US here we come

While only in the US for about a month, a pattern emerged as to how individual Americans viewed Australians. First, let me say that there was a very good vibe toward us. I think of the relationship as akin to one between cousins. Certainly, culturally, Australia has been very influenced by US television programs and films and fashions. The opposition to this influence – which some critics label as ‘cultural imperialism’ – has many sources and they are mostly conservative ones: the old Anglo British elite who bemoaned any move away from Empire, the locals of the generation who remember the Second World War when a million American soldiers were stationed in Australia and who resented the better pay and attraction to the womenfolk of the ‘Yank’ soldiers (who were supposedly “overpaid and over-sexed” as well as over here”) and the churches and other moralists who felt that US culture (including imported comic books in the 1950s!) were a source of moral degeneration.

Later, the war in Vietnam, for which Australia introduced selective conscription, inflamed an anti-Americanism as an off-shoot of a legitimate (in my view) anti-imperialism. Yet this was not really anti-Americanism, as we modelled elements of our protest activity on those of our American fellow-activists and were in solidarity with them.

During my family’s visit to Hollywood, New York and San Francisco in May, we found a consistent perception of Australia on the part of ordinary Americans that drew on portrayals in popular culture, specifically and overwhelmingly on the movie, ‘Crocodile Dundee’. I was occasionally asked where I was from, followed by: “Are you British?” or “Are you English?”. While Australia never had a revolution of the magnitude of 1776, and has remained a constitutional monarchy, this question provokes the prompt response: “No, I’m an Australian”.

This, in turn, leads to references to one of three things. Firstly, a number of Americans laughingly referred to the scene in Crocodile Dundee where Paul Hogan’s character is about to be mugged by a knife-weilder. Hogan looks at the would-be mugger’s weapon and then brings out his own, much bigger, knife and says: “You call that a knife – that’s a knife!”. I enjoyed enacting that line with maybe half a dozen individuals and could be confident they’d ‘get it’.

Paul Hogan certainly has shaped Australia’s image in the US. He also appeared in an advert, widely run on US television in the early 1990s (I think), which had the punch-line: “Put another shrimp on the barbie”. Quite a few individuals greeted me with that line, on learning that I was from Australia. I hate being a party-pooper but I must admit that I always replied by pointing out that no-one actually says that in Australia and, what’s more, we call them prawns not shrimps. It was all good fun.

Finally, for some reason Americans think it’s unusual to call a jumper a jumper. A couple of people immediately said to me, on learning where I was from: “Oh, you guys wear jumpers!”, with emphasis on the word “jumper” as though it was something from outer space. I’m still figuring this one out but am reasonably confident that in the US they are called “sweaters”. There must be an Australian show on TV in the US that has people using ‘jumper’, which is quite accurate as that’s what we tend to call ’em!

I’m not sure whether Americans really think Australians are basically crocodile hunters. The counter-image, of course, relates to the Sydney Opera House, which also seemed to be associated with Australia.

I guess clarifying and understanding who and what different cultures and peoples really are is part of the greatness of travel and tourism in an age when jet travel is more accessible to more people than it has ever been.

Any comments on this – by other Aussies or Americans or whoever – welcome!

Barry

I recall that it cost me about $2000 (Aust) to fly from Australia’ east coast to London back in 1980. It might have been slightly more. From (shaky) memory, it was about the same in 1985 (though it took about 37 hours, as I took a long-winding but cheaper route).

The airfares today are not much different. Does anyone have any comparative costs? Is it true that, in real terms (relative to wages), airfares are much cheaper now than they were 20 to 30 years ago?

Barry

... parents travelling with their kids! </a

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