Australia: an American's view
Interesting set of
observations from a visitor from the other side of the Pacific.'Value what you
have and don't give it away.'
There's a lot to admire about Australia,
especially if you're a visiting American, says David Mason. More often than you
might expect, Australian friends patiently listening to me enthuse about their
country have said, ''We need outsiders like you to remind us what we
have.'' So here it is - a small
presumptuous list of what one foreigner admires in Oz.
1... Health care. I know the controversies, but basic
national health care is a gift. In America, medical expenses are a leading
cause of bankruptcy. The drug companies
dominate politics and advertising.
Obama is being crucified for taking halting baby steps
towards sanity. You can't turn on the telly without hours of drug
advertisements - something I have never yet seen here. And your emphasis on prevention - making
cigarettes less accessible, for one - is a model.
2... Food. Yes, we have great food in America too, especially
in the big cities.
But your bread is less sweet, your lamb is cheaper, and
your supermarket vegetables and fruits are fresher than ours.
Too often in my country an apple is a ball of pulp as big
as your face.
The dainty Pink Lady apples of Oz are the juiciest I've
had. And don't get me started on coffee.
In American small towns it tastes like water flavoured
with burnt dirt, but the smallest shop in the smallest town in Oz can make a
first-rate latte.
I love your ubiquitous bakeries, your hot-cross buns.
Shall I go on?
3... Language. How do you do it?
The rhyming slang and Aboriginal place names like magic
spells.
Words that seem vaguely English yet also resemble an
argot from another planet.
I love the way institutional names get turned into
diminutives - Vinnie's and Salvos - and absolutely nothing's sacred.
Everything's an opportunity for word games and everyone's
a nickname.
Lingo makes the world go round.
It's the spontaneous wit of the people that tickles me
most.
Late one night at a barbie my new mate Suds remarked,
''Nothing's the same since 24-7.'' Amen.
4... Free-to-air TV. In Oz, you buy a TV, plug it in and
watch some of the best programming I've ever seen - uncensored.
In America, you can't get diddly-squat without paying a
cable or satellite company heavy fees.
In Oz a few channels make it hard to choose.
In America, you've got 400 channels and nothing to watch.
5... Small shops. Outside the big cities in America
corporations have nearly erased them.
Identical malls with identical restaurants serving
inferior food.
Except for geography, it's hard to tell one American town
from another.
The ''take-away'' culture here is wonderful.
Human encounters are real - stirring happens, stories get
told.
The curries are to die for. And you don't have to tip!
6... Free camping. We used to have this too, and I guess
it's still free when you backpack miles away from the roads.
But I love the fact that in Oz everyone owns the shore
and in many places you can pull up a camper van and stare at the sea for weeks.
I love the ''primitive'' and independent campgrounds, the
life out of doors.
The few idiots who leave their stubbies and rubbish
behind in these pristine places ought to be transported in chains.
7... Religion. In America, it's everywhere - especially
where it's not supposed to be, like politics.
I imagine you have your Pharisees too, making a big
public show of devotion, but I have yet to meet one here.
8... Roads. Peak hour aside, I've found travel on your
roads pure heaven.
My country's ''freeways'' are crowded, crumbling,
insanely knotted with looping overpasses - it's like racing homicidal maniacs
on fraying spaghetti.
I've taken the Hume without stress, and I love the
Princes Highway when it's two lanes.
Ninety minutes south of Bateman's Bay I was sorry to see
one billboard for a McDonald's.
It's blocking a lovely paddock view. Someone should
remove it.
9... Real multiculturalism. I know there are tensions,
just like anywhere else, but I love the distinctiveness of your communities and
the way you publicly acknowledge the Aboriginal past.
Recently, too, I spent quality time with Melbourne
Greeks, and was gratified both by their devotion to their own great language
and culture and their openness to an Afghan lunch.
10. Fewer guns. You had Port Arthur in 1996 and got real
in response. America replicates such
massacres several times a year and nothing changes.
Why?
Our religion of individual rights makes the good of the
community an impossible dream.
Instead of mateship we have ''It's mine and nobody
else's''.
We talk a great game about freedom, but too often live in
fear.
There's more to say - your kaleidoscopic birds, your
perfumed bush in springtime, your vast beaches.
These are just a few blessings that make Australia a
rarity.
Of course, it's not paradise - nowhere is - but I love it
here.
No need to wave flags like Americans and add to the
world's windiness.
Just value what you have and don't give it away.
I agree 100% with this article (except for maybe #4... What "best programming" have they been watching??) and think it sums up some of the differences perfectly. I will also add a few of my own thoughts:
11. Work/Life Balance- Australians get minimum 4x weeks paid holiday a year. It is encouraged! In the states, we got 2x weeks a year and were made to feel guilty if we took the entire 10 days. Australia also gives significantly more parental leave:
Australian maternity leave: the primary carer of a newborn or adopted child get up to 18 weeks' leave paid at the national minimum wage
Australian paternity leave: Eligible working dads and partners (including same-sex partners) get 2 weeks leave paid at the national minimum wage (however John's boss took 3 months...so that is the minimum)
The U.S. is still one of only four nations in the world that fails to guarantee the right to paid maternity leave.
12. Gap year/travel- Australians are some of the most well traveled people I've ever met. Maybe because they are so far from the rest of the world (or maybe because they get 4x weeks holiday a year?!) but they really do get around! Most students do a "gap year" between high school and college where they travel. They apply for uni their senior year and then defer a year until they get back from their travels. I recently met a lady whose daughter and 20x friends/classmates (!!) were in Europe for the year.
14. A little more on the gun thing. I didn't really have an opinion on gun control when I lived in the States. I actually probably leaned to the "whatever- if a person wants a gun, fine, let them have a gun" side. But since living here, my views have changed drastically. You can't argue with statistics.
