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Yes, the common language makes the differences more apparent. It's a mix of being able to really understand the media, plus misunderstandings caused by using words that should mean the same thing but don't.
The key difference between the three countries is community vs the individual. The UK and Australia value the community, the US is all about the individual.
Really? I just don't see it. Having lived both in the US and Australia, I'd say they care more about the individual. The UK and Australia are NOT groupist/collectivist societies, unlike many asian countries.
Australia has Universal Health Care which conservatives in USA hate. University education in Australia is subsidised unlike USA and Australia has better Public Transportation. It is not like USA.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by BIMBAM
Anglo Canadians and Australians do indeed share alot in common, and I think it's accurate to say that on the whole there's more similarity to Canadians them to Americans. However, this doesn't always hold true. For example, I think Australians share a certain brash, irreverent attitude with Americans that differs quite markedly from the Canadian character.
Yes we're more like Canadians than Americans, but Americans and Canadians are of course closer to each other (as are Aussies and Kiwis). We're definitely still a lot more influenced by Britain than Canada is though for the most part.
Really? I just don't see it. Having lived both in the US and Australia, I'd say they care more about the individual. The UK and Australia are NOT groupist/collectivist societies, unlike many asian countries.
I was comparing those three countries, not any others. Look at Ayn Rand, try and find the Libertarian party in Australia. Really push your average Australian on the topic of dole bludgers and discover that, really, very few (sociopaths) are in favour of cutting them off entirely and letting them starve.
Yes we're more like Canadians than Americans, but Americans and Canadians are of course closer to each other (as are Aussies and Kiwis). We're definitely still a lot more influenced by Britain than Canada is though for the most part.
I think Canadians and Australians are more similar than Canadians and Americans. Look past the accent and the geography, and there's not much that's similar between America and Canada.
I don't really see much of a difference. Australians insist that there is a huge difference but I think that's mostly because they watch too much American TV and start to forget that it's fiction.
It's a bit ironic too because in the media, politics and higher education there are constant comparisons to the practice and policy in the US and UK (and occasionally Canada).
I could point out a lot of subtle differences in attitudes/demeanor or politics but then I could point out even bigger differences between living in Philly and living in Charleston. Or between the mid-atlantic and California or New England.
Quote:
Originally Posted by munna21977
Australia has Universal Health Care which conservatives in USA hate. University education in Australia is subsidised unlike USA and Australia has better Public Transportation. It is not like USA.
The right wing in Australia would love to cut social programs too. They just haven't figured out how to pull it off yet.
Higher education is subsidized in both countries but Australians don't go to university for free if that's what you mean.
Australia doesn't really have "better" mass transit. It has slightly higher transit ridership rates but it's not really an easy comparison to make because places like NYC and Boston are a good deal older than Sydney or Melbourne and while Boston is similar in size NYC and Chicago have enormous populations (and transit systems) by comparison . . . the entire population of Australia is roughly equal to that of Metropolitan New York. Brisbane's transit system certainly leaves a little to be desired and was a big step down compared to Philadelphia.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by Wild Colonial Girl
I think Canadians and Australians are more similar than Canadians and Americans. Look past the accent and the geography, and there's not much that's similar between America and Canada.
Eh, well from the Canadians I've met and what I know about the place, they are far more influenced by the US than even we are. Their pop culture is even more American dominated, many have family in the States have spent time there. Aside from having a British derived culture, legal system.etc, the average American and Australian are actually fairly different.
I don't really see much of a difference. Australians insist that there is a huge difference but I think that's mostly because they watch too much American TV and start to forget that it's fiction.
It's a bit ironic too because in the media, politics and higher education there are constant comparisons to the practice and policy in the US and UK (and occasionally Canada).
I could point out a lot of subtle differences in attitudes/demeanor or politics but then I could point out even bigger differences between living in Philly and living in Charleston. Or between the mid-atlantic and California or New England.
The right wing in Australia would love to cut social programs too. They just haven't figured out how to pull it off yet.
Higher education is subsidized in both countries but Australians don't go to university for free if that's what you mean.
Australia doesn't really have "better" mass transit. It has slightly higher transit ridership rates but it's not really an easy comparison to make because places like NYC and Boston are a good deal older than Sydney or Melbourne and while Boston is similar in size NYC and Chicago have enormous populations (and transit systems) by comparison . . . the entire population of Australia is roughly equal to that of Metropolitan New York. Brisbane's transit system certainly leaves a little to be desired and was a big step down compared to Philadelphia.
I would be far more interested to know how brisbane's public transport system compares to equivalent sized metro's in the us, the only city remotely comparable to Philadelphia in Australia is sydney even then we are still talking a much smaller metro. How would brisbane compare to say, Orlando, Cincinnati, San Antonio, Charlotte or Portland?
Last edited by danielsa1775; 03-28-2013 at 08:37 AM..
I don't really see much of a difference. Australians insist that there is a huge difference but I think that's mostly because they watch too much American TV and start to forget that it's fiction.
It's a bit ironic too because in the media, politics and higher education there are constant comparisons to the practice and policy in the US and UK (and occasionally Canada).
I could point out a lot of subtle differences in attitudes/demeanor or politics but then I could point out even bigger differences between living in Philly and living in Charleston. Or between the mid-atlantic and California or New England.
The right wing in Australia would love to cut social programs too. They just haven't figured out how to pull it off yet.
Higher education is subsidized in both countries but Australians don't go to university for free if that's what you mean.
Australia doesn't really have "better" mass transit. It has slightly higher transit ridership rates but it's not really an easy comparison to make because places like NYC and Boston are a good deal older than Sydney or Melbourne and while Boston is similar in size NYC and Chicago have enormous populations (and transit systems) by comparison . . . the entire population of Australia is roughly equal to that of Metropolitan New York. Brisbane's transit system certainly leaves a little to be desired and was a big step down compared to Philadelphia.
I don't think there are huge differences either. There are subtle things like Americans generally being more open to engaging with strangers but culturally I still don't think there's really much of a difference.
In regards to university education, while Australians don't go to university for free, a government sponsored debt doesn't require repayment until an individuals annual income is above $A49,000 and while indexed to the CPI it's not charged interest.
Mass transit doesn't exist in Australia as there are no cities which can justifiably support such a system. Cities here tend to be comparable to those you see in the Western USA, having developed in a similar era. The difference in PT use I think is that the CBD's in suburban cities here still have large daytime/workforce populations which are more easily catered for by relatively good public transport networks.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,034,272 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danielsa1775
I would be far more interested to know how brisbane's public transport system compares to equivalent sized metro's in the us, the only city remotely comparable to Philadelphia in Australia is sydney even then we are still talking a much smaller metro. How would brisbane compare to say, Orlando, Cincinnati, San Antonio, Charlotte or Portland?
For the most part, public transport in Australian cities is far better than equivalent sized cities in the US. I don't believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that Orlando or Cincinnati even have metro rail systems, whereas all our major capitals have and have had them for a long time now. I'm willing to bet Sydney beats just about every American city with comparable population (take Houston or Phoenix for instance) in terms of it's transport system (despite how criticised it is) except perhaps Boston.
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