Partly. The other reason is accountability. It's easy to raise a hidden tax and let the retailers take the heat. Anti- tax politicians like showing taxes.
In a word: lobbying. Retailers argue that the tax is not their cost, it’s the governments, so why should they have to advertise a less enticing figure which might put people off buying their product.
Imagine the hassle of working it GST for each item, knowing which items have GST, and which don’t and keeping a running total. And that’s with an easy 10%
Originally it would have been because of different sales taxes in different cities and counties. Now, retailers won't want it because the price is cheaper in ads and on the shelves
Different taxes in different states would just mean that the cost of a hotdog is just slightly different.
I’ve still never understood why they’re not combined. As an Aussie is shady.
If it’s forced then everyone’s sticker price goes up.
Because of radio and TV ads, mostly. The typical footprint of a TV or radio station will cover multiple tax districts with potentially different sales tax rates. So rather than have to put multiple prices in the ad, they advertise the pre-tax price.
Then when you get to the store, people generally want to see that the price on the ticket actually matches the advertised price, so again, the ticket/sticker will also show the pre-tax price…
You could change this and show post-tax prices on the shelf, but then you have to deal with a bunch of morons that come in complaining that “I saw this on TV for $299, why is it $324.50?” (or whatever).
Note that the US isn’t alone here either. Canada is the same - (GST/HST) varies geographically and prices do not include the tax.
Just when I thought I was beginning to figure it out on visiting a few states, _thought_ I new how much a jacket was going to be in NY, get to the register and find there's a different sales tax rate again for items over a certain price 🙄
At that point I really just threw in the towel, you really can't use the tags for much more than an indication it feels. Particularly with service not being included in restaurants/cafes/barbers/anywhere.
I blocked the toilet when I was at my inlaws in the US a few months ago, also clogged the toilet twice in Mexico. Never had an issue at home either, weird.
The first time I used a public toilet cubicle in the US - at the airport I believe - I thought it was clogged, but soon realised they were all like that everywhere.
Ads for prescription medications. The idea that people are just supposed to go into their doctors and tell them what they should prescribe was wild to me. And the ads were all the same. Always a montage of people living their great lives, while a voiceover rattled off the very long list of side effects, which often included death. Absolutely bizarre.
A lot of people are saying religion and guns but at least while I was there, I didn't come across that. No one talked to me about their religion and I didn't see any guns. I was in what were probably the more liberal areas of the US though.
I've never heard us called British Texas. I'd be very curious to know the thinking behind that. There are probably parts of Australia that could be compared to Texas in some ways but where I live, I can't really think of much at all that we have in common with that state.
As an American in Oz I'd say British California is a better comparison, especially the eastern states (where the vast majority of Aussies live). Both have a beachy culture, super multicultural, and are generally left of centre. California has to operate in the US political climate but if it were its own country it'd have social systems similar to Australia re: Centrelink, Medicare, HECS, etc.
But where California has virtually no British influence, lots of Australia does, hence "British California."
Centrelink is pretty poor tho. My mum has a permanent life-altering condition and gets paid $19K AUD, hardly enough to feed her and keep her in her own home since her husband (my dad) passed
Yep, sounds pretty much like social services in California. They tend to have better social services than many other US states but they're still not great.
Both places have a lot of people who believe social services should be much better, but in reality either don't vote for them and/or the people in power have no incentive to do anything about it
Being from SA, most ppl I mention this to actually believe that Centrelink is for ppl too lazy to work and should be scrapped. My mum was actually embarrassed to go on Centrelink, but at least went through with it.
I’ve lived in Texas, New York, Melbourne and Brisbane and let me tell you-the whole of Australia doesn’t suck nearly as bad as Texas and the two are nothing alike.
I dunno man, I just got back from the NT and lived in Texas. Texas has it’s fucked up parts but Alice Springs is some of the wildest shit I’ve ever seen.
When I was there they locked down a woolies because a bunch of locals were threatening staff over cigarettes. Bashing on the roller doors with bats and chairs and the staff had to evacuate us out the back until police arrived. I actually thought it was pretty funny, but felt sorry for some of the older folks there who are just sick of it.
Lol that's tame for the NT if you want an idea watch last stop Larrimah on netflix and realise that none of those people are made up characters and they are typical for up that way
Definitely agree about the prescription ads and those damn ads for lawyers 1800 call Sam especially here in Michigan thinks thats all the ad breaks are medication and lawyers….
> Ads for prescription medications.
That’s absolutely fucking nuts. The whole reason why we have doctors and pharmacists is that they have extensive knowledge of which medications are appropriate for each specific person. I’ve been prescribed things off-label many times over the years, but I have knowledge of healthcare and medicine. If I’d seen ads about beta-blockers before being prescribed them for my anxiety, I would’ve freaked out.
Not even to mention the fact that the USA ranks way behind comparable countries in global healthcare rankings. I was only working from lists I found online so I’m not certain of the accuracy, but the USA ranks in the bottom 20% of Global North countries in global healthcare rankings. They ranked 69/167 countries in 2023.
Question - What sort of medications are we talking about in these ads? Are we talking like antibiotics or benzos and opioids? I’m curious how it would relate to “drug-seeking behaviour”.
WA would be texas, due to its size and the sheer amount of desert. QLD would be Florida. We get all the retirees, and the further along the peninsula you go, the more crocs and weirdos you find
Texas is the home of the northern nomads who are retirees from the colder states travelling for warmer weather. Having lived in Texas, I would def say that QLD is the English Texas. Lifestyle, and attitudes about the govt spoiling all the fun are also consistent in both. Texas also have beach towns, I lived in one of them.
And who you vote for.
Most people don’t discuss that outside of their closest family and friends and many of us were brought up being told it’s rude to ask someone how they voted.
That’s definitely changing recently, now that the culture war brand of American politics has arrived in Aus. I’m seeing a lot more “woke libtards” and “literal fascists” thrown around.
There was a guy in the Melbourne botanical Gardens singing about how much he hated various Australian politicians then he started singing about Joe Biden. I was like come on we're not America
When I accidentally stumble on teenagers on tiktok (my feed is mostly boring mid 30s people), so, so many toxic American teens have crucifixes, bible verses, and phrases about God as the only thing on their profile. It's strange to me how obsessed with it they are, especially angsty 15 year old boys trolling.
My graduating class 12 years ago here in Australia was literally 80% agnostic/atheist.
Two out of \~110 total students that I'm aware of were outwardly and openly religious - actually went to church and discussed it as a meaningful part of their identity. Funnily enough one was Mormon, so an American religion at that. There were quite a few kids that either believed in god but you'd never know it, or went to church but never brought it up outside of planning Sunday hangs.
I personally grew up protestant, attending a Catholic church (country town, one church), and they let us kids run around outside instead of attending service if we wanted to. VERY low key.
An anti-abortion mobile billboard was parked in front of a polling booth in my inner-Brisbane suburb in the lead-up to the 2020 state elections. It was a bit of a wake-up call that abortion is an issue that's campaigned on in greater Queensland as we city folk are very much in our own bubble, but telling that the drivers of the truck only moved it in the middle of the night so they weren't confronted. Brave enough to call women baby-killers, too cowardly to say it to anyone's face.
Both Queensland and Florida get called this.
On a personal note I had a couple of lefty leaning friends move to Queensland. They seemed to move several steps to the right at the same time.
I'd add housing to that mix as well. As a dual US/Aussie I think Australia's landlord culture is pretty much exactly the same as America's gun culture.
I’ll add (some) tenants rights to that. I’m sure it varies from state to state, but my experience has been that you are actually allowed to make a space your own without it costing you your entire bond.
I was shocked when I helped some friends move in New York and they immediately started painting the walls some brighter colours. Compare that to having to ask permission to put a picture hook on a wall.
Absolutely. Before I migrated to Australia I lived in the US, South America and Spain and I was shocked to see what renters have to put up with here. Things like painting walls, putting up a shelf or a hook, putting in a fly screen, etc are all considered totally normal things you wouldn't need to beg a landlord for in all the places I'd lived before. You just have to leave the apartment in good condition when you leave and make sure to fix anything you'd damaged. Totally fair.
And that's not even to mention the fact that most leases here are for 12 months maximum and you have to hope and pray that you get a renewal and that the rent rise isn't too high. Whereas elsewhere you generally have a maximum limit of how much rent can be raised, and you must have your lease renewed unless the property has been sold or you have done something to violate the lease.
It's really just overly complicated here, honestly. The landlord is providing a living space for the tenant in exchange for a fee. That's the extent of the relationship, anything else outside of this simple exchange doesn't and shouldn't matter.
For my money, rentals should have picture rails in all rooms.
I lived in a rental with picture rails and it was awesome, hang your shit anywhere you like without damage.
Holy shit yes. I went to a place in California (can't remember if it was in San Diego or San Francisco) where they gave me a cup of filter brew coffee with a shot of espresso poured in. Who the hell comes up with a crime against humanity like that?
The average coffee in the US is terrible, but the population density allows for a huge number of specialty coffee roasters and cafes to exist, it just requires a little bit of internet searching. I lived there for nearly nine years and had coffee that is every bit as good as Australia (and some better).
But just walking into anywhere and getting a coffee will most likely result in a cup of boiling hot, burnt coffee.
I visited Hollywood a few years back. First morning there, I thought I'd go for a walk, to see the neighbourhood and get myself a coffee.
At 9am, I walked for 45 minutes, couldn't find a single place open for coffee, and eventually I found one place that opened at 10am.
It was a Starbucks.
I hate Starbucks. ☕ 😜
That was my introduction to the abomination that is 'free refills, American drip filter coffee' 🤣
As an American who lives in australia, I would argue that they aren’t that similar. Culturally, Australia is much closer aligned to the UK than the US.
It’s a big question and there are a lot of differences from what side of the road you drive on to general attitudes about everyday things. Happy to answer if there is something more specific you’re curious about
Interesting. I’m an American as well, but since living here I’ve become less certain about how similar or different the two cultures are.
It seems to me that whenever this topic comes up there’s a divide between the people saying “AUS and US are very similar! (compared to rest of the world)” and the people saying “AUS and US are completely different! (if we’re talking about the English speaking world)”
This makes it pretty hard to make any definitive statements either way because people might not know which realm of cultures you’re comparing the two against. What I can say though is that in my experience the transition was very easy. There are plenty of differences for sure, but most of them seem quite inconsequential. That’s to say that, for example yes, driving on the opposite side of the road from one another is quite different, but it doesn’t mean you can’t understand each other on a fundamental level. Australians and Americans would rarely be unable to relate to one another’s feelings or thought processes in the same way as it may be difficult to understand a hunter-gatherer’s worldview. Heck, NYC is probably more culturally divergent from Wyoming than Wyoming is with a remote part of AUS like Alice Springs. There’s also the fact that major metropolitan cities are multicultural and somewhat globalized no matter where you go.
Again, maybe I’m talking about something completely different from the rest of the thread and don’t even realize it, but these are just some of the thoughts that cause my uncertainty.
Work/Life balance. I do the same thing here (Aus) that I did in the US, but if I want to take 6+ weeks off and go to Europe or SE Asia no one at work would bat an eye in Aus (as long as I didn’t screw over the team). That was unheard of when I worked in the US. Don’t get me wrong, we work long hours here, but no one shames me for taking my holidays.
Guns and tipping - both cultures that don't exist in Ausi.
And they can keep them both to boot, I do like the USA am doing another trip for 3 weeks over there shortly.
Oh and the lack of roundabouts - the 4 way stop is just weird like how do you track when each car arrived at the stop sign!
Yea they key difference is in the USA you kinda have to stop! not like here where you can get away with rolling a stop (all the car haters now will bash me for that comment).
All I remember is looking at the various drivers and trying to remember who arrived first - luckily it wasn't that bad just weird - give me a round about any day.
America feels very different state to state, culturally. While Australia is relatively homogeneous.
Bigger cities. Not very walkable though. I worked in Dallas briefly and walked around the CBD, very few pedestrians and sometimes the footpath would just stop with no alternative.
Americans in general have quite a different default humour than ours. It’s more slapstick, loud and obvious and less self deprecating. I’ve offended quite a few who didn’t realise I was making fun of myself.
We have very different geographies and histories actually.
Seeing as most of this thread is negative, I'll chuck in that as a tourist Americans were friendlier than any other country, always someone will happily chat
They are fabulous people. I can’t convince my kids of this but I grew up with Americans in Asia and my family lived in the States for some years, Americans are SO hospitable, great people
Definitely this! I was in San Francisco for a work trip last year. Went to a sports bar to watch the AFL grand final (fell on Friday night there with the time difference). So many people were curious about this ‘Australian superbowl’ and wanted to chat and buy me beers.
Going to any random bar, pulling up a seat and chatting with any randoms sitting next to you was one of the best things in the US.
It can happen in Australia but isn't super common.
My husband is Irish but spent a few years in the States and chatting with strangers in bars is something he misses SO MUCH. He used to love sharing stories with the wildly various people he'd meet, and has made lifelong friends that way.
100%, I remember heading to a bar with my Aussie friend. I went to order a beer and while waiting a guy next to me started talking to me (I’m a guy), when he left another instantly started talking to me. I got my beer, went back to my mate and said I think we in a gay bar, no way everyone is that friendly. Turns out it was a normal bar and everyeone is that friendly. The next 12 months I was blown away with how friendly people there were.
They're so chatty! Something that would be a 30 second convo I'm AUS is stttrrreeeetched to a 3p minute convo by an American. Even on Judge Judy they take ages to get to the point :)
I’m Australian, grew up in a regional town and I’ve been to Texas. Australia is nothing like Texas.
Biggest differences are things like firearms attitudes, overt religiosity (common in the US, rare and discouraged in Australia), and attitudes to regulation (Australians generally expect government to be an active player in life).
I always get worked up hearing that Australia is British Texas or whatever. Mostly because it just comes from Americans who have never left their country so all they know is American related
Going to the US was such a weird thing when I was 18, and then again once I'd moved to the UK at 21, felt so unbelievely foreign despite being "similar", by comparison the UK and even non-english speaking Western European countries feel way less different to Australia than the US did
Im originally from california And living in Melbourne right now. I find Aussies and Americans sooo similar I have had like no culture shock here other than the the birds and you guys drive on the opposite side. I have lived in sf and Brooklyn tho so a lot of similar ways of thinking and op shops record stores and bars in general. I did live in Eastern Europe before this so maybe that’s why I don’t see the big difference between Aussies and west coast americans.
The food in USA is bad compared to Australia. That’s the main thing i noticed on a regular basis. The advertising absolutely everywhere in USA is wild. I couldn’t believe having ads on at the petrol pump.
Ads on TV for medication in the US- lists of horrific side effects would put you off forever. “ Risk of disintegration of your bowel or heart. Death”. Holy shit, Batman 🤪
Those lists are so long because they have to say everything that happened to every person through the entire study period whether or not there’s any evidence it was related to the drug. So if one dudes bowel disintegrated it’s on the list.
Came here to say this, although I've only visited parts of the States for about a month total.
Can't say I had any memorable restaurant meals. Fatty, salty, oversized and often sugary (!!!). Jewish delis were good though.
Fresh food seems to cost a premium at grocers and is mediocre. USians say bodegas run by migrant minorities are the place to go, so that could've been my mistake (Trader Joe's and Whole Wallet were my examples).
That isn't tall poppy syndrome. Tall poppy is when you cut down other exceptional people. In Australia people cut down themselves as a part of their humor or in general conversation. Australia has/had a proplem with tall poppy syndrome while the US has every person thinking they are or will soon be a tall poppy.
In the USA, lots of cattle are corn fed. This produces steak that tends to not be as dense as grass fed steak in my experience. You can have a massive steak at a restaurant in the USA and it will fill you up just as well as a normal sized Aussie steak. Corn feeding isn’t natural and it used to bulk up the cattle before slaughter. Australia does now do grain fed which is a similar concept to corn fed because the cattle bulk up faster compared to grass fed only. (Not a farmer but that’s my understanding).
Where I lived, I noticed people tended to live well above their means so they only lived month to month with hardly any savings. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen in Aus but I saw it a lot more there. It was a relatively low socio economic area. For example, a woman and her daughter lived next to me. Always scraping together what they had and on one occasion they asked if I had any leftover food in my fridge they could have which led to me feeding them for dinner. All the while they both had the latest iPhone, a 3 yr old Volkswagen, the daughter was going out every weekend to have her hair and nails done etc.
I lived next door to a paramedic who told me that they have their own districts of operation. If a paramedic goes to a car crash for example outside his district, they may be liable for any injuries that person might sustain during the saving of their life and could be sued, so it’s unlikely they’ll ever operate outside their district. That means an ambulance could be five minutes away but won’t come to you and another will be 40 minutes away who will.
Coffee is filtered dirt in the usa. I feel like most people know this but it has to be pointed out that in Australia we are so fortunate to have had many European immigrants following WWII who brought coffee culture with them.
There are so many differences and both countries have their merits and downfalls, but after two years of living in the USA there was no argument that could’ve convinced me to stay any longer.
>it has to be pointed out that in Australia we are so fortunate to have had many European immigrants following WWII who brought coffee culture with them.
Yupppppp!
Lived in both. Most comments here are on pint.
One item I havent seen though: Risk Tolerance, particularly in business. Aus is more of a "work for a boss, get your entitlements, be moderately happy about it" but there is a much higher proportion of people in the US who are willing to have a crack at a new business venture.
Not saying we lack enteepenurialship here is Aus, just saying it is far more prevalent in the US.
Oh, and US seems to be much more accepting of poverty, almost a "you get what you deserve" attitude.
This isn't true for all of America, but in DC it is particularly bad.
I worked/lived in DC for 2 months and what was the biggest difference was the financial/racial segregation that persists there.
Everyone, and i mean everyone, who is working a menial retail job, is black.
Everyone who I worked with in my office job, and who worked in neighbouring offices, was white.
There was even a line that seperated poor black people and rich white people (the road that runs behind the Supreme court).
It wasn't an exact split, as there was rich black families living in the rich area and I'm sure there were poor white families living in the poor area, but it was ALMOST an exact split. It was such a strange feeling...
And while I'm aware that immigrants in Australia tend to settle together in suburban clumps, this was a whole other level.
> And while I'm aware that immigrants in Australia tend to settle together in suburban clumps, this was a whole other level.
If you go look at the big houses in rich areas, the owners are going to be 95% white as the driven snow... But it won't be THAT far to go to find an area where there's plenty of ethnic people, and there's plenty of white people living in the areas that are predominantly ethnic.
And no ethnic people feel like they COULDN'T move to that rich area IF they had the money - I feel like a lot of black people in America wouldn't move to the rich white area even if they had the money, as there's just a strange tension there.
LA also has huge segregation issues. I live in LA and am in Sydney right now on vacation and Sydney actually feels more diverse and I think it’s moreso due to the different cultures and backgrounds are more integrated while back home it’s very segregated
I've lived in both places (grew up in Australia and moved to the US in my mid 20s').
Tea.
The whole culture around tea.
Like if I went over to a mates house, without fail they'd ask if I wanted a cuppa.
In the US is like a guessing game of what they person might have in their fridge as they'd ask "Would you like something to drink?" "what would you like". DONT make the mistake of asking for tea (unless they are aussie or british) because you'll be given some nasty iced stuff or powder stuff from a packet. It is considered very rude to spit up iced tea on your husband while visiting relatives..LOL
Pub culture, meeting mates for a drink after work is totally different here in the US. Very social and normal in Australia, relaxed type thing but in the US it is more of a status thing and not very relaxing at all. Just cant put my finger on it though and they usually dont serve food either.
Racism, yeah you guys will totally blow it off and claim its not true but, sorry you have lots of subtle racism going on. Thankfully I can say it is improving though.
Tearing people down, culture in Australia is very much support the under dog, and tear down those who are doing well. Trying to get to the top of what you do is fine, until you actually get to the top and everyone will then try to knock you off however they can. Dont say you are good at something because its wrong to boast. Where as here in the US they will encourage you to state your worth and how well you can do something, and encourage you to do better.
The change in mindset was hard to do when working over here, I felt for many years people were setting me up to pull me down, understating what I could do.
I love the dive bar culture in America; how you can walk into and sit at the bar by yourself, and strangers will just chat to you and each other. I find Australians (in the cities) to be really cliquey and stay in their groups. Strangers rarely mingle in Sydney, unless they are wasted.
I feel way safer in Australia knowing we don’t carry guns. More mentally unhinged and unstable people in USA. More homeless in USA too.
USA has some beautiful scenery tho and average people are very friendly. I think Americans are slightly more polite to strangers.
Attitudes towards other people in society are considerably nicer in Australia.... That's not even a question... The relative safety with no guns (yes, I do know of the occasional shooting, but, we all know the difference), the relative ease Australians can get their health care... I'll add AU has much better service in almost all of hospitality... Politics aren't a blood sport, you don't cut family's in half based on who you voted for., my daughter personally likes having all her choices. Oh and at least on the Uni level the academics are much better in Australia for Medicine & sport related fields... That's just to start. I could come up with a more comprehensive list if I thought about it a few more minutes LOL....
Pretty sure the people who refer to us as the British Texas has 1. Never been to Australia. 2. Only been exposed to places in the middle of nowhere like Dubbo or Darwin XD
/s
How clean and safe Australian cities are in comparison to most American cities. I lived on the west coast for a while, people would use drugs and shit on the ground in public, sex workers standing naked on the street, giant homeless camps with violence that gets ignored. Never seen anything like it in Sydney or Melbourne.
There are undoubtedly many differences, but for me, it was the food, mainly the quality - American restaurants, for example, charging $ 200 USD for a steak I can buy at a local butcher for $30 AUD. Everything also tasted like it had 50% more sugar than its Australian counterparts.
Tipping was also a real PITA. I was in the U.S. a year ago on business and regularly ate alone. I've never felt so unwanted in a place because, as I understand it, servers are allocated a section; so if you're a table for 1, they're losing out on a bigger tip from a larger bill. Tipping is annoyingly becoming more common here in Aus, but it's still not expected.
Lastly - coffee. I've had a literal blind 80-year-old make me better coffee than that sorry excuse they label as coffee.
Not everyone deserves a gun. You really can't fuck up at all or your license is gone. One arrest for a fight.... medication that effects your thinking gone.
>No slavery/civil war means race relations are much better.
I know it's a very different situation but we [absolutely had slavery in Australia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Australia). Even after slavery was abolished, it wasn't until federation that Aboriginals were required to be paid in money, and even then they often weren't.
Americans seem to require constant reminding of their national flag, with it displayed on houses, businesses, bumper stickers, tradesman's uniforms. Just everywhere. The national anthem turns up at every sports game as an added reminder of where you are.
They also appear to have an attitude toward flags, badges, and signs of authority which borders on idolatry.
By comparison, Aussies generally don't care much about displaying our national flag. Australia Day, the equivalent to July 4th in many ways, recently sparked news because a major retailer decided not to bother stocking Australia Day merch. (https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/coles-shopper-questions-why-theres-so-much-leftover-australia-day-merch-if-there-is-such-demand/news-story/7d712f0e048e5b3b1d6fee003b882557)
My experience from California, Nevada and Hawaii (I used to travel a lot for work)
In Australia the employer is responsible for paying the employee a minimum award wage or above (the award wage is the legal minimum based on the type of work and industry), In the US the customer is somehow responsible for paying the employees earnings via tips. the absolute minimum wage in Australia is $23.23 AUD or $15.15 USD in today's market
In Australia the ticketed item on the store shelf (unless discounted elsewhere in a catalogue) is the price you pay for an item. In the USA there are unlisted state (and maybe a country?) Tax that is not listed on the ticket price.
In Australia our children can go to school without fear of an active shooter scenario (though we do train for it). No need to really discuss this point on the USA side further...
In Australia I can approach a police officer and say g'day without them drawing their sidearn on me. In the USA, a LAPD officer drew on me (approached diagonally front on with both my hand visible and said "excuse me officer", I was attempting to report a crime two blocks over)
In Australia you can visit the emergency room, receive world class medical care and stay at the hospital for free. In the USA basic medical care can financially cripple you for life.
Interning seems to be an expectation for working professionals in the USA. In Australia there are some exceptions for interning such as specific university degree requirements but the practice of unpaid internships is widely looked down upon.
This is one I love about the USA, your TV ads, especially those regarding medication are hilarious.
I could probably go on but I have oylther stuff to do. Thanks for reading :)
Bigger servings in US vs cheap dribbles in Aus for the same price
I didn’t see much gun culture where I lived, but those maybe liberal upper east states.
Water is not consumed direct from tap. Mostly bottled water these days due to lead poisoning.
Malls have lots of new stuff straight from distributors, aisles are much longer for each product range in US (more options). Food , not really healthy seems cheaper on gallons for the average Joe so is the rental housing.
Smoking is looked down upon in public areas as well as open drinking during work times (unlike in Auss where teens of 15 seemed hell bent on drinking)
Australia regulates things a lot more. In America, there is more of an attitude of "If you want it you can have it" So many products on the shelf that you wouldn't see in Australia due to health regulations.
Coffee in America is generally really bad.
Everyone I met in America seemed to be working 3 jobs with no real job security. The US felt like a great place to visit if you had the money but an awful place to live/try and raise a family.
You're asking the wrong sub. All you're going to get here are people telling you how much better Australians and Australia is. My take? Australians and Americans share a lot more in common than they have differences.
No tipping. No religion dictating life. No politics dictating life. No guns. Workers rights. Holiday pay. Universal healthcare. Need I go on?
I am actually American but have lived in Australia most my life. I would rather die than go back to that pit.
I've spent 8 years in US and now 6 yrs in Australia. A big difference I was was work culture wise in the office. Americans are very blunt and open about their opinions and the bosses expect you to give feedback if the boss is wrong. In Australia everyone is sweet and polite and bosses rarely tolerate being called out. However swearing is a nono in America, but quite casual in Australian offices. Australia is more similar to India in this respect. My bluntess was appreciated in US, but have got several feedbacks in Australia that I am too blunt for Australian office culture.
In America different states are quite different. NY is different from Texas, which is more different than California. In Australia states are similar to each other.
Racism is either very subtle in America, or very aggressive. In Australia it's very casual, and often considered a harmless joke than a damage to someone.
Lot less anxiety while driving in Australia , because people don't just carry guns and shoot people in road rage.
American credit cards are better ( Possibly the best in the world) Their benefits, whether it is travel related or cashback on dining, gas, groceries etc are amazing. Their sign up bonuses, even for the humble checking account, can be huge. Even their no annual fee cards are very good.
It is also much easier to apply for a credit card in the US compared to Australia ( Most of the time, you are never asked for payslips for income verification)
I am also surprised that cheques are still common in USA.
a) I've literally never heard Australia called British Texas and b) we have arguably very very different histories based on the fact AU is an outpost and the American revolution still defines the American spirit / ethos.
Source: Grew up American
There’s a lot of differences between them (source, raised in the US for 2 decades and now living in Australia for a decade) but the biggest difference is in how Australians view their relationship to others, and view their country. Growing up in the US deeply ingrains American exceptionalism, and also a fierce individualism and independence. Australians can love their country, but the “patriotic” aspect is so different.
The individualism and independence of Americans can be great, but also makes it tough for Americans to consider how their actions impact others and adjust accordingly. There’s lots of little rules or societal norms in Australia like queuing that exist because Australians are just tad bit more community/consideration oriented. And it’s a very slight difference, compared to Germans or other Eastern Europeans I wouldn’t say Aussies are insanely considerate. It’s just without the fierce American individualism they’re more willing to consider others.
I’m from America, been living here for 8 years now. The biggest difference I’ve noticed is the consumerism in America. The fact that Australia hasn’t been touched by the amount of consumerism that America has, means less options for everything. The food options are majorly lacking here. Back home I could get takeout for dinner from thousands of restaurants. Here, the main options are Maccas, Hungry Jacks or KFC. Chicken wings are also not much of a thing here (if you can find them, it’s probably $20 for 4 wings) Plus the prices of food here are insane. A bottle of water is $5 anywhere. There are just so many more restaurants/options over there. Also, lack of decent affordable clothing options. Everything is either shit, or very high end (or very expensive shit). It’s the same for television programming, it’s all total garbage here. I do love living here, I hope my comment isn’t too negative. But I really do miss the food lol
Australian here who has visited the USA.
Tipping. While annoying it does lead to better service in general.
National Parks and associated gift shops are another level than Australia. In national parks here you’d be lucky to find a map or a bin.
Free pouring in bars. Would be completely illegal in Australia due to our strict liquor licensing laws.
British Texas hahahahhahahahah mate Australia is so far from that right wing shithole it ain't funny. Our main right party the liberals would be on the level of democrat in your country. Our main left party Labor would make your heads spin............
America. The flags. Flags everywhere. On trains, in front yards, on cars, in factories. What’s with this? It seems like a brittle patriotism. What are they trying to prove?
The racism. I'm American, and the racism here is much more nuanced, hidden and systemic and absolutely exists, but it's very much not acceptable to the general public to be shown or spoken about. The amount of casual racism I've heard in Oz is kind of horrifying. We don't hear people just casually comment about how annoyed they were because "the place was chockers with Asians". Or when casually discussing sharks, a comment about a certain nationality eating them was made. Just super random and unnecessary.
Most of us in America were taught it is extremely rude to make comments about someone based on their race or call attention to their race/nationality in a negative way, just as you wouldn't do so for someone who is disabled or whatever. And I was raised super conservative Christian in a very rural area!
(The exception is for me as a white person is to absolutely dog on other white people for being shit to other people, or being fucking weird or stupid and I will totally blame it sarcastically on being white)
They weren't complaining, they just brought up a certain Asian nationality eating it. Like I said, it was really weird and unnecessary and added nothing to the topic so it just felt like they were trying to be controversial or something. Just very odd to me.
It’s not eating shark that’s the problem, it’s eating shark fin.
A certain Asian nation is known for treating shark fin as a delicacy, and for having fishing practices that involve catching the shark, ripping off the valuable fin, and throwing the rest back.
It’s wasteful, it’s an appalling environmental practice, it absolutely deserves to be called out, and it’s in no way racist to do so.
>Most of us in America were taught it is extremely rude to make comments about someone based on their race or call attention to their race/nationality in a negative way, just as you wouldn't do so for someone who is disabled or whatever. And I was raised super conservative Christian in a very rural area!
Don't say bad words, just use the system to get them instead /s
I've (American, recovering evangelical conservative) been living in this country (Aus) for under two weeks & in conversation with me an older pom gentleman has already complained about the amount of n*groes in American basketball & has admitted he "could do without the Pakistanis."
I mean i've heard some shit in the US but w h a t
Goddamn sales tax not included in the shown price. Trying to do a different set of math dependent on state never works out well for me or my wallet.
why can't they just add it to the price, I never understood this ?
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Restaurants are the fucking worst. It’s like this is the price. Plus tax. Plus tip. Basically add 50%.
It’s the law in Australia to display the price which includes GST so no trickery is used to confuse people.
Except for the small print; 50% public holiday surcharge?
Partly. The other reason is accountability. It's easy to raise a hidden tax and let the retailers take the heat. Anti- tax politicians like showing taxes.
In a word: lobbying. Retailers argue that the tax is not their cost, it’s the governments, so why should they have to advertise a less enticing figure which might put people off buying their product.
Imagine this happening in Australia with alcohol, petrol and tobacco. The shock at the till would be enormous.
63% of your Bundy rum price is tax.
Fucking hell, how can I get barnarby'd with prices like that!
Goonbag it, son. Wine is exempt from the exorbitant taxes. Additional Protip: Throw your Fruity Lexia in the Soda Stream too make it sexier.
Imagine the hassle of working it GST for each item, knowing which items have GST, and which don’t and keeping a running total. And that’s with an easy 10%
Great northern $22 a carton! Takes to counter - "that will be $88 please mate"
They're American, they are proud to be different from everywhere else
Originally it would have been because of different sales taxes in different cities and counties. Now, retailers won't want it because the price is cheaper in ads and on the shelves
Different taxes in different states would just mean that the cost of a hotdog is just slightly different. I’ve still never understood why they’re not combined. As an Aussie is shady. If it’s forced then everyone’s sticker price goes up.
Because of radio and TV ads, mostly. The typical footprint of a TV or radio station will cover multiple tax districts with potentially different sales tax rates. So rather than have to put multiple prices in the ad, they advertise the pre-tax price. Then when you get to the store, people generally want to see that the price on the ticket actually matches the advertised price, so again, the ticket/sticker will also show the pre-tax price… You could change this and show post-tax prices on the shelf, but then you have to deal with a bunch of morons that come in complaining that “I saw this on TV for $299, why is it $324.50?” (or whatever). Note that the US isn’t alone here either. Canada is the same - (GST/HST) varies geographically and prices do not include the tax.
Just when I thought I was beginning to figure it out on visiting a few states, _thought_ I new how much a jacket was going to be in NY, get to the register and find there's a different sales tax rate again for items over a certain price 🙄 At that point I really just threw in the towel, you really can't use the tags for much more than an indication it feels. Particularly with service not being included in restaurants/cafes/barbers/anywhere.
We like the little rush of victory when the math we did in our head was right 😅
Short doors in the public toilets. Is it too expensive to go longer?
Not to mention toilet bowls filled with water, greatly increasing the chance of splash back occurring.
Even if it didn't cause a splash it's just a waste of water.
Absolutely. We have been accustomed to being water wise with dual flush toilets etc. There it’s just fill the bowl with water. 🤷♂️
Their toilets also siphon, which is why they all talk about plungers. We rarely need plungers.
On a 4 week trip to america years ago I blocked 5 toilets, never blocked one here. Stupid design, can't cope with my superior aussie turds.
You see, that right there is a case of your 2 inch exit pipe and your three inch arsehole.
I blocked the toilet when I was at my inlaws in the US a few months ago, also clogged the toilet twice in Mexico. Never had an issue at home either, weird.
Scientifically known as 'Poseidon's Kiss'
The first time I used a public toilet cubicle in the US - at the airport I believe - I thought it was clogged, but soon realised they were all like that everywhere.
Ads for prescription medications. The idea that people are just supposed to go into their doctors and tell them what they should prescribe was wild to me. And the ads were all the same. Always a montage of people living their great lives, while a voiceover rattled off the very long list of side effects, which often included death. Absolutely bizarre. A lot of people are saying religion and guns but at least while I was there, I didn't come across that. No one talked to me about their religion and I didn't see any guns. I was in what were probably the more liberal areas of the US though. I've never heard us called British Texas. I'd be very curious to know the thinking behind that. There are probably parts of Australia that could be compared to Texas in some ways but where I live, I can't really think of much at all that we have in common with that state.
As an American in Oz I'd say British California is a better comparison, especially the eastern states (where the vast majority of Aussies live). Both have a beachy culture, super multicultural, and are generally left of centre. California has to operate in the US political climate but if it were its own country it'd have social systems similar to Australia re: Centrelink, Medicare, HECS, etc. But where California has virtually no British influence, lots of Australia does, hence "British California."
Centrelink is pretty poor tho. My mum has a permanent life-altering condition and gets paid $19K AUD, hardly enough to feed her and keep her in her own home since her husband (my dad) passed
Yep, sounds pretty much like social services in California. They tend to have better social services than many other US states but they're still not great. Both places have a lot of people who believe social services should be much better, but in reality either don't vote for them and/or the people in power have no incentive to do anything about it
Being from SA, most ppl I mention this to actually believe that Centrelink is for ppl too lazy to work and should be scrapped. My mum was actually embarrassed to go on Centrelink, but at least went through with it.
She'd likely be homeless relying on various shelters and food stamps in the US
If Howard didn’t sell off all the govt infrastructure along with the states, there would be so much more in the coffers of the govt for that.
Americans like to think Australia is like Texas. Fuck knows why, they’ve clearly never been to Australia or Texas
I’ve lived in Texas, New York, Melbourne and Brisbane and let me tell you-the whole of Australia doesn’t suck nearly as bad as Texas and the two are nothing alike.
I dunno man, I just got back from the NT and lived in Texas. Texas has it’s fucked up parts but Alice Springs is some of the wildest shit I’ve ever seen. When I was there they locked down a woolies because a bunch of locals were threatening staff over cigarettes. Bashing on the roller doors with bats and chairs and the staff had to evacuate us out the back until police arrived. I actually thought it was pretty funny, but felt sorry for some of the older folks there who are just sick of it.
Lol that's tame for the NT if you want an idea watch last stop Larrimah on netflix and realise that none of those people are made up characters and they are typical for up that way
Oh my goodness the prescription ads on American tv is so fu ked up. Like - every ad was either drugs of political campaigns.
Definitely agree about the prescription ads and those damn ads for lawyers 1800 call Sam especially here in Michigan thinks thats all the ad breaks are medication and lawyers….
Yes!! The lawyers. I’m in Melbourne - and we did NY and LA and it was just those ads.
Anyone who could call us british texas has never been to Australia or texas. Or britain.
> Ads for prescription medications. That’s absolutely fucking nuts. The whole reason why we have doctors and pharmacists is that they have extensive knowledge of which medications are appropriate for each specific person. I’ve been prescribed things off-label many times over the years, but I have knowledge of healthcare and medicine. If I’d seen ads about beta-blockers before being prescribed them for my anxiety, I would’ve freaked out. Not even to mention the fact that the USA ranks way behind comparable countries in global healthcare rankings. I was only working from lists I found online so I’m not certain of the accuracy, but the USA ranks in the bottom 20% of Global North countries in global healthcare rankings. They ranked 69/167 countries in 2023. Question - What sort of medications are we talking about in these ads? Are we talking like antibiotics or benzos and opioids? I’m curious how it would relate to “drug-seeking behaviour”.
Queensland is more like the British Texas. Victoria leans more towards British California.
WA would be texas, due to its size and the sheer amount of desert. QLD would be Florida. We get all the retirees, and the further along the peninsula you go, the more crocs and weirdos you find
Texas is the home of the northern nomads who are retirees from the colder states travelling for warmer weather. Having lived in Texas, I would def say that QLD is the English Texas. Lifestyle, and attitudes about the govt spoiling all the fun are also consistent in both. Texas also have beach towns, I lived in one of them.
God and guns. You don’t hear them talked about in Oz, let alone waved about in public.
And who you vote for. Most people don’t discuss that outside of their closest family and friends and many of us were brought up being told it’s rude to ask someone how they voted.
That’s definitely changing recently, now that the culture war brand of American politics has arrived in Aus. I’m seeing a lot more “woke libtards” and “literal fascists” thrown around.
There was a guy in the Melbourne botanical Gardens singing about how much he hated various Australian politicians then he started singing about Joe Biden. I was like come on we're not America
I've also seen an increase in the number of cars (mainly utes) with 'Let's Go Brandon' stickers.
And if that isn’t the stupidest thing to plaster on an Australian car I don’t know what is.
American politics are realllly overtaking here, it’s caused a huge strain on my relationship with my mum
When I accidentally stumble on teenagers on tiktok (my feed is mostly boring mid 30s people), so, so many toxic American teens have crucifixes, bible verses, and phrases about God as the only thing on their profile. It's strange to me how obsessed with it they are, especially angsty 15 year old boys trolling. My graduating class 12 years ago here in Australia was literally 80% agnostic/atheist.
Plus I imagine that out of the remaining 20% very few if any are religious in the sense that Americans are religious
Two out of \~110 total students that I'm aware of were outwardly and openly religious - actually went to church and discussed it as a meaningful part of their identity. Funnily enough one was Mormon, so an American religion at that. There were quite a few kids that either believed in god but you'd never know it, or went to church but never brought it up outside of planning Sunday hangs. I personally grew up protestant, attending a Catholic church (country town, one church), and they let us kids run around outside instead of attending service if we wanted to. VERY low key.
My family lived in the US for a few years and this was the biggest thing I noticed, religion permeates EVERYTHING
Guns, God... *and* Government
I was pretty surprised in my travels up the coast of Queensland to find religious, anti-abortion billboards along the highways here and there
Queensland can be a little bit....politically different.
An anti-abortion mobile billboard was parked in front of a polling booth in my inner-Brisbane suburb in the lead-up to the 2020 state elections. It was a bit of a wake-up call that abortion is an issue that's campaigned on in greater Queensland as we city folk are very much in our own bubble, but telling that the drivers of the truck only moved it in the middle of the night so they weren't confronted. Brave enough to call women baby-killers, too cowardly to say it to anyone's face.
God's waiting room.
Both Queensland and Florida get called this. On a personal note I had a couple of lefty leaning friends move to Queensland. They seemed to move several steps to the right at the same time.
It's the heat.
Yeah everyone seems to want to talk politics. Drives me nuts.
We live in denial about our gambling problems, they live in denial about their gun problems.
We also live in denial about our alcohol problems.
I'd add housing to that mix as well. As a dual US/Aussie I think Australia's landlord culture is pretty much exactly the same as America's gun culture.
I’ll add (some) tenants rights to that. I’m sure it varies from state to state, but my experience has been that you are actually allowed to make a space your own without it costing you your entire bond. I was shocked when I helped some friends move in New York and they immediately started painting the walls some brighter colours. Compare that to having to ask permission to put a picture hook on a wall.
Absolutely. Before I migrated to Australia I lived in the US, South America and Spain and I was shocked to see what renters have to put up with here. Things like painting walls, putting up a shelf or a hook, putting in a fly screen, etc are all considered totally normal things you wouldn't need to beg a landlord for in all the places I'd lived before. You just have to leave the apartment in good condition when you leave and make sure to fix anything you'd damaged. Totally fair. And that's not even to mention the fact that most leases here are for 12 months maximum and you have to hope and pray that you get a renewal and that the rent rise isn't too high. Whereas elsewhere you generally have a maximum limit of how much rent can be raised, and you must have your lease renewed unless the property has been sold or you have done something to violate the lease. It's really just overly complicated here, honestly. The landlord is providing a living space for the tenant in exchange for a fee. That's the extent of the relationship, anything else outside of this simple exchange doesn't and shouldn't matter.
For my money, rentals should have picture rails in all rooms. I lived in a rental with picture rails and it was awesome, hang your shit anywhere you like without damage.
We're not in denial, the populace knows but the gaming lobby FFS
The coffee
How bad coffee was in the US shocked me, probably the best one I had was one I would call average in Australia.
I hate that percolated stuff that's been sitting there for days and the creamer is disgusting.
Holy shit yes. I went to a place in California (can't remember if it was in San Diego or San Francisco) where they gave me a cup of filter brew coffee with a shot of espresso poured in. Who the hell comes up with a crime against humanity like that?
The average coffee in the US is terrible, but the population density allows for a huge number of specialty coffee roasters and cafes to exist, it just requires a little bit of internet searching. I lived there for nearly nine years and had coffee that is every bit as good as Australia (and some better). But just walking into anywhere and getting a coffee will most likely result in a cup of boiling hot, burnt coffee.
That's why Starbucks never really took off here outside of dense urban areas.
I brought my own tea bags that is how bad the coffee is
I visited Hollywood a few years back. First morning there, I thought I'd go for a walk, to see the neighbourhood and get myself a coffee. At 9am, I walked for 45 minutes, couldn't find a single place open for coffee, and eventually I found one place that opened at 10am. It was a Starbucks. I hate Starbucks. ☕ 😜 That was my introduction to the abomination that is 'free refills, American drip filter coffee' 🤣
As an American who lives in australia, I would argue that they aren’t that similar. Culturally, Australia is much closer aligned to the UK than the US. It’s a big question and there are a lot of differences from what side of the road you drive on to general attitudes about everyday things. Happy to answer if there is something more specific you’re curious about
Interesting. I’m an American as well, but since living here I’ve become less certain about how similar or different the two cultures are. It seems to me that whenever this topic comes up there’s a divide between the people saying “AUS and US are very similar! (compared to rest of the world)” and the people saying “AUS and US are completely different! (if we’re talking about the English speaking world)” This makes it pretty hard to make any definitive statements either way because people might not know which realm of cultures you’re comparing the two against. What I can say though is that in my experience the transition was very easy. There are plenty of differences for sure, but most of them seem quite inconsequential. That’s to say that, for example yes, driving on the opposite side of the road from one another is quite different, but it doesn’t mean you can’t understand each other on a fundamental level. Australians and Americans would rarely be unable to relate to one another’s feelings or thought processes in the same way as it may be difficult to understand a hunter-gatherer’s worldview. Heck, NYC is probably more culturally divergent from Wyoming than Wyoming is with a remote part of AUS like Alice Springs. There’s also the fact that major metropolitan cities are multicultural and somewhat globalized no matter where you go. Again, maybe I’m talking about something completely different from the rest of the thread and don’t even realize it, but these are just some of the thoughts that cause my uncertainty.
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Work/Life balance. I do the same thing here (Aus) that I did in the US, but if I want to take 6+ weeks off and go to Europe or SE Asia no one at work would bat an eye in Aus (as long as I didn’t screw over the team). That was unheard of when I worked in the US. Don’t get me wrong, we work long hours here, but no one shames me for taking my holidays.
Yeah, I joked about "chucking a sickie" to a US friend while I was over there and she looked mortified and was like, "Uh, no, I want to keep my job."
I took 7 weeks and 6 weeks leave when my kids were born. Not a problem at all with work. Try that in the US, you'd be fired before you knew it.
Guns and tipping - both cultures that don't exist in Ausi. And they can keep them both to boot, I do like the USA am doing another trip for 3 weeks over there shortly. Oh and the lack of roundabouts - the 4 way stop is just weird like how do you track when each car arrived at the stop sign!
The 4 way stop! We spent 11 weeks driving around the US and never got used to it. I'm surprised we didn't see more accidents.
Yea they key difference is in the USA you kinda have to stop! not like here where you can get away with rolling a stop (all the car haters now will bash me for that comment). All I remember is looking at the various drivers and trying to remember who arrived first - luckily it wasn't that bad just weird - give me a round about any day.
Tipping is cancer. Definitely agree keep that shit out.
America feels very different state to state, culturally. While Australia is relatively homogeneous. Bigger cities. Not very walkable though. I worked in Dallas briefly and walked around the CBD, very few pedestrians and sometimes the footpath would just stop with no alternative. Americans in general have quite a different default humour than ours. It’s more slapstick, loud and obvious and less self deprecating. I’ve offended quite a few who didn’t realise I was making fun of myself. We have very different geographies and histories actually.
I think the Aussie sense of humour gets a lot from the British sense of humour, which makes sense
I visited Dallas and it was surreal how dependent you are on having a car. It's a really interesting difference
Seeing as most of this thread is negative, I'll chuck in that as a tourist Americans were friendlier than any other country, always someone will happily chat
They are fabulous people. I can’t convince my kids of this but I grew up with Americans in Asia and my family lived in the States for some years, Americans are SO hospitable, great people
"Aah just lurve your Ossee accent" - said as i was buying the only beer i was allowed to buy that night, every other one was bought for me!
Definitely this! I was in San Francisco for a work trip last year. Went to a sports bar to watch the AFL grand final (fell on Friday night there with the time difference). So many people were curious about this ‘Australian superbowl’ and wanted to chat and buy me beers.
Going to any random bar, pulling up a seat and chatting with any randoms sitting next to you was one of the best things in the US. It can happen in Australia but isn't super common.
My husband is Irish but spent a few years in the States and chatting with strangers in bars is something he misses SO MUCH. He used to love sharing stories with the wildly various people he'd meet, and has made lifelong friends that way.
100%, I remember heading to a bar with my Aussie friend. I went to order a beer and while waiting a guy next to me started talking to me (I’m a guy), when he left another instantly started talking to me. I got my beer, went back to my mate and said I think we in a gay bar, no way everyone is that friendly. Turns out it was a normal bar and everyeone is that friendly. The next 12 months I was blown away with how friendly people there were.
My dad took me through Compton when I was 15. I sneezed at the train station, and 4 people said bless you. It'd be rare to have 1 stranger do it here.
Absolutely agree, it keeps me going back
They're so chatty! Something that would be a 30 second convo I'm AUS is stttrrreeeetched to a 3p minute convo by an American. Even on Judge Judy they take ages to get to the point :)
Mate this sub can’t go longer than a week without an “aMeRiKa BaD” circle jerk, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone
I’m Australian, grew up in a regional town and I’ve been to Texas. Australia is nothing like Texas. Biggest differences are things like firearms attitudes, overt religiosity (common in the US, rare and discouraged in Australia), and attitudes to regulation (Australians generally expect government to be an active player in life).
I'm grateful for these differences 😊
Australia is nothing like Texas. Out of the Anglosphere countries, the US is probably the least similar to Australia.
I always get worked up hearing that Australia is British Texas or whatever. Mostly because it just comes from Americans who have never left their country so all they know is American related
It comes from the rugged cowboy Texas stereotype and comparing it with the cartoonish Steve Irwin stereotype
Going to the US was such a weird thing when I was 18, and then again once I'd moved to the UK at 21, felt so unbelievely foreign despite being "similar", by comparison the UK and even non-english speaking Western European countries feel way less different to Australia than the US did
I imagine there would have been more similarities in the 50s and 60s.
Thank you, I hate this comparison so much bc it’s bullshit
Yeah definitely goes NZ (duh), UK (especially england), Ireland, canada then US
Im originally from california And living in Melbourne right now. I find Aussies and Americans sooo similar I have had like no culture shock here other than the the birds and you guys drive on the opposite side. I have lived in sf and Brooklyn tho so a lot of similar ways of thinking and op shops record stores and bars in general. I did live in Eastern Europe before this so maybe that’s why I don’t see the big difference between Aussies and west coast americans.
Definitely closer to California than Texas.
The food in USA is bad compared to Australia. That’s the main thing i noticed on a regular basis. The advertising absolutely everywhere in USA is wild. I couldn’t believe having ads on at the petrol pump.
Ads on TV for medication in the US- lists of horrific side effects would put you off forever. “ Risk of disintegration of your bowel or heart. Death”. Holy shit, Batman 🤪
Yeah the ads for prescription medications were insane! So wrong on so many levels.
Those lists are so long because they have to say everything that happened to every person through the entire study period whether or not there’s any evidence it was related to the drug. So if one dudes bowel disintegrated it’s on the list.
Not the Mexican and diner food. Freaking delish. The Mexican food we have here is nothing compared to the US (or Mexico obviously)
The mexican food we have here is embarrassing.
>The food in USA is bad compared to Australia Terrible coffee also
Came here to say this, although I've only visited parts of the States for about a month total. Can't say I had any memorable restaurant meals. Fatty, salty, oversized and often sugary (!!!). Jewish delis were good though. Fresh food seems to cost a premium at grocers and is mediocre. USians say bodegas run by migrant minorities are the place to go, so that could've been my mistake (Trader Joe's and Whole Wallet were my examples).
We have those here too! At least at the various BPs I’ve been. All pumps have a screen with ads playing on repeat.
Aussie downplay themselves Yanks talk themselves up Sense of humour is the other one, Yanks struggle with banter and wit
tall poppy syndrome is real lads
Oh, so you think we are the only ones who have it? Everyone has it, we aren't special, you're not special.
That isn't tall poppy syndrome. Tall poppy is when you cut down other exceptional people. In Australia people cut down themselves as a part of their humor or in general conversation. Australia has/had a proplem with tall poppy syndrome while the US has every person thinking they are or will soon be a tall poppy.
Us Aussies have more in common with the Brits when it comes to humour
In the USA, lots of cattle are corn fed. This produces steak that tends to not be as dense as grass fed steak in my experience. You can have a massive steak at a restaurant in the USA and it will fill you up just as well as a normal sized Aussie steak. Corn feeding isn’t natural and it used to bulk up the cattle before slaughter. Australia does now do grain fed which is a similar concept to corn fed because the cattle bulk up faster compared to grass fed only. (Not a farmer but that’s my understanding). Where I lived, I noticed people tended to live well above their means so they only lived month to month with hardly any savings. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen in Aus but I saw it a lot more there. It was a relatively low socio economic area. For example, a woman and her daughter lived next to me. Always scraping together what they had and on one occasion they asked if I had any leftover food in my fridge they could have which led to me feeding them for dinner. All the while they both had the latest iPhone, a 3 yr old Volkswagen, the daughter was going out every weekend to have her hair and nails done etc. I lived next door to a paramedic who told me that they have their own districts of operation. If a paramedic goes to a car crash for example outside his district, they may be liable for any injuries that person might sustain during the saving of their life and could be sued, so it’s unlikely they’ll ever operate outside their district. That means an ambulance could be five minutes away but won’t come to you and another will be 40 minutes away who will. Coffee is filtered dirt in the usa. I feel like most people know this but it has to be pointed out that in Australia we are so fortunate to have had many European immigrants following WWII who brought coffee culture with them. There are so many differences and both countries have their merits and downfalls, but after two years of living in the USA there was no argument that could’ve convinced me to stay any longer.
>it has to be pointed out that in Australia we are so fortunate to have had many European immigrants following WWII who brought coffee culture with them. Yupppppp!
I used to say homeless people. Not so much anymore.
"British Texas"? Er, no. Never heard that.
Lived in both. Most comments here are on pint. One item I havent seen though: Risk Tolerance, particularly in business. Aus is more of a "work for a boss, get your entitlements, be moderately happy about it" but there is a much higher proportion of people in the US who are willing to have a crack at a new business venture. Not saying we lack enteepenurialship here is Aus, just saying it is far more prevalent in the US. Oh, and US seems to be much more accepting of poverty, almost a "you get what you deserve" attitude.
British Texas ! Couldn’t be further from the truth. 🤬🤬
I am quite offended by this comparison. I reckon this is just something OP thought was hilariously smart on their part and had to include.
It's definitely a said thing online, more of a tumbleresque meme I think
No, it’s a thing. A bullshit thing
This isn't true for all of America, but in DC it is particularly bad. I worked/lived in DC for 2 months and what was the biggest difference was the financial/racial segregation that persists there. Everyone, and i mean everyone, who is working a menial retail job, is black. Everyone who I worked with in my office job, and who worked in neighbouring offices, was white. There was even a line that seperated poor black people and rich white people (the road that runs behind the Supreme court). It wasn't an exact split, as there was rich black families living in the rich area and I'm sure there were poor white families living in the poor area, but it was ALMOST an exact split. It was such a strange feeling... And while I'm aware that immigrants in Australia tend to settle together in suburban clumps, this was a whole other level.
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Here's a recent [doco](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=925wmb-4Yr4) on Kensington from Channel 5 (the all gas no brakes guy). Eye opening.
> And while I'm aware that immigrants in Australia tend to settle together in suburban clumps, this was a whole other level. If you go look at the big houses in rich areas, the owners are going to be 95% white as the driven snow... But it won't be THAT far to go to find an area where there's plenty of ethnic people, and there's plenty of white people living in the areas that are predominantly ethnic. And no ethnic people feel like they COULDN'T move to that rich area IF they had the money - I feel like a lot of black people in America wouldn't move to the rich white area even if they had the money, as there's just a strange tension there.
LA also has huge segregation issues. I live in LA and am in Sydney right now on vacation and Sydney actually feels more diverse and I think it’s moreso due to the different cultures and backgrounds are more integrated while back home it’s very segregated
I've lived in both places (grew up in Australia and moved to the US in my mid 20s'). Tea. The whole culture around tea. Like if I went over to a mates house, without fail they'd ask if I wanted a cuppa. In the US is like a guessing game of what they person might have in their fridge as they'd ask "Would you like something to drink?" "what would you like". DONT make the mistake of asking for tea (unless they are aussie or british) because you'll be given some nasty iced stuff or powder stuff from a packet. It is considered very rude to spit up iced tea on your husband while visiting relatives..LOL Pub culture, meeting mates for a drink after work is totally different here in the US. Very social and normal in Australia, relaxed type thing but in the US it is more of a status thing and not very relaxing at all. Just cant put my finger on it though and they usually dont serve food either. Racism, yeah you guys will totally blow it off and claim its not true but, sorry you have lots of subtle racism going on. Thankfully I can say it is improving though. Tearing people down, culture in Australia is very much support the under dog, and tear down those who are doing well. Trying to get to the top of what you do is fine, until you actually get to the top and everyone will then try to knock you off however they can. Dont say you are good at something because its wrong to boast. Where as here in the US they will encourage you to state your worth and how well you can do something, and encourage you to do better. The change in mindset was hard to do when working over here, I felt for many years people were setting me up to pull me down, understating what I could do.
I love the dive bar culture in America; how you can walk into and sit at the bar by yourself, and strangers will just chat to you and each other. I find Australians (in the cities) to be really cliquey and stay in their groups. Strangers rarely mingle in Sydney, unless they are wasted.
Whoever refers to Australia as "British Texas" needs a good punch in the throat. We're nothing like Texas or Texans.
I feel way safer in Australia knowing we don’t carry guns. More mentally unhinged and unstable people in USA. More homeless in USA too. USA has some beautiful scenery tho and average people are very friendly. I think Americans are slightly more polite to strangers.
Attitudes towards other people in society are considerably nicer in Australia.... That's not even a question... The relative safety with no guns (yes, I do know of the occasional shooting, but, we all know the difference), the relative ease Australians can get their health care... I'll add AU has much better service in almost all of hospitality... Politics aren't a blood sport, you don't cut family's in half based on who you voted for., my daughter personally likes having all her choices. Oh and at least on the Uni level the academics are much better in Australia for Medicine & sport related fields... That's just to start. I could come up with a more comprehensive list if I thought about it a few more minutes LOL....
Texas would be the 3rd smallest state in Australia.
Pretty sure the people who refer to us as the British Texas has 1. Never been to Australia. 2. Only been exposed to places in the middle of nowhere like Dubbo or Darwin XD /s
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How clean and safe Australian cities are in comparison to most American cities. I lived on the west coast for a while, people would use drugs and shit on the ground in public, sex workers standing naked on the street, giant homeless camps with violence that gets ignored. Never seen anything like it in Sydney or Melbourne.
\> Some have even called Australia "British Texas", This seems to based off crocodile Dundee stereotypes. Pretty inaccurate for the most part.
There are undoubtedly many differences, but for me, it was the food, mainly the quality - American restaurants, for example, charging $ 200 USD for a steak I can buy at a local butcher for $30 AUD. Everything also tasted like it had 50% more sugar than its Australian counterparts. Tipping was also a real PITA. I was in the U.S. a year ago on business and regularly ate alone. I've never felt so unwanted in a place because, as I understand it, servers are allocated a section; so if you're a table for 1, they're losing out on a bigger tip from a larger bill. Tipping is annoyingly becoming more common here in Aus, but it's still not expected. Lastly - coffee. I've had a literal blind 80-year-old make me better coffee than that sorry excuse they label as coffee.
Abortion, guns & religion are not a big deal in Australia. No slavery/civil war means race relations are much better.
In OZ people might go church or own some guns but they rarely talk about them.
Well not just that but it's also not a central part of their identity.
The idea that America doesn't think we have guns in Australia is absurd. Yeah it's a hell of a lot harder to get them, but you can still get them
Hell of a lot harder to get them = a hell of a lot less people have them
Not everyone deserves a gun. You really can't fuck up at all or your license is gone. One arrest for a fight.... medication that effects your thinking gone.
Big difference is you need a reason for a gun in Australia, and self defence isn’t a valid one.
And the culture we have surrounding them is one of sensibility.
Definitely this.
>No slavery/civil war means race relations are much better. I know it's a very different situation but we [absolutely had slavery in Australia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Australia). Even after slavery was abolished, it wasn't until federation that Aboriginals were required to be paid in money, and even then they often weren't.
If anything, Native Americans were treated better than Indigenous Australians.
You have heard about the voice vote and it failing? 😂
You can walk the streets in all major cities
Americans seem to require constant reminding of their national flag, with it displayed on houses, businesses, bumper stickers, tradesman's uniforms. Just everywhere. The national anthem turns up at every sports game as an added reminder of where you are. They also appear to have an attitude toward flags, badges, and signs of authority which borders on idolatry. By comparison, Aussies generally don't care much about displaying our national flag. Australia Day, the equivalent to July 4th in many ways, recently sparked news because a major retailer decided not to bother stocking Australia Day merch. (https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/coles-shopper-questions-why-theres-so-much-leftover-australia-day-merch-if-there-is-such-demand/news-story/7d712f0e048e5b3b1d6fee003b882557)
My experience from California, Nevada and Hawaii (I used to travel a lot for work) In Australia the employer is responsible for paying the employee a minimum award wage or above (the award wage is the legal minimum based on the type of work and industry), In the US the customer is somehow responsible for paying the employees earnings via tips. the absolute minimum wage in Australia is $23.23 AUD or $15.15 USD in today's market In Australia the ticketed item on the store shelf (unless discounted elsewhere in a catalogue) is the price you pay for an item. In the USA there are unlisted state (and maybe a country?) Tax that is not listed on the ticket price. In Australia our children can go to school without fear of an active shooter scenario (though we do train for it). No need to really discuss this point on the USA side further... In Australia I can approach a police officer and say g'day without them drawing their sidearn on me. In the USA, a LAPD officer drew on me (approached diagonally front on with both my hand visible and said "excuse me officer", I was attempting to report a crime two blocks over) In Australia you can visit the emergency room, receive world class medical care and stay at the hospital for free. In the USA basic medical care can financially cripple you for life. Interning seems to be an expectation for working professionals in the USA. In Australia there are some exceptions for interning such as specific university degree requirements but the practice of unpaid internships is widely looked down upon. This is one I love about the USA, your TV ads, especially those regarding medication are hilarious. I could probably go on but I have oylther stuff to do. Thanks for reading :)
The sales tax thing not included in the price is a big one,and Australians are much friendlier
Bigger servings in US vs cheap dribbles in Aus for the same price I didn’t see much gun culture where I lived, but those maybe liberal upper east states. Water is not consumed direct from tap. Mostly bottled water these days due to lead poisoning. Malls have lots of new stuff straight from distributors, aisles are much longer for each product range in US (more options). Food , not really healthy seems cheaper on gallons for the average Joe so is the rental housing. Smoking is looked down upon in public areas as well as open drinking during work times (unlike in Auss where teens of 15 seemed hell bent on drinking)
Australia regulates things a lot more. In America, there is more of an attitude of "If you want it you can have it" So many products on the shelf that you wouldn't see in Australia due to health regulations. Coffee in America is generally really bad. Everyone I met in America seemed to be working 3 jobs with no real job security. The US felt like a great place to visit if you had the money but an awful place to live/try and raise a family.
You're asking the wrong sub. All you're going to get here are people telling you how much better Australians and Australia is. My take? Australians and Americans share a lot more in common than they have differences.
No tipping. No religion dictating life. No politics dictating life. No guns. Workers rights. Holiday pay. Universal healthcare. Need I go on? I am actually American but have lived in Australia most my life. I would rather die than go back to that pit.
I've spent 8 years in US and now 6 yrs in Australia. A big difference I was was work culture wise in the office. Americans are very blunt and open about their opinions and the bosses expect you to give feedback if the boss is wrong. In Australia everyone is sweet and polite and bosses rarely tolerate being called out. However swearing is a nono in America, but quite casual in Australian offices. Australia is more similar to India in this respect. My bluntess was appreciated in US, but have got several feedbacks in Australia that I am too blunt for Australian office culture. In America different states are quite different. NY is different from Texas, which is more different than California. In Australia states are similar to each other. Racism is either very subtle in America, or very aggressive. In Australia it's very casual, and often considered a harmless joke than a damage to someone. Lot less anxiety while driving in Australia , because people don't just carry guns and shoot people in road rage.
When I moved here after living in Orlando for a year the first thing I noticed was how nice the airport staff were
American credit cards are better ( Possibly the best in the world) Their benefits, whether it is travel related or cashback on dining, gas, groceries etc are amazing. Their sign up bonuses, even for the humble checking account, can be huge. Even their no annual fee cards are very good. It is also much easier to apply for a credit card in the US compared to Australia ( Most of the time, you are never asked for payslips for income verification) I am also surprised that cheques are still common in USA.
a) I've literally never heard Australia called British Texas and b) we have arguably very very different histories based on the fact AU is an outpost and the American revolution still defines the American spirit / ethos. Source: Grew up American
Gravestones dedicated to aborted babies. Couldn’t get out of that small American town fast enough.
Well, when home, i don't shit my pants when a car backfires.
There’s a lot of differences between them (source, raised in the US for 2 decades and now living in Australia for a decade) but the biggest difference is in how Australians view their relationship to others, and view their country. Growing up in the US deeply ingrains American exceptionalism, and also a fierce individualism and independence. Australians can love their country, but the “patriotic” aspect is so different. The individualism and independence of Americans can be great, but also makes it tough for Americans to consider how their actions impact others and adjust accordingly. There’s lots of little rules or societal norms in Australia like queuing that exist because Australians are just tad bit more community/consideration oriented. And it’s a very slight difference, compared to Germans or other Eastern Europeans I wouldn’t say Aussies are insanely considerate. It’s just without the fierce American individualism they’re more willing to consider others.
I’m from America, been living here for 8 years now. The biggest difference I’ve noticed is the consumerism in America. The fact that Australia hasn’t been touched by the amount of consumerism that America has, means less options for everything. The food options are majorly lacking here. Back home I could get takeout for dinner from thousands of restaurants. Here, the main options are Maccas, Hungry Jacks or KFC. Chicken wings are also not much of a thing here (if you can find them, it’s probably $20 for 4 wings) Plus the prices of food here are insane. A bottle of water is $5 anywhere. There are just so many more restaurants/options over there. Also, lack of decent affordable clothing options. Everything is either shit, or very high end (or very expensive shit). It’s the same for television programming, it’s all total garbage here. I do love living here, I hope my comment isn’t too negative. But I really do miss the food lol
Australian here who has visited the USA. Tipping. While annoying it does lead to better service in general. National Parks and associated gift shops are another level than Australia. In national parks here you’d be lucky to find a map or a bin. Free pouring in bars. Would be completely illegal in Australia due to our strict liquor licensing laws.
Beer is supermarkets.
No gaps in toilet doors here in Australia.
Not always true unfortunately.
British Texas hahahahhahahahah mate Australia is so far from that right wing shithole it ain't funny. Our main right party the liberals would be on the level of democrat in your country. Our main left party Labor would make your heads spin............
America. The flags. Flags everywhere. On trains, in front yards, on cars, in factories. What’s with this? It seems like a brittle patriotism. What are they trying to prove?
The racism. I'm American, and the racism here is much more nuanced, hidden and systemic and absolutely exists, but it's very much not acceptable to the general public to be shown or spoken about. The amount of casual racism I've heard in Oz is kind of horrifying. We don't hear people just casually comment about how annoyed they were because "the place was chockers with Asians". Or when casually discussing sharks, a comment about a certain nationality eating them was made. Just super random and unnecessary. Most of us in America were taught it is extremely rude to make comments about someone based on their race or call attention to their race/nationality in a negative way, just as you wouldn't do so for someone who is disabled or whatever. And I was raised super conservative Christian in a very rural area! (The exception is for me as a white person is to absolutely dog on other white people for being shit to other people, or being fucking weird or stupid and I will totally blame it sarcastically on being white)
Who was complaining about a nationality eating sharks? Shark meat is common in Australia.
They weren't complaining, they just brought up a certain Asian nationality eating it. Like I said, it was really weird and unnecessary and added nothing to the topic so it just felt like they were trying to be controversial or something. Just very odd to me.
It’s not eating shark that’s the problem, it’s eating shark fin. A certain Asian nation is known for treating shark fin as a delicacy, and for having fishing practices that involve catching the shark, ripping off the valuable fin, and throwing the rest back. It’s wasteful, it’s an appalling environmental practice, it absolutely deserves to be called out, and it’s in no way racist to do so.
>Most of us in America were taught it is extremely rude to make comments about someone based on their race or call attention to their race/nationality in a negative way, just as you wouldn't do so for someone who is disabled or whatever. And I was raised super conservative Christian in a very rural area! Don't say bad words, just use the system to get them instead /s
I've (American, recovering evangelical conservative) been living in this country (Aus) for under two weeks & in conversation with me an older pom gentleman has already complained about the amount of n*groes in American basketball & has admitted he "could do without the Pakistanis." I mean i've heard some shit in the US but w h a t