Anonymous asked: Not everyone is the same, but what would you say are general differences you've noticed between Australians and Americans?

Hmm.  Interesting question.

I’m sure if I thought about it for longer I could come up with more, but a few points come to mind..

  • The Australian sense of humour is quite different to the American in that Aussies are more into deadpan irony.  Our sense of humour is much dryer than the Yanks (what Aussies affectionately call Americans. :) ).
  • Americans are geared towards celebrating individual success, whereas Australians have a thing called the Tall Poppy Syndrome, which is both a blessing and a curse in that it keeps us humble and grounded, but at the same time it is stifling because if you stand out from the crowd and are successful, you will be cut down to size.  At its worst it fosters a culture of mediocrity, and it’s why so many successful Australians leave.
  • Australian’s generally have a finely tuned bullshit radar, whilst Americans have a tendency to get swept up in propaganda and are a lot more publicly overtly emotional and prone to hysteria … (e.g. political rallies, the Oprah show, etc)  In Australia it is frowned on to show much emotion… there is a stoic “harden up, princess” attitude, which makes it difficult for those of us who are naturally more sensitive/emotional to thrive and you would probably have to pay people to turn up to a political convention, let alone to hear the Prime Minister speak in person.
  • Spelling!  And sometimes grammar.  Aussies use English English.

All in all though, I’d say Australians and Americans are as similar as we are different.  If that makes any sense.

Anyone got any more?