I had ever seen!

Australia has produced some of my favourite films ever. they tend to be quirky, funny and much more thoughtful than US films:

• Strictly Ballroom
• Muriel's Wedding
• Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
• The Castle
• The Piano
• Shine
• Moulin Rouge
• Rabbit Proof Fence
• Jindabyne

I LOVE all those films and I am sure there are many more that I have forgotten.