For different reasons, both Australians and Americans are a little uncomfortable with stereotypes being used to define the characteristics of their respective cultures. However, just like the accent that each uses to speak the common language of English, there are some subtle differences that can be used to distinguish Americans as a group from Australians as a group.

For example, the author of this article was once giving a presentation to an Australian university class. To explain the difficulty of building a patriotic image for a brand in Australia, he draped an Australian flag over his shoulders and struck a pose as if looking at the sunset in an American aftershave commercial. Noting that the class looked unimpressed, he took the flag off his shoulders and enthusiastically polished his arse with it. The class started laughing.

He then asked if anyone was offended. A chorus of nos went up. A lone voice said that, although he wasn't offended, he was disappointed. The lecturer, who had previously worked for the defence forces, gave the presentation a distinction. If the same thing had been done in America, expulsion from the university would have been a distinct possibility.

It should be stressed that it was not a liberal arts class full of 18-year-olds that had an ideological opposition to everything. It was a post-graduate marketing class full of students that should have been able to appreciate the pragmatic benefits of respect, loyalty, teamwork, and constructive thinking.

Unlike Australians, Americans (like most of the world) do not find polishing one's arse with the national flag to be an act of hilarity. For Americans, not only does it show a lack of consideration to the values of others, it also shows an innability to appreciate the benefits of a group working together to achieve a common goal.