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I'm an Aussie, so my answers will be through that "filter".
Religion. Aussies generally keep their religious views private. There are, though, many very religious Australians, and many folk send their kids to schools run by religious organisations.
Tolerance: Yes, and most Aussies tend to view opinions on the "big things in life" as personal views to be respected. But Aussies do love to argue though, including about politics. It must be the Irish influence.
Quality between the sexes: Australia was the second country in the world to grant women the vote. The answer, though, probably depends a lot on what you consider "equality" to mean, and your broader social views. But overall, probably as "equal" as any western country.
Aboriginals. In Australia its a complex issue. There are many very successful aboriginals who are celebrated. But most Aussies are genuinely frustrated that the huge amount of money poured into Aboriginal welfare over decades doesn't seem to have improved things for some indigenous Australians (particularly those in remote areas), or not to the extent most would want. That frustration can at times lead some to look for someone to blame.
Social assistance programs: More than the US, but nowhere near the levels of Europe. In Australia being on welfare generally has a social stigma associated with it, and welfare programs are slowly but surely being wound back. But I suspect we don't have anywhere as many people who have "fallen through the cracks" as you'd find in the US.
Capitalist? Yes, although many hold a suspicious view of big business. Aussies love large houses, having an SUV and/or boat, and most dream of being their own boss.
The environment and climate change? You'll find the same spectrum of attitudes that you'll find in places like the US. We just voted out a federal government that introduced a carbon tax. But most expect the new government to still address climate change, although not in a manner that negatively impacts the economy (wishful thinking?).
This post made me think of how there are quite a few broad "mentality" simillarities between Australia and Canada. (I am quite familiar with Oz BTW and spent quite a bit of time down there.)
That said, on a cultural level, Canadian are much more similar to Americans when it comes to most things: food, music, clothes, sports, TV, movies, theatre, literature, etc.
Canada is totally in the U.S.'s cultural orbit (to the point where it often struggles to have its own stuff on its own turf), whereas Australia is more of a combination of homegrown Australian stuff with major doses of U.S. and U.K. culture mixed in.
One thing that Australians have in common with Americans (and different from Canadians) is that they are more cocksure about their own culture and so don't cringe (even though I believe "culture cringe" as a term was invented by Aussies) at partaking in typically Australian stuff, whereas in Canada many things which are uniquely Canadian are seen as tacky and unworthy of attention by a large segment of the population, and therefore eschewed in favour of American stuff.
....... One thing that Australians have in common with Americans (and different from Canadians) is that they are more cocksure about their own culture and so don't cringe (even though I believe "culture cringe" as a term was invented by Aussies) at partaking in typically Australian stuff, whereas in Canada many things which are uniquely Canadian are seen as tacky and unworthy of attention by a large segment of the population, and therefore eschewed in favour of American stuff.
AJ, re: the bolded part above, maybe that's the way you see it where you are?? I can't dispute it since I'm not familiar with your part of Canada and I have heard over and over again that the more eastern parts of Canada are more Americanized, but I don't perceive it being that way here in this province.
AJ, re: the bolded part above, maybe that's the way you see it where you are?? I can't dispute it since I'm not familiar with your part of Canada and I have heard over and over again that the more eastern parts of Canada are more Americanized, but I don't perceive it being that way here in this province.
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I'm in BC and agree with Zoisite. I'm curious Acajack, what things in particular are " tacky and unworthy " ?
In my travels I would say that yes, the perception in a lot of peoples minds is that the two countries are almost the same. In reality, no. Are they the closest, probably.
AJ, re: the bolded part above, maybe that's the way you see it where you are?? I can't dispute it since I'm not familiar with your part of Canada and I have heard over and over again that the more eastern parts of Canada are more Americanized, but I don't perceive it being that way here in this province.
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Well, I live in Quebec at the moment and with Newfoundland it is probably the biggest exception to the rule as there is an obvious positive bias here for homegrown stuff.
My comments are basically in relation to the other 8 provinces (I've lived in four of them and visited and even worked in a few of the others on occasion), which I guess could be called "mainstream Canada" (with QC and NL as outliers).
If you think that in mainstream Canada there isn't a reticence among a large segment of the population to embrace Canadian culture in the broad sense (television, movies, sports, literature, magazines, etc. - rock music might be an exception), and a wide perception that American stuff is "better", then it seems like we are not talking about the same place.
At all.
This is not to say that uniquely Canadian culture (broadly defined) is not making progress - things have gotten better.
But to suggest that there is a level of popular uptake in Canada for domestic culture at all levels that is similar to what you see in Australia... well, this is simply not true.
Well, I live in Quebec at the moment and with Newfoundland it is probably the biggest exception to the rule as there is an obvious positive bias here for homegrown stuff.
My comments are basically in relation to the other 8 provinces (I've lived in four of them and visited and even worked in a few of the others on occasion), which I guess could be called "mainstream Canada" (with QC and NL as outliers).
If you think that in mainstream Canada there isn't a reticence among a large segment of the population to embrace Canadian culture in the broad sense (television, movies, sports, literature, magazines, etc. - rock music might be an exception), and a wide perception that American stuff is "better", then it seems like we are not talking about the same place.
At all.
This is not to say that uniquely Canadian culture (broadly defined) is not making progress - things have gotten better.
But to suggest that there is a level of popular uptake in Canada for domestic culture at all levels that is similar to what you see in Australia... well, this is simply not true.
A resistance? No. Is it a battle? Yes. The issue isn't whether or not the ROC is not wanting Canadian culture, but whether it can be found in the tsunami of US media. The fact that it does survive and is growing says a lot.
Part of the issue with english Canadians artists of all stripes is that they have a bigger market in the same language and similar accents that they blend into. Many Americans and even Canadians seem unaware who is actually Canadian.
It gets tricky. Is Bryan Adams no longer Canadian culture since he lives in England? Are only stars who remain in Canada have success only in Canada Canadian culture, like Rita Mcneil ?
Is Celine Dion no longer part of Quebecois culture?
Australians are very similar to Canadians. The major difference is the accent. Australians still speak a Cockney-derived accent that is only starting to weaken/Americanize among people under 25. Canadians speak an accent that is basically a mildly Scottish/Geordie/Lancashire infused northern American accent, not much different from how many people in Washington and Minnesota talk.
Other than that I find Canadians and Australians very similar culturally. Especially British Columbians. They have British conventions, values and politics yet mostly consume United States pop culture. Over time both countries have moved closer to the USA and further from Britain but that might not always be the case - recently over the past 20-30 years they have become more part of the Asia-Pacific region.
How are Australian accents Americanising? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just wondering how something like that could happen to such distinctly different accents. I thought that maybe, if anything, they would be moving closer towards received pronunciation as they have been in much of England. I know Australians use many American words like "cookie", "truck", etc
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