Britain Bashing

[Skani]

I am not talking about 'banter', or sport, or about TV programmes. What I'm talking about is supposed serious journalists seeking to undermine and misrepresent a nation and its characteristics.

 

Buy the Age or the Australian on ANY weekend and see if you can get through any edition without ill infomed reference to the UK.

 

 

Can you give links to some specific articles? I buy The Australian every weekend and I haven't noticed this, so I'd be interested to read them.

[Nzogbia]

Yep Skani - try the article in the Weekend Australian review about Aussie diggers, and how they were viewed by US forces during the war. Guess what? The piece is validated by comparing said views with the equivalent view of British soldiers. Guess who comes out smelling like a rose, and who comes out just smelling? Disrespectful, inaccurate and self glorifying.

 

Greg Sheridan - Letter from America (sorry can't find the link - and the article doesn't appear on the website - hmmmm, maybe they've removed it).

[tracy123]

I am not talking about 'banter', or sport, or about TV programmes. What I'm talking about is supposed serious journalists seeking to undermine and misrepresent a nation and its characteristics.

 

Buy the Age or the Australian on ANY weekend and see if you can get through any edition without ill infomed reference to the UK. The reason I believe that Aussie newspapers see Britain as a Big brother (to be brought down a peg or two) is because said articles routinely highlight an aspect of Australian life and invariably evaluate it favourably with reference to Britain. The obsession is a one way street. Go on, I dare you to find one example, just one, where the Australian press benchmark anything to a Greek, Italian, Lebanese or Croatian equivalent. They don't. Also, the reciprocal arrangement simply does not exist. Invariably, any article in the UK press referring to Australia is generally a glowing tribute.

 

It's prejudice, plain and simple - and it's a pain in the arse. This is an observation, and yes, a criticism - and one which I hope does not deserve the 'if you don't like it then you can sod off' response. Fact is, as someone else pointed out, the people I know in Australia are not like this, but the press most certainly are.

 

And sport is another matter altogether. We are sporting rivals and ribbing goes with the territory. This goes way beyond sport and it's getting really tiresome.

 

 

"Go on I dare you" :biglaugh:

 

In all honesty I don't keep up with Australian media as I live in the UK, so I don't really see the point, I do check up to see how Richmond are going but that just makes me sad :cry:

 

I would have a guess the reason why comparisons are made against England is because most of the systems in place are based on the UK system. I'm positive if the Greeks would of colonised Australia then the comparisons would be made to their system..... I can't say anymore as I have not seen the countless articles that you write of.

The English don't really care about the Australian system they seem to be too far removed and too entwined into the European system.

It's not about fitting in or nicking off it's more about understanding the reasons why, Australian's do what they do.

 

What I do find funny is that when Australian's aren't interested in world politics and events, we are classed as un cultured, blah, blah, blah. When we play to win and get upset because we lose we are classed as un sportsman like. Because we take pride in our country, sing the national anthem and wave the flag, we are insecure etc, etc, etc. But in the next breath they say, they wished the UK was more like that...... but not as much :wacko: Anyway that's another subject

[Skani]

For example, they still go on about the English never using soap, which dates back to a time when many English homes didn't have bathrooms. Somewhat outdated now.

 

Any reference to (lack of) soap is "taking the mickey", it's meant to be humorous, it's not meant to be serious. And it's gentle humour, angling for a reaction. Australian humour can be so deadpan that it may require surviving decades of droughts, floods, bushfires and cyclones before one "gets it".

[Guest guest30038]

Blah blah blah balh blah. I'm not in the mood tonight. (for serouss debate) but as the car stickers say...."If you don't like it".................

[fish.01]

Ok Fish, I never noticed it myself - but as you say, maybe I wasn't as sensitised to it. I'd question the regularity though.

 

Personally I think you've raised a good point. IMO one of the difficult things for many immigrants to deal with must be moving from being one of the natives of their birth country used to hearing good comments about themselves.

 

They have to adjust from ignoring, to a degree, the negative stereotypes said about foreigners in their home country to becoming one of those foreigners themselves in a new land and noticing just how much stereotyping foreigners get because their land is copping it as well. I imagine this is most difficult to adjust to if you tend towards the more nationalistic side - appears to more often afflict us men than women.

[Skani]

Yep Skani - try the article in the Weekend Australian review about Aussie diggers, and how they were viewed by US forces during the war.

 

 

OK, I'll read it. And try and find the Greg Sheridan reference too.

[tracy123]

Yep Skani - try the article in the Weekend Australian review about Aussie diggers, and how they were viewed by US forces during the war. Guess what? The piece is validated by comparing said views with the equivalent view of British soldiers. Guess who comes out smelling like a rose, and who comes out just smelling? Disrespectful, inaccurate and self glorifying.

 

Greg Sheridan - Letter from America (sorry can't find the link - and the article doesn't appear on the website - hmmmm, maybe they've removed it).

 

OK that's 1........:wideeyed:

[Nzogbia]

Yeah, good point may very well be true. Strangely though, I'm probably more sensitised to it here because I am a Geordie and have never really appreciated being English (though I am most definitley British). What I object to is the Richard Curtis inspired, ruddy cheeked, Hugh Grant fop image of the typical Englishman/Brit. The Welsh, Scots, Northern Irish and those from the North could not be any further removed from said stereotype, but it often serves the purposes of some writers to perpetuate such a myth.

[tracy123]

Yeah, good point may very well be true. Strangely though, I'm probably more sensitised to it here because I am a Geordie and have never really appreciated being English (though I am most definitley British). What I object to is the Richard Curtis inspired, ruddy cheeked, Hugh Grant fop image of the typical Englishman/Brit. The Welsh, Scots, Northern Irish and those from the North could not be any further removed from said stereotype, but it often serves the purposes of some writers to perpetuate such a myth.

 

 

you mean like this? See it happens everywhere, how many Aussies do you see wearing a cork hat?

 

[fish.01]

Yeah, good point may very well be true. Strangely though, I'm probably more sensitised to it here because I am a Geordie and have never really appreciated being English (though I am most definitley British). What I object to is the Richard Curtis inspired, ruddy cheeked, Hugh Grant fop image of the typical Englishman/Brit. The Welsh, Scots, Northern Irish and those from the North could not be any further removed from said stereotype, but it often serves the purposes of some writers to perpetuate such a myth.

 

Being a Geordie I imagine you are used to the feeling of a love/hate relationship with your more populous southern countryfolk. Some of the contradictions of your relationship with the south of England are good parallels with Australia's relationship to England if this explains it at all. I'm sure I read some articles in The Journal that weren't quite fair to your southern cousins. Not to mention what I heard in the bodega :biglaugh:

[Guest lifeinmono]

I agree. The Aussie love to disparage Britain and the British. Bloody arseholes.

[pablo]

As long as they dont fill their newspapers with biased,unfounded lies about my city like the right wing press in the uk i dont care tbh

Every countries press has its little digs about other countries as far as i can see,look at all the nazi captions in the english press before the world cup,the frog(french)jibes etc

I was only in adelaide for 3 weeks and was a bit dissapointed NOT to be called a pommy bas7ard tbh,loads of time yet to rectify that tho,and im SURE it will be,love all that me:biglaugh:

[Guest SimplyMoi]

I'm sorry Simply Moi, but that is simply not true. Go and buy the supposedly respectable UK broadsheets this weekend and see:

a) How often Britain compares itself to Australia...

b) How often they are scathing or snide about modern Australia and/or modern Australians.

 

Good luck.

 

So one weekend there is no reference to the Australia/UK stereotype and you are telling me I am wrong in my beliefs?

 

Since when did 'regularly' mean daily or weekly?

 

To me, regularly means enough times that I start to notice.

 

When you have collected enough empirical data to prove me wrong, then make a call.

[Nzogbia]

Ah, but they are not more populous!!

 

And btw, Pablo - totally agree, the right wing red tops are a disgrace. The Sun/Hillsborough - we haven't forgotten.

[pablo]

Ah, but they are not more populous!!

 

And btw, Pablo - totally agree, the right wing red tops are a disgrace. The Sun/Hillsborough - we haven't forgotten.

 

Thanks for that Nzogbia:notworthy:

[tracy123]

As long as they dont fill their newspapers with biased,unfounded lies about my city like the right wing press in the uk i dont care tbh

Every countries press has its little digs about other countries as far as i can see,look at all the nazi captions in the english press before the world cup,the frog(french)jibes etc

I was only in adelaide for 3 weeks and was a bit dissapointed NOT to be called a pommy bas7ard tbh,loads of time yet to rectify that tho,and im SURE it will be,love all that me:biglaugh:

 

You pommy bastard :tongue:

[Nzogbia]

Ok Simply Moi, I'll put together a few examples from the Aussie press - you'll have to give me few weeks though....

[Guest sunnyday]

You pommy bastard :tongue:

 

:biglaugh::biglaugh:

[Guest SimplyMoi]

I was not talking about the Aussie press but the UK press.

 

You said there was nothing in the UK broadsheets this weekend, and that is what I was referring to.

[pablo]

You pommy bastard :tongue:

Thx geoff,feel better already,btw if it takes an IQ of 60 to tie shoelaces how come so many aussies wear thongs?:jiggy:

[fish.01]

You are probably right that it happens more often in Australia but as my theory will show this is only natural and cannot be helped :biggrin:

 

My theory is that each Anglo country knows more about the one above it, than below, on the population chart. OK, so it is not groundbreaking :wideeyed:

 

New Zealand snipes at Australia for stealing its singers and many other sins but also knows all about us and often comes to visit.

 

Australia ignores little New Zealand except to act superior to it, get whipped by it's rugby team and stare wistfully at its mountains.

 

Australia snipes at the UK for being arrogant and many other sins but also knows all about it and often goes to visit.

 

The UK ignores little Australia except to act superior to it, get whipped by it, and stare wistfully at it sunshine.

 

The UK snipes at the USA for being arrogant and many other sins but also knows all about it and often goes to visit.

 

The US ignores little UK except to act superior to it etc......

 

 

So using my theory Kiwis are the most knowledgable, and ignored, out of all of us :biggrin:

[Guest jimpy]

get over it your in auz , who cares

[tracy123]

Thx geoff,feel better already,btw if it takes an IQ of 60 to tie shoelaces how come so many aussies wear thongs?:jiggy:

 

Thongs with laces :biglaugh:

[pablo]

Thongs with laces :biglaugh:

 

 

:biglaugh:Not TOO bad,have yer got any with bigger hips tho? Salma hayek or beyonce will do:biggrin:,am i offtopic again! well you started it,lmao