Politics Is Australia becoming too obsessed with US political culture?

[Pessimistic]

which is why someone like Tim Smith needs to be told to stfu or lose his seat. That is, if we don't want US style politics permeating here.

‘he can look at that ‘Australian conservatives” dud who I struggle to remember his name ec]ven

 

[Pessimistic]

I think as others have mentioned, it gets stupid when we try to find our own versions of what happens in America, even bad things.

I mean regarding watching the Last Dance and Michael Jordan seeing how something like that could relate to AFL or have stories told in a similar way is more interesting than anything, and be a positive thing is we can get docos like that made here based on AFL.

Now when we get these getting these George Floyd situations it’s like the far left are desperate or jealous even we don’t have anything like that to be outraged about.

So we get false equivalents like lots of aboriginals in prison and dying in custody. Issues aboriginals have aren’t remotely comparable to those of African Americans, completely different set of circumstances.

In terms of a racism problem in Australia and America, the difference is as stark as our covid19 numbers.

‘the project was entirely this today. It is the most pressing concern in Australia today I suppose

 

[Kwality]

‘the project was entirely this today. It is the most pressing concern in Australia today I suppose

You lost me.

 

[Evolved1]

US politics have been the source of frequent high quality comedy routines ever since Dubya took charge, with an 8 year intermission. Trump is quite possibly the greatest comedian of all time.

 

[Blue1980]

‘the project was entirely this today. It is the most pressing concern in Australia today I suppose

Just looking to find what we can get that angry about?

Seems much of the media believe we are just another state of the USA.

 

[kober3742]

I agree with the gist of this, but it sort of takes another tangent. However, people will always have hobbies and specialisations. Someone from Australia will be obsessed with some soccer league in Romania. They might be an expert in Chinese politics. They might produce a Scottish kind of cheese. Etc. The media is a bit different, it has to be accessible and informative and interesting to a wide audience, but Australians having an obscure interest in the politics of foreign countries for pure hobbyist/academic interests is always going to be a thing. It doesn't mean you'll go harping on about it in everyday life or social media or anything, but a small minority of Australians being an expert in the presidency of James Madison is to be expected. Just like you could probably fill a room of Americans obsessed with the Prime Ministership of Malcolm Fraser. Maybe Americans are less likely to relate to this? (the cliche of the world knowing more about a hegemony such as the USA than typically vice versa).

And to also pretend that the US doesn't seek to influence Australian politics and life with some quid pro quo would be naive as well. See Australia's current fraught tug-of-war between US & Chinese influence, and also regarding other matters of intervention, ideology, vested interests and sovereignty from the Middle East to South East Asia. To completely ignore foreign politics is to run blindly on some of your own foreign and domestic policy.

I know next to nothing about Australian politics. Can you expand a little more about our affect on Australia, because frankly I dont see it? Please provide specifics so I can learn about this. I for one certainly do not want you to emulate a lot about American life.

Once thing is concerning about the Australian interest in American politics. I am hoping that you dont judge the country by its government. Most of us are not racists, most of the US population did not vote for Trump. By taking an interest in American politics, I am concerned that Australians will equate US politics with all of us. I watch sports, work my job, play board games with my wife, watch Netflix and am a volunteer with the teenagers at church. There are more of us normal folk than others that seek to claim moral superiority. We have some good people over here

All the best to Australia! Stay active in your politics.

 

[frank boi]

Yes aus is becoming More and more obsessed with American culture and politics in general we should distance ourselves from those Bone heads as much as possible

 

[Pessimistic]

Interesting as in comparison, US politics is right v even further right. That our right wing is actually called liberal would confuse the americans too.
and yes, all the US folk I know are just regular and likeable people.

 

[kober3742]

Yes aus is becoming More and more obsessed with American culture and politics in general we should distance ourselves from those Bone heads as much as possible

Hi, It is not bad to follow some aspects of US culture. By all means, if you like our sports, music, tv and movies that is great. Dont imitate our governance necessarily. However, you have a lot of good things going in Australia, dont worry about our governance

 

[frank boi]

Hi, It is not bad to follow some aspects of US culture. By all means, if you like our sports, music, tv and movies that is great. Dont imitate our governance necessarily. However, you have a lot of good things going in Australia, dont worry about our governance

Your arguement is nit picky and biassd.

I won bye bye now

 

[Kwality]

I know next to nothing about Australian politics. Can you expand a little more about our affect on Australia, because frankly I dont see it? Please provide specifics so I can learn about this. I for one certainly do not want you to emulate a lot about American life.

Once thing is concerning about the Australian interest in American politics. I am hoping that you dont judge the country by its government. Most of us are not racists, most of the US population did not vote for Trump. By taking an interest in American politics, I am concerned that Australians will equate US politics with all of us. I watch sports, work my job, play board games with my wife, watch Netflix and am a volunteer with the teenagers at church. There are more of us normal folk than others that seek to claim moral superiority. We have some good people over here

All the best to Australia! Stay active in your politics.

A good example of the American influence is in our sport, in Aussie Rules footy referred to here as AFL, a body that was formed in 1990, where commentators have introduced quarterback to the game , one national commentator insists on 'selling candy' to describe play when candy in Aus is commonly called lollies.
Nothing major but in the 80s it was referred to as cultural cringe, people wanting/needing Aus to be Europe or the UK, now its the USA. A form of insecurity is my view.

Another example is sections of our media very keen to see the Floyd saga in terms of our indigenous people when they know the US equivalent is the American Indian.

As a churchgoer you would be a rarity in Australia. Whilst Christianity is widely adopted in name not necessarily practice & there are people quick to criticise, more usually because they dont accept religion & are keen to put down anyone or anything vaguely related, a claim to a finer level of intelligence rather than moral superiority.

I agree with you over the ordinary people both here & in the US, in the wider world.

 

[kober3742]

Your arguement is nit picky and biassd.

I won bye bye now

Hi Frank, I am not sure where we disagree. I cant defeat your argument since I am not based in Australia and it would be dumb to think I know more than you. I am not trying to win an argument, just to get people's thoughts. thank you for your input.

 

[kober3742]

A good example of the American influence is in our sport, in Aussie Rules footy referred to here as AFL, a body that was formed in 1990, where commentators have introduced quarterback to the game , one national commentator insists on 'selling candy' to describe play when candy in Aus is commonly called lollies.
Nothing major but in the 80s it was referred to as cultural cringe, people wanting/needing Aus to be Europe or the UK, now its the USA. A form of insecurity is my view.

Another example is sections of our media very keen to see the Floyd saga in terms of our indigenous people when they know the US equivalent is the American Indian.

As a churchgoer you would be a rarity in Australia. Whilst Christianity is widely adopted in name not necessarily practice 7 there are people quick to criticise, more usually because they dont accept religion & are keen to put down anyone or anything vaguely related, a claim to a finer level of intelligence rather than moral superiority.

I agree with you over the ordinary people both here & in the US, in the wider world.

From an Australian perspective, how do you all view the race issue we have in the US? I have read about some Aboriginal biases in Australia, but am not sure how rampant that is. Unfortunately racism is somewhat an incurable issue in our world. All the best to you

 

[Admiral Byng]

It is a bit of a train wreck watching it all unfold. The death and collapse of a superpower under the weight of it's own failing political system. For all of the grand words and intentions of the Founding Fathers, they got things wrong, but later generations were unable to change in good time and in good order to prevent chaos and bloodshed. They may have seen off the Russians in the cold war, but won't last much longer themselves.

 

[Kwality]

From an Australian perspective, how do you all view the race issue we have in the US? I have read about some Aboriginal biases in Australia, but am not sure how rampant that is. Unfortunately racism is somewhat an incurable issue in our world. All the best to you

Fair to say Australians are aghast at both the incident & the subsequent rioting.

Our treatment of aboriginal people has a very patchy history more akin to the US treatment of American Indian, e.g reservations, living standards, health & education. We have nothing to be proud of, paternal & well meaning, basically a fail to date, work in progress where throwing money at it does not fix it.

 

[Gethelred]

A good example of the American influence is in our sport, in Aussie Rules footy referred to here as AFL, a body that was formed in 1990, where commentators have introduced quarterback to the game , one national commentator insists on 'selling candy' to describe play when candy in Aus is commonly called lollies.
Nothing major but in the 80s it was referred to as cultural cringe, people wanting/needing Aus to be Europe or the UK, now its the USA. A form of insecurity is my view.

Another example is sections of our media very keen to see the Floyd saga in terms of our indigenous people when they know the US equivalent is the American Indian.

As a churchgoer you would be a rarity in Australia. Whilst Christianity is widely adopted in name not necessarily practice 7 there are people quick to criticise, more usually because they dont accept religion & are keen to put down anyone or anything vaguely related, a claim to a finer level of intelligence rather than moral superiority.

I agree with you over the ordinary people both here & in the US, in the wider world.

Used to be that the commentators could draw reference from within the sport; draw attention to someone playing the traditional kick behind, or playing a mosquito fleet, etc. Now, you've got people reaching to NFL and basketball for their sporting terminologies, and it shits me to tears.

Have the knowledge of your own sport to describe it in its own words, instead of leeching creativity from other codes you find more interesting. Hey, maybe that's what we could do with the current commentator problems, send them all to America to commentate the sport they'd prefer to be watching.

 

[Gethelred]

From an Australian perspective, how do you all view the race issue we have in the US? I have read about some Aboriginal biases in Australia, but am not sure how rampant that is. Unfortunately racism is somewhat an incurable issue in our world. All the best to you

I can't tell you how all of us saw it, but I see you all - the collective you, not necessarily you personally - as flaming hypocrites who are able to dissonance your way out of the inconsistencies that should plague you. How can you stand for human rights and democracy when you maintained Guantanamo for a decade and overthrew democracies in Iran and Chile? How can you call yourselves the land of the free or your borders open to all seeking a better life, when you routinely imprison the poor, locking them into wage slavery, and you criminalise those coming from Mexico despite their work ethic and their desire for that better life?

Mind you, we can hardly speak; we have racial issues of our own up to the wazoo. But the idea here is, when you talked to an Aussie about it, we kind of owned up to it when it happened; "Yeah, you're probably right." But when you talked to an American, it seemed the response we got was defensive or outright aggressive; who are you to have an opinion on us?

Sorry if this post seems a bit aggressive, or accusatory. Part of my problem is the above paragraph has started to change here; where once people would have owned their mistakes, acknowledged their fault here, now we're getting that kind of pugnaciousness and determination to never be seen as at fault. It's happening while our culture is being steadily diluted by the influx of everything American via internet and TV, film and news. Australia is becoming more American in this way, and I don't like it very much.

 

[Godchin]

Australians are obsessed with Yanks full-stop. Or more specifically, obsessed with getting them to notice us, our country and our "culture".

The most pertinent example (in regards to this being an AFL forum), is whenever our game is shown to an American audience. Despite the fact that it's usually a little 2 minute segment on some midday sports show on ESPN 7000 that's syndicated in regional Wyoming, it still makes the front page news here. Look at the attention that Pat McAfee fella got here for talking about the AFL after round 1 when all the US professional sports were cancelled. Australians were creaming themselves in celebration due to the Big Strong American man talking about our little country and our little sport.

There's nothing more cringeworthy than a self-hating inner-city Melbourne lefty who starts talking like a tradie from North Queensland (ironically the type of demographic that this person would despise) whenever the presence of a Big Strong American is detected. Yeah nah, we call our mates campaigner and we call campaigners mate. Yeah nah, heading down the pub to get a VB mate yeah watch out for the bloody spiders, everything here's tryna kill ya mate yeah nah i'll grab a bunnings snag on the way back ay. Maybe if I amplify our cultural lingo to the nth degree, I'll look so absurd that The Big Strong Americans will have to notice me and my country!

Australia is a cultural wasteland and all we have left is an inferiority complex that we try to overcome by getting the attention of Big Strong Americans by any means necessary.

 

[Kwality]

I can't tell you how all of us saw it, but I see you all - the collective you, not necessarily you personally - as flaming hypocrites who are able to dissonance your way out of the inconsistencies that should plague you. How can you stand for human rights and democracy when you maintained Guantanamo for a decade and overthrew democracies in Iran and Chile? How can you call yourselves the land of the free or your borders open to all seeking a better life, when you routinely imprison the poor, locking them into wage slavery, and you criminalise those coming from Mexico despite their work ethic and their desire for that better life?

Mind you, we can hardly speak; we have racial issues of our own up to the wazoo. But the idea here is, when you talked to an Aussie about it, we kind of owned up to it when it happened; "Yeah, you're probably right." But when you talked to an American, it seemed the response we got was defensive or outright aggressive; who are you to have an opinion on us?

Sorry if this post seems a bit aggressive, or accusatory. Part of my problem is the above paragraph has started to change here; where once people would have owned their mistakes, acknowledged their fault here, now we're getting that kind of pugnaciousness and determination to never be seen as at fault. It's happening while our culture is being steadily diluted by the influx of everything American via internet and TV, film and news. Australia is becoming more American in this way, and I don't like it very much.

Its the America we see on our screens, but not my experience of ordinary Americans I've got to know, e.g an email from a friend (a business acquaintance of 20 years) advising of a WA kid that was to play basketball at St Marys his local club in San Francisco, Patty Mills transitioned thru St Marys) - a plain ordinary good bloke who shakes his head at politics, sport is the bond that continues our friendship.

Spot on though of people owning a mistake. Not sure we pass the blame to the US.

 

[Gethelred]

Its the America we see on our screens, but not my experience of ordinary Americans I've got to know, e.g an email from a friend (a business acquaintance of 20 years) advising of a WA kid that was to play basketball at St Marys his local club in San Francisco, Patty Mills transitioned thru St Marys) - a plain ordinary good bloke who shakes his head at politics, sport is the bond that continues our friendship.

Spot on though of people owning a mistake. Not sure we pass the blame to the US.

Passing the buck is hardly an American only sin, I do agree. What I'm talking about is more specific, the kind of thing that has people refuse to see or acknowledge their own hypocrisy in order to retain their self righteousness.

That is something that, historically speaking at least, has been an American trait; the denial of any hypocrisy whilst simultaneously retaining the moral high ground, no matter what is done in your name.

 

[Monkey King]

Australia is having black lives matter rallies.

I think the answer is yes.

 

[Jammer]

Yep, Bang on from the OP. I was wondering how long before the BLM would be appropriated here in Australia.

Plenty of media opinion fanning the flames. I see the Guardian have video of an aboriginal boy being arrested
and what they describe " slammed face first to the ground" Not a great day for the cop concerned, but an amazing
coincidence with the timing, language and video should fit the narrative of the outlet so succinctly.

 

[Navyblues09]

Quite amazing, you can’t have a few hundred people attend a local football match spread out around the ground, but its fine for over 15,000 to cram together to protest something that’s got nothing to do with them?

Loved the spokesperson on the news saying any issues will be because of the police. If I was VicPol I’d be preparing to fine everyone who attends, 15,000+ fines, a nice $25million boost to state coffers!

 

[Sydneyfan]

Yep, Bang on from the OP. I was wondering how long before the BLM would be appropriated here in Australia.

Plenty of media opinion fanning the flames. I see the Guardian have video of an aboriginal boy being arrested
and what they describe " slammed face first to the ground" Not a great day for the cop concerned, but an amazing
coincidence with the timing, language and video should fit the narrative of the outlet so succinctly.

I don’t know … perhaps the cop could have handled the situation in a professional way rather than reacting like a thug to a kid mouthing off? I’m certain the teen was mouthing off and being a shit but really you’ve got to be as thick as shit to be a cop seeing what’s happening in the States, seeing that you’re being filmed and still have no qualms whatsoever about pinning the kid’s arms and sweeping his legs so he hits the ground headfirst - it could easily have been a much worse outcome for the kid and by extension the cop. In a State where they shut down nightlife over one-punch attacks no less. Makes me think this behaviour is more or less muscle-memory for the cop and a regular occurrence- just this time it was caught on camera.

But, as the Police Commissioner and Minister seemed to be convinced he’s just a good cop having a bad day copping nasty abuse from a teen lucky to be weighing 50kg by the looks of it.

432 Indigenous Australians have died in custody in the past twenty years after a Royal Commission into black deaths, in which not one cop has ever been prosecuted for - and which gets bugger all media attention. But it’s all just a coincidence- yeah, it is a coincidence, one that happens many, many times every day.

 

[Kwality]

I don’t know … perhaps the cop could have handled the situation in a professional way rather than reacting like a thug to a kid mouthing off? I’m certain the teen was mouthing off and being a shit but really you’ve got to be as thick as shit to be a cop seeing what’s happening in the States, seeing that you’re being filmed and still have no qualms whatsoever about pinning the kid’s arms and sweeping his legs so he hits the ground headfirst - it could easily have been a much worse outcome for the kid and by extension the cop. In a State where they shut down nightlife over one-punch attacks no less. Makes me think this behaviour is more or less muscle-memory for the cop and a regular occurrence- just this time it was caught on camera.

But, as the Police Commissioner and Minister seemed to be convinced he’s just a good cop having a bad day copping nasty abuse from a teen lucky to be weighing 50kg by the looks of it.

432 Indigenous Australians have died in custody in the past twenty years after a Royal Commission into black deaths, in which not one cop has ever been prosecuted for - and which gets bugger all media attention. But it’s all just a coincidence- yeah, it is a coincidence, one that happens many, many times every day.

Abuse is one thing, copping it goes with the job description, threats? I dont care if black, white or have red hair .....