I am curious about the link between Australians and Americans. Both countries started off as a place for England to dump scum, impose taxation, and import wealth. Imperial Britain ruled from afar, giving rise to local governments and allowing this blog to be in English.
When the United States of America declared her independence, it seems the people went out of their way to be non-British. They drive on the right side, drink coffee instead of tea, and use their own idiosyncratic measuring system. Over time, the cultures diverged even more to the point that the English became our allies and no one in America feels the need to eat beans on toast. So I’ve noticed in Australia:
British influence:
· People sleep under duvets
· They drive on the left side of the road
· Beans and toast are acceptable
· Public transportation actually works
· Centralized health care is expected
· Meat pies, Aero bars, and Cadbury chocolate are familiar sights
· Bravely converted to the metric system in the 1980s
· They walk on footpaths, toss the rubbish, and push prams
· Australia has its own Prime Minister and two houses of government (Senate and Parliament), but acknowledges the Queen of England
Our kinship confirmed:
· Developed independent economy, government, and local personality
· Enough sense to build roads wide enough for two cars and with a sense of direction
· Houses are generally single-family or apartment style, instead of row homes
· Schools are non-parochial
· Coffee or tea (or neither, for me!)
· Chips are chips, but tons of other things have slang that’s uniquely Australian
· Very culturally diverse
· They have seen the sun this year!
Australia is the independent, headstrong sister of the USA, offspring of the same great empire, but now fully grown into world powers in their own right.
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