Do Australians consider their culture closer to Britain's or America's?

Hi I live in Sydney. I would say the Australian culture is more British than American. Australia doesn't want to be viewed as being Americanised. Some examples that come to mind: we don't celebrate Halloween. We use British English not American English e.g. mum not mom, Autumn not fall, socialise not socialize etc. We have strict gun laws like Britain. We write day/month/year like Britain. Our stores aren't open 24-7 like America, but I wish they were! We don't have massive stores like Walmart. We use a lot of British terms too, like, biscuit. To Americans a cookie is what a biscuit is to Australians. So I definitely think we are more British, but we do not like to admit it!!

Sydneysider wrote:

Hi I live in Sydney. I would say the Australian culture is more British than American. Australia doesn't want to be viewed as being Americanised. Some examples that come to mind: we don't celebrate Halloween. We use British English not American English e.g. mum not mom, Autumn not fall, socialise not socialize etc. We have strict gun laws like Britain. We write day/month/year like Britain. Our stores aren't open 24-7 like America, but I wish they were! We don't have massive stores like Walmart. We use a lot of British terms too, like, biscuit. To Americans a cookie is what a biscuit is to Australians. So I definitely think we are more British, but we do not like to admit it!!

Thank you! And howdy from the States. No offense at all, and I think the resistance to Americanization is great. Personally I hate to see my own culture flood the world and drown out everyone's native culture. I think Aussies are generally very well liked here in America. We think you're great! Thanks again, mate!

the Australians (except aboriginals who are native to Australia) are mostly descended from the British criminals, back then the British took their criminals to Australia because it was like a prison, too much ocean to escape.

there is a joke among Australians they sent us to heaven and stayed in hell.

shockingly the crime in australia is fairly low now.

imagine if we sent all our criminals to a big land mass, i would expect it to be total anarchy, survival of the fittest, always having to look over your shoulder, not being able to trust anyone.

yet Australia is a civil and law abiding country for the most part, to me this is one of the worlds great mysteries.

Their customs are more like Britain (language such as "queuing up", etc.), but their personalities are more like Americans (boisterous).

Doug the most common surname in my state is Nguyen, no, most Aussies aren't descended from 19th century British convicts.

Melbourne has either 2d or 3d biggest Greek population behind Athens and possibly Thessalonika. Huge numbers of people of Indian, Chinese,, Italian, "Yugoslavian", Lebanese, Vietnamese origin populate Australia.

I would think we still have more British tendencies than American. I think we relate well to the Irish, similar humour. The generation before me (born 1959)was very much British, the generations after me have far more American influences.

Personally, I can't relate to either British or American culture very well.

And yeah Doug I do come from old British convict stock.

It is no mystery unless one thinks crime is inheditary.

Besides, many of the people sent to Australia were

Scottish and Irish fighting the English. And it wasn't a country governed by the rule of law,

Sydneysider wrote:

Some examples that come to mind: we don't celebrate Halloween.

Not sure what part of Sydney you're from, but I've seen kids trick or treating in every part of Sydney I've lived.

Lived there for 7 years (it was a long time ago), but I'd say Australia was closer to the US and New Zealand is closer to Britain. In addition, Australia has become more of a melting pot than the US ever was.

My ancestor was arrested for stealing a silver butter dish and sentenced to death, commuted to transportation.

Most of those transported were low level opportunistic thieves trying to survive. Here in the land of Oz many found new opportunities other than stealing.

mo'pak wrote:

Doug the most common surname in my state is Nguyen, no, most Aussies aren't descended from 19th century British convicts.

Melbourne has either 2d or 3d biggest Greek population behind Athens and possibly Thessalonika. Huge numbers of people of Indian, Chinese,, Italian, "Yugoslavian", Lebanese, Vietnamese origin populate Australia.

I would think we still have more British tendencies than American. I think we relate well to the Irish, similar humour. The generation before me (born 1959)was very much British, the generations after me have far more American influences.

Personally, I can't relate to either British or American culture very well.

And yeah Doug I do come from old British convict stock.

Ockers!

Sydneysider wrote:

Hi I live in Sydney. I would say the Australian culture is more British than American. Australia doesn't want to be viewed as being Americanised. Some examples that come to mind: we don't celebrate Halloween. We use British English not American English e.g. mum not mom, Autumn not fall, socialise not socialize etc. We have strict gun laws like Britain. We write day/month/year like Britain. Our stores aren't open 24-7 like America, but I wish they were! We don't have massive stores like Walmart. We use a lot of British terms too, like, biscuit. To Americans a cookie is what a biscuit is to Australians. So I definitely think we are more British, but we do not like to admit it!!

This is all very interesting, but do you like your beer icy cold or somewhere between moderatly cold and warm?

More to the point, Aussies for the most part of really crappy beer. In this way, they are different from both American and the British, of which both countries have available decent beer.

My recent trip to Australia was a great frustration. I had heard that the Aussies loved their beers, so I went there expecting lots of good beer choices. Much to my dismay, while I did have lots of choices, they were all cheap yellow beers. Finally one day I did find a really high end restaurant that had some additional styles of beer that was actually drinkable. By and large however, restaurants only have junk beer available.

Sydneysider wrote:

We don't have massive stores like Walmart.

You have Target and that is pretty much the same thing as Walmart.

hey, someone try to write a more patronizing paragraph - it'll be like a contest.

I'm ducking out - I don't have the skillz for that kind of high level creative writing.

Sydneysider wrote:

We use a lot of British terms too, like, biscuit. To Americans a cookie is what a biscuit is to Australians. So I definitely think we are more British, but we do not like to admit it!!

So what do you call an American biscuit? Like, if you went to Bojangles and got a sausage biscuit what would you call that?

If you don't have American biscuits over there, I suggest you start a restaurant serving them, immediately.

mo'pak wrote:

Doug the most common surname in my state is Nguyen, no, most Aussies aren't descended from 19th century British convicts.

Consequent does not logically follow from antecedent. You lose. And you suck at grammar, Mr. Comma Splice.

Instagram No Filter wrote:

So what do you call an American biscuit? Like, if you went to Bojangles and got a sausage biscuit what would you call that?

If you don't have American biscuits over there, I suggest you start a restaurant serving them, immediately.

The nearest thing to an American biscuit in the English speaking former colonies that were granted independence, is a scone.

Australians drive on the wrong side of the road like the British.