HiddenPaw

Ah, so an Aussie asks "what is culture?" It all makes sense now

denver

he he I know what culture is ... I just find it fustrating when people say england is a cultured country and oz is not. Of course, culture means different things to different people. England has a bit of culture, but I think people confuse "history" with "culture."

denver

A very important critisism indeed.

I still can't get a decent reply to my query. Oh well.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Culture and history are intertwined.. its what makes a nation... and its a difficult concept to define.

A lack of culture/class would be things such as going shopping in bare feet..
Calling all non-white Australians names such as Wog, Lebo and the like..

FPM

Because it would be an excercise is wasted time.

We don't get what you think is so great about your country, and you think the same about ours.

For me it's things like, village life, style, a feeling of belonging and being part of the beautiful countryside. For others it will be a vibrant city (which I also like).

You seem to be looking at tangible things, and most of are talking etheral. We just 'know' what it is, as do you about Oz, but that doesn't mean we're ever going to be able to accurately convey it. Ours comes from being a part of a historic Europe, and your comes from building bright and brash stuff.

We feel it but can't point at it. You build it, but can't feel it. Venus and Mars and all that stuff I guess. Move out of London and live somewhere else, you might see some of what I'm trying to convey. Get involved in real English life and it may become apparent, but probably not.

HiddenPaw

No, it's far more than history and old buildings. Culture is also about a way of life, an environment.

We are from the Old World; you are from the New World. Our culture is something that we are born into, it's ingrained in us, if you like, and the 'New World/Old World' cultures are very different. When people say that Australia lacks culture perhaps what they really mean is that they do not identify with the culture that exists there. They either cannot identify with it, or do not want to identify with it. There is no harm in either. It's all about individual wants and needs.

Personally, I prefer England but I did love the time I spent in Australia. However, I would say that for me, Australia was like going out to a nice restaurant: the food was beautifully presented, but it tasted rather bland. And I can't quite put my finger on what was lacking. OTOH, some people like their food like that.

You have a saying in Australia that you can take the boy out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of the boy. Well, perhaps for a lot of us you can substitute 'bush' for 'England' and that's how we feel about our 'culture'.

Triumphrob

[QUOTE=gardnma. Plus of course, we are allways told that this is the best place to live in in the world. It may be that people here actually believe that because they are told it constantly. Whats the word I'm trying to find....?[/QUOTE]

Propaganda?

denver

I understand what you are saying. Some people are born inherently Australian and some are born inherently British. It is their make-up and it would be a struggle to settle in the other place. There are many things I like about England, its "englishness" being one of them! There is no other place in the world like England, and that is why it is just a popular desination for tourists. I struggle to understand, though, when people say that English culture is superior to Australia's. Culture to me is the way people live their lives, what they believe in, what they eat, what they do in their spare time, how their lives are lived. From my observations, the lives of everyday people in England is a bit bland. They go to work, go shopping, watch TV (which seems to be a huge past time in this country) go the pub, see their friends and families, watch football on TV etc. Their lives may be a bit more interesting in London as there are museums etc, but unless you have serious money in this country, that is your life. I am a teacher here and my quality of life was far superior in Oz. There was the sunshine, the beach, the wildlife, the outdoor living, the space and stars at night, cleanliness, the magnificant food, plus all of the above mentioned. I had more money to spend too, as the rent here is prohibitively expensive. Many people I know sleep two to a room as adults!

However I am not trying to slag England off (really!) as you are close to Europe and a bit more in the thick of things than Australia. I just find it fustrating that people feel the need on this webpage to sledge Australia as being some kind of dim-witted colony full of convicts and that there is "something missing." Unfortunately, for "some" English migrants it is a hobby to constantly look for fault in Australia wherever they can find it. The country was not right for you and it didn't work out. Australia will remain a fantastic place for the great majority of it's citizens.

All the best to those returning to England, for if moving to Australia meant re-affirming your love for the UK then all is far from lost.

HiddenPaw

Every single thing you listed about Australia are the things that I love about Australia. But then again, I live that kind of life in the UK (OK, apart from the masses of sunshine and a decent Japanese restaurant. We have one TV (rarely watched) and I never go to pubs because a) I have 2 small children and b) I hate coming home stinking of smoke. )

But there was still something missing in Australia. I don't know what that was - although I do know I left prematurely (came back as I was pregnant and we wanted family support) so perhaps if I had stayed longer, I would have had all the pieces to the jigsaw. Who knows. Saying that, there are people who have been there for years and still feel they have pieces missing.

London is hideously expensive - I could never live there (for a number of reasons). Not all of the UK is like that you know! You can have a good life elswhere in the UK without it costing a fortune. We are a single income family and are doing OK. You sound like you swapped open space for city living - which is what I did when I went to Melbourne, and I realised that as convenient and exciting as it is living in a big city, I needed to be away from all that, nearer to the greenery, somewhere calmer. Not easy in Melbourne whilst still being within reasonable commuting distance of the CBD.

Wendy

If you ever wanted to come back, you should come take a look at Adelaide. It's very calm here, lots of lovely green parts etc. It's not too different to the UK really, apart from the obvious bits like Europe and family.

Mercedes

That is what I can't understand, why people would go to the other side of the world to get a look alike UK. Although I lived in Melbourne and liked it and Sydney, it in someways did remind of UK, so I headed further north for a while as I wanted something different. I don't see the point of going somewhere to get a similar version. One of my favourite places was the Northern Terrority, (apart from some of the wackos who live there) it had something about it and it was so different to the UK.

FPM

I think it's an age thing. When you're younger (or new here) you don't want to be reminded of what you left, and roots mean very little. When you're older you start to hanker for home and the things that identify us, and of course if we can't go home, we start looking at those things close to us that remind us of home. But it happens later in life IMO.

Mercedes

I can understand that, but if you are hankering for things that you miss that remind you of home, sometimes an imitation can make it worse and make you more homesick.

FPM

That's true. That's why I'm a bit worried about getting Foxtel and seeing all the British programs, on the other hand it will be nice to see them. Oh well, I guess I can always watch American Chopper instead

louise4

It's a bugger isn't it. We call it marraige in the uk

Louise