Budawang

Canberra's a special case where most people work in the hierarchical public service and people will know how much you earn by your APS, EL or SES level - e.g. an EL1 makes $85K to $95K and an EL2 makes $95K to $115K etc. However, the big giveaway is telling someone which suburb you live in, whether you rent or own your own home and, if so, which year you bought your house. If you bought a decent house in one of the inner city suburbs before 2001 then they will know that your house would have almost tripled in value. Some people who missed out on the housing boom feel justifiably frustrated and envious. In my experience the kind of cars people drive or the way they dress doesn't mean anything.

I do find people are status conscious in that they like comparing themselves with others and this is accentuated by the homogenous nature of Canberra. However, there isn't a lot of snobbery. When I lived in the UK - admittedly a long time ago - there was real and entrenched snobbery.

MartinLuther

UK definitely.

I've yet to have a discussion on house prices here (outside of this forum). No one has ever asked how much our house cost, how close it is to a school, what sort of car I drive, etc...

People occasionally ask what I do but that's standard small talk.

ozzieeagle

Seriously, thats why I love the Inner North of Melbourne, it's almost like a contest that he who drives the daggiest car wins. The only people that go in for car oneupmanship around here are the young ethnic blokes.

I think Grayling needs to see a shrink

Wendy

I have actually experienced pretentious people in both countries.

The pretentious ones I met here all live in Mawson Lakes (which is very much a predominately Pommie Area), although there are quite a lot of other nationalities with the same kind of 'I'm better than you' attitude living there, including Aussies.

Since I moved to where I am now I have met no-one like that. Maybe that comes with the fact I live in a 'poorer' suburb though, they don't have anything to brag about

Bermudashorts

I have been asked where I live and what does my husband do in both places and as far as I can tell it has been out of interest or making conversation, not to assess my social status.

I have probably been asked where I live more times in the last three months since I moved to Australia than I have been in the entire previous 15 years, mainly by my colleagues, but I am a new immigrant, they all know this and I think are just trying to find something out about me so they can offer advice.

DeadVim

I'm too busy reading Kerouac to venture an opinion on such a pointless question, my time is far too valuable.

jad n rich

Yep OZ has them too.

Aussie Private school parents who make their kids wear the hideous checked ankle dresses at 8pm and saturday are rfie in OZ, Ohh look at us we can pay the fees.

Upmarket melb and sydney suburbs are full of oneupmanship, melb suburbs have some very snotty women, if MIL's dames were anything to go by

Noosa, where the price of your european loo ( erm so what ) says everything about the owner.

The aussie BBQ obsession with how much property you have and what its worth.

However in bogon suburbs its just the size of your plasma, or family bonus.

Amazulu

You obviously never went to one in SE England in the '90s or '00s. People there are truly obsessed with house prices - although this may have changed in the last few years considering the market there is f**ked.

How many Aussie property TV programmes are there? A few.
How many UK property TV programmes are there? Shitloads.

BadgeIsBack

Eh? We would

That's the problem with the public sector.

But Jad, how on earth can you hear what they are saying above all the noise of machinery?

Depends on what you mean by snotty peple. I've met some very focused people in Melbourne but they are not pretentious - they just know what they are doing which is far more interesting than the wringing of hands.

As I said before - they still have them - 'Escape to the Country'....full of plebs discussing 'aspect' and 'space'. I wouldn't mind people discussing house prices and design if they actually knew what they were talking about. The family we know with the daggy cars actually know a lot about design - and it shows! - but they keep a lid on how many investment properties they have.

MartinLuther

That made me laugh so much I almost spat my Kopi Luwak over the keyboard.

MartinLuther

I get the impression from TV programmes that Adelaide has more snobbery than other parts of Aus.

Margaret3

my experience also, lol, i came from a small , poor town in scotland, and people were impressed if you had a part-time job in tesco, now its all about the money, school, investemennt property, stocks and shares, its a completely different world in which i came from

quoll

Yup, Ainslie is now prime real estate thank goodness it was considered borderline bogan when we moved here.

I guess we shouldnt also drive a 32 year old volvo - people do care about such stuff and so did the kids when they were younger (and so was the car of course!)

Some of the people I used to work with were the most awful snobs: name dropping, telling you of every overseas trip, who they had to dinner parties, how much they got their latest xyz for, how much their new aircon cost etc, never bloody ending - not the current lot of work colleagues (charity) although one needs a smack in the face with a wet herring!

BadgeIsBack

But that is more a demographic and a move from a poor village to the bright lights of the city. My general view is that one man's pretense is just that -to a man lacking worldliness or exposure.

Pretense is more an issue of flaunting what you have when you don't know much about anything else.

Displays of interest in material goods, trips et cetera are all well and good if they are backed up with knowledge and interest and an interest in people and other things, and I daresay, consideration and taste.... perhaps that person with the Swedish washing machine is very kind, too.

Wendy

Couldn't tell you. I've never been anywhere else to compare

I think the worst person I know who is pretentious, is actually my cousin! She always has to buy the bigger car, or the better caravan, or go on the more expensive holiday (and yes she has a big house in Mawson Lakes)

Me being the type that really couldn't give a toss, just thinks it's pretty pathetic

I do quite like where I live now, the people are very down to earth and couldn't give a toss what you have and don't have.