Joined: Aug 03, 2006 Posts: 4319 Location: Graceland
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: I think it is a good idea to move from Australia to USA.
While all of the Aussies are in the same room, what is the biggest difference between someone from Australia and someone from New Zealand?
Is there a rivalry, are there significant cultural differences, is there a difference in standard of living?
Is there like an Aggie joke equivalent that Australians tell about New Zealanders, or vice versa?
I have known people from both countries, but I've never asked.
BTW, people from down under are almost always liked in the U.S. How are Americans perceived down there? Are they liked? Disliked? Does anyone notice or care? Are they considered fat, ugly and spoiled hegemonists?
I would say that Australians and New Zealanders are probably the most readily liked foreigners in the U.S. I can't think of another country whose people are viewed as positively in the U.S. _________________
Joined: Dec 28, 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: I think it is a good idea to move from Australia to USA.
Ludi wrote:
What's libertarian about a carbon tax? Don't libertarians want "the market" to decide everything?
Well pure Libertarians might not like a carbon tax, but even they would agree that it's preferable to income tax! A tax on consumption provides much better incentives than income tax. The BC carbon tax will be revenue neutral, so any money raised as a result of it will result in a corresponding income tax reduction.
Joined: Dec 28, 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: Re: I think it is a good idea to move from Australia to USA.
BigTex wrote:
While all of the Aussies are in the same room, what is the biggest difference between someone from Australia and someone from New Zealand?
Is there a rivalry, are there significant cultural differences, is there a difference in standard of living?
Is there like an Aggie joke equivalent that Australians tell about New Zealanders, or vice versa?
I have known people from both countries, but I've never asked.
BTW, people from down under are almost always liked in the U.S. How are Americans perceived down there? Are they liked? Disliked? Does anyone notice or care? Are they considered fat, ugly and spoiled hegemonists?
I would say that Australians and New Zealanders are probably the most readily liked foreigners in the U.S. I can't think of another country whose people are viewed as positively in the U.S.
Thanks for the compliment about Aussies in the US!
The differences between Australia and New Zealand are similar to the differences between Canada and the US. Like Canada, New Zealand has a smaller population than it's nearby neighbour, and also has been economically weaker over recent history. As a result, New Zealand has suffered, to a certain extent, the same brain drain to Australia that Canada has suffered to the US. Kiwis also seem to have the same kind of underlying inferiority complex towards Australia that a lot of Canadians have towards the US.
Kiwis generally have a better sense of quality of life than Aussies. Money isn't the be all and end all to most of them. I think a lot of the old time values, like thrift still permeate NZ society, whereas they were erased from Aussie culture back in the 80s. NZ has one of the highest qualities of life anywhere in the world.
The histories of Australia and New Zealand also account for differences seen today. Australia was a penal colony for a long time, and I think a lot of that old blue collar camaraderie amongst the convicts underlies Aussie culture today (albeit now with a heavy dose of consumerist culture). NZ was never a penal colony, and they are in my opinion a more reserved bunch today as a result.
No Aggie joke equivalent between Aussies and Kiwis that I'm aware of. We have Tasmanians for that in Australia
Aussies views of 'Yanks' are mixed. I think a lot of older Aussies don't like the way American culture has taken over. Younger conservative Aussies tend to think really highly of Americans in general. Most left leaning Aussies have a reflexive, irrational dislike of Americans. That said, you definitely won't encounter any outright hostility just because you're American in Australia. Aussies are a curious bunch, so most people you encounter there will be interested in you, regardless of their bias one way or the other towards Americans in general.
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject: Re: I think it is a good idea to move from Australia to USA.
I find it less comfortable to live in the U.S. with each passing year and have frequently considered if moving to a place like Austrailia would be a good idea at some point. I don't recommend it here at all. The political climate is very uneasy. People don't understand that between the crime, the attitude of the inhabitant, and the dramatic loss of rights we've experienced have made this country an uncomfortable place to live compared to places like Canada, Austrailia, and many European countries. There is the coming war with Iran and possibly North Korea to consider as well, don't doubt it we will probably be at war with Iran within a few years.
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