JayBone Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I think what you've written kind of just verifies what the op was saying. Btw how is your signature acceptable? Firstly, how? Secondly, why? Is that phrase a generic one for all OZ haters?? do you have a special button on PIO for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Geoff, you should know that some people get their jollies by arguing black is white, hot is cold, wet is dry etc. I think you are right :notworthy: I best get back off PIO and enjoy the simple things in life, like playing with the kids while the sun shines! I'm glad Australia gets that, otherwise this place would be just a vacuum of nothingness......:wideeyed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Ok all - please stop the personalised comments. I'm fine with differences of opinion but no need to resort to personalising it. I'm not one to close threads but will do so if necessary. You're all grown ups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACDONALDO67 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Ok all - please stop the personalised comments. I'm fine with differences of opinion but no need to resort to personalising it. I'm not one to close threads but will do so if necessary. You're all grown ups Apparently not ! :biglaugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Apparently not ! :biglaugh: Hey. don't get personal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. Gandhi 1869-1948 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landv Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 The accusation of Australians having a 'lack of culture' seems very narrow minded to me. Define culture please? Australians have culture in abundance, a culture that is shared in the psyche of a large proportion of the population, i.e alot of people in Australia share the same values. Do you not think that surfing is a culture?? Around the world surfing is hailed as a religion, a way of life. Australia is the top of the pile for this! 'Family' is a very high priority in Australia, way higher than i have seen in the UK, is this not a cultural aspect of Australia? of course it is. Sport in general is a 'cultural' aspect of Australia. Come next year you can sit and moan about how the government have let the British athletes down at the olympics, whilst the Australians will have a barbecue and a beer to celebrate all the Gold medals. I know which cultural table i would rather be sat at. The beach is a culture, thats why they call it beach culture. Culture doesn't just mean, sitting in the theatre watching the Opera whilst simultaneously reading the broadsheets. It doesn't mean 'tweeting' your imaginary friends about political reform whilst taking the tube home from work. To be cultural you do not have to have an opinion on Colonel Gaddafi or the latest book by an exiled pro-democracy activist! Sport is a huge culture in the UK too, not AFL, NRL and NFL. But it is Football, RL and RU, Millions of 'cultureless morons' pack out stadium up and down the Country every week, oh and its HUGE in Europe too. I think what the OP really means is that no culture as such here which would suit him as a person. Not everybody is into surfing or sport or whatever is "an australian culture". BTW, (and this is my opinion), I have seen more surfing culture in for example Croyde in Devon and some parts of Cornwall than the whole coast of WA from what I have seen.....Of course, I don't know what it is like in other parts of Oz. There are not even surf schools here, whilst there are surfing schools galore in the South West of the UK........, as an ex-surfer, I was quite shocked by this. And I certanly didn't see anybody surfing around the coast near Cairns when I spent some time there, due to the poisonous jellyfish and saltwater crocs I would imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I think what the OP really means is that no culture as such here which would suit him as a person. Not everybody is into surfing or sport or whatever is "an australian culture". BTW, (and this is my opinion), I have seen more surfing culture in for example Croyde in Devon and some parts of Cornwall than the whole coast of WA from what I have seen.....Of course, I don't know what it is like in other parts of Oz. There are not even surf schools here, whilst there are surfing schools galore in the South West of the UK........, as an ex-surfer, I was quite shocked by this. And I certanly didn't see anybody surfing around the coast near Cairns when I spent some time there, due to the poisonous jellyfish and saltwater crocs I would imagine. There's no surfing in cairns due to the great barrier reef landv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 There are not even surf schools here, whilst there are surfing schools galore in the South West of the UK........, as an ex-surfer, I was quite shocked by this. . Just a couple of surf schools here in Perth http://www.surfschool.com/ http://www.gosurf.net.au/ http://www.learntosurf.net.au/ http://www.surfingschool.com.au/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landv Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 There's no surfing in cairns due to the great barrier reef landv I didn't actually know that and I did wonder. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JT1977 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 The Australian way of life. I have recently taken to referring to it as "the Australian art of a 75-year-long death" which is harsh but adaquetly conveys my depressing feelings of emptiness, alienation and above all absolute frustration with the lack of culture and abundance of ignorance that plagues this land that has been driving me up the wall for the past 30 months. I often dream of the day when I will hop on 'North Korean Airlines Flight 666' and spend a sleepless 26 hours as a diarrhetic vomiting vegetable, touch down at Heathrow and queue for seven years just to rid my bowels of the plastic Vietnamese (or somethingese) plane (and plain) food that smelled funny, wade naked through a freezingly cold white sheet of arctic snow in the coldest day on record with fiesty wind that would peirce twenty layers of coyote fur, only to spend my life savings on a neverending pile of fish and chips and SMILE > :smile: Instead I am here on the internet once again, alone and miserable. Friendships have crumbled as people change and move on and forget. My confidence is nonexistent. I cannot remember the last time I had a conversation concerning politics or philosophy or religion or real music or film. I cannot remember the last time I met somebody who recently read an interesting book or watched international news. I cannot remember the last time I met somebody who had an opinion on something other than surfing, AFL/NRL/other acronyms, and other sports and petty things in which I have little interest. I am not prejudiced against Australians, and I'm not foolish enough to believe that all 20 million Aussies are imbisiles nor that all 60 million Brits are Einsteins, but I find a lifestyle like this wholly unhealthy for the brain (and I can say firsthand that in my experience the education system here IS inferior) just as the pathetic bout of media induced self-loathing that Britons partake in is unhealthy in all regards. It is absolutely true that you NEVER know the real value of something until it is taken away, so perhaps the culture shock I have endured for the past 2.5 years will prove to be an eye opener, a good thing in the long run. Now, though, I can't wait to go home in 2014. Before you say it, yes, I have been back, at winter's peak, and loved it. Anyway, thanks for reading (if you bothered...), writing disjointed rants tends to help me deal with things and I'm already feeling a bit better. I didn't intend to insult anyone, sorry for all my spelling mistakes, best of luck to all potential expats, and now you must forgive me for being patriotic... [YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE] Right, I've only spent a short time in Oz and I'm going back next month for another few months, but you are already coming across as the stereotypical whinging pom. In fact, you are coming across as one of many Brits back in Britain, you know the sort, the ones who say "I'm bored" and "there's nothing to do!" I spent much of my childhood growing up in Sunderland, where the greatest political discussion would tend to consist of "I vote Labour because our family always have" or "F*** Thatcher!" Why not get off your arse and do something about your situation? You want to talk about books? Join the local library, join a book club. You want to talk about films, see if there is a film club around you. You want to talk politics? Go online and find any local political discussion forums and join them. Do these things and, lo and behold, you will find others who share your interests, which can lead to frriendships. It is definately a symptom of modern Britons that, unless something is handed to them on a plate, we will sit around and complain that there is nothing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landv Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Just a couple of surf schools here in Perth http://www.surfschool.com/ http://www.gosurf.net.au/ http://www.learntosurf.net.au/ http://www.surfingschool.com.au/ Wow, there are actually surfing schools in Perth! Honestly, I never knew. I never researched on the internet for them and I've only been to Scarborough beach once, I've seen surfers, but not teaching as such, only school children once at Quinns Rocks, but I think they had lessons as part of their PE. I was looking more around Cottesloe, City Beach or near Hillary's harbour. We often go to Margaret River and apart from the annual tournament, I haven't seen much going on there either. Thanks Ali. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Right, I've only spent a short time in Oz and I'm going back next month for another few months, but you are already coming across as the stereotypical whinging pom. In fact, you are coming across as one of many Brits back in Britain, you know the sort, the ones who say "I'm bored" and "there's nothing to do!" It is definately a symptom of modern Britons that, unless something is handed to them on a plate, we will sit around and complain that there is nothing to do. Whingeing poms and now, neurotic numptys.:wink: Cheers, Bobj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jarper Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I'm not making excuses here, but it is hard to join a group as my confidence has declined to a point where I often find myself worrying about social situations, when I was once the fearless entertaining type. Spending most of my free time in my office chair doesn't help myself at all though, so thanks for your honest point of view. I'll try to get involved more. You certainly don't come across on here as someone who lacks confidence, your few posts have certainly got you noticed. :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jarper Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Much easier on the internet :frown: why not cut your teeth on here then?:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I think what the OP really means is that no culture as such here which would suit him as a person. Not everybody is into surfing or sport or whatever is "an australian culture". BTW, (and this is my opinion), I have seen more surfing culture in for example Croyde in Devon and some parts of Cornwall than the whole coast of WA from what I have seen.....Of course, I don't know what it is like in other parts of Oz. There are not even surf schools here, whilst there are surfing schools galore in the South West of the UK........, as an ex-surfer, I was quite shocked by this. And I certanly didn't see anybody surfing around the coast near Cairns when I spent some time there, due to the poisonous jellyfish and saltwater crocs I would imagine. Wrong!! Try Trigg. That's where my kids learned to surf. You should have tried the South West as well. Some of the best surf in the world, saw them doing tow-ins down there last year, scary stuff. Devon and Cornwall are fine too but you need a decent wetsuit all the time. In summer here you can get away with boardies and a rashie. When you say the whole coast of WA I guess you've not really looked far if you didn't know there is a surf school at Trigg. Long coastline WA.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aussie in Scotland Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 The accusation of Australians having a 'lack of culture' seems very narrow minded to me. Define culture please? Australians have culture in abundance, a culture that is shared in the psyche of a large proportion of the population, i.e alot of people in Australia share the same values. Do you not think that surfing is a culture?? Around the world surfing is hailed as a religion, a way of life. Australia is the top of the pile for this! 'Family' is a very high priority in Australia, way higher than i have seen in the UK, is this not a cultural aspect of Australia? of course it is. Sport in general is a 'cultural' aspect of Australia. Come next year you can sit and moan about how the government have let the British athletes down at the olympics, whilst the Australians will have a barbecue and a beer to celebrate all the Gold medals. I know which cultural table i would rather be sat at. The beach is a culture, thats why they call it beach culture. Culture doesn't just mean, sitting in the theatre watching the Opera whilst simultaneously reading the broadsheets. It doesn't mean 'tweeting' your imaginary friends about political reform whilst taking the tube home from work. To be cultural you do not have to have an opinion on Colonel Gaddafi or the latest book by an exiled pro-democracy activist! Sport is a huge culture in the UK too, not AFL, NRL and NFL. But it is Football, RL and RU, Millions of 'cultureless morons' pack out stadium up and down the Country every week, oh and its HUGE in Europe too. Oh wish I could hug you!!!!! I am Australian and I am offended by his post. You summed up what I feel....oh and one other thing that I can't post here. The airport isn't too far from him...feel free to come to this cold, dirty, miserable life any time you like. I can't wait to sit my white bum on a beach...watch my husband surf and my kids play in the waves...watch rugby league and have a barbie and enjoy time with our family. What an ignorant view on Australians. Did you not realise that white Australlians originated from Europeans! So we are all idiots?...get a grip mate!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Interesting thread. It sounds like you are in a vicious cycle as much as depressed at your surroundings. You've become isolated so become introverted and that results in more of the same. Maybe this site can help you get some balance back. I don't doubt that there are reasons for your post but I also don't doubt that there are people in Oz who share your views and desire for 'deeper' conversations. Finding them is the key. Isolation never helps anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landv Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Wrong!! Try Trigg. That's where my kids learned to surf. You should have tried the South West as well. Some of the best surf in the world, saw them doing tow-ins down there last year, scary stuff.Devon and Cornwall are fine too but you need a decent wetsuit all the time. In summer here you can get away with boardies and a rashie. When you say the whole coast of WA I guess you've not really looked far if you didn't know there is a surf school at Trigg. Long coastline WA.:cool: I've been already informed of surf schools by another poster, thanks for your effort. I don't need to learn to surf as I have finished surfing almost 10 years ago after an injury. And do you know what? I still think the south west of the UK has more surf culture than the whole coast of WA. I rest my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jarper Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Very true. Thanks for posting. You have my sympathy at the very least. There's a lot more about this than just the UK v Oz... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JT1977 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Best of luck with getting yourself out there and taking back your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aussie in Scotland Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Best of luck with getting yourself out there and taking back your life. Thanks if you are talking about me. What amazes me is that people think that a place will make their life all perfect.....no, it is a state of mind. If you want to make a go of it...it will happen. If you want to find fault in the country then it isn't for you. Yes...I did throw stones in a glass house...I can't wait to go from here. I am looking out of my window to a haar that has been here for 3 days. Sunday was lovely...possibly 17 deg...we get that about 5 times a year here. Yes .... Scotland has stunning countryside and costal areas...yes I have had a lot of great things to take back with me from living here. But give me my country any day!!! I can organise a barbie a month in advance and know that it will be right. (from Qld)....I can have friends drop in without making an appointment....I can lay on a beach and whine that I am too hot...and I guess as blobby has seen....my humour has escaped me!!! Stress might have something to do with that as I am trying to organise our move on my own while my husband is on a course in France. So...PIO members on the Sunshine Coast...if you want to see my humour or want to know anything about Australia, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will try to help you when you are settling into Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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