The world according to the United States

by Mackin 47 Replies latest social humour

• 

  BeautifulGarbage

  Lighten up you people. This is a JOKE...get it, A JOKE. Just have a laugh and stop taking yourselves so damn seriously.

  Hey Mackin,

  Don't sweat it.

  I know you meant it as a joke. Actually, I have seen similiar "maps" and got quite a laugh out of them.There is certainly a grain of truth to them. I tend to be the type that can laugh at myself and some of the oddities about the country to which I am a citizen. A place that I dearly love and at the same time can be highly critical.

  Interesting little tidbit: My kid has been invited to be a student ambassador to Australia next summer. Nothing is finalized yet, but we have been spending much time learning about the geography and culture of our Aussie friends. I guess I'm a little tired of being stereotyped as the "Ignorant American".

  Take enough potshots and the giant is gonna hit back.

  Andee

  Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 21 October 2002 1:59:12

  Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 21 October 2002 2:0:14
• 

  Beck_Melbourne

  Andee

  Potshots of a friendly nature are part of our culture here, its hard to explain, but its just the way we interact, and its all very friendly and not in the slightest is it meant to be offensive. Knowing Mackin as I do, I doubt very much whether he would have posted this joke if he knew he would have received this reaction. We post jokes about New Zealand and Australia back and forth to each other and believe me, they are much worse, but we laugh and hunt around for new ones to better each other. Its just how we do things, and its all done with a smile.

  On the other hand...today I did see some potshots that weren't meant to be funny. Or were they?? Its so hard to know...but I noticed they were in an attack thread, not a jokes thread...I also noticed that they are now attacking the continent and not the person.

  I hate it when down under wakes up.

  They are so bitchy in the mornings.

  Stereotyping can be so exasperating.

  ~Beck~
• 

  Prisca

  Beck,

  I think more than half of the comments made by Aussies go over the heads of our readers simply because of cultural differences. Misunderstandings would be a thing of the past if it wasn't for our cultural diversity. I suppose that explains why none of the Aussies are fighting amongst ourselves?

  I hate it when America wakes up.

  They are so bitchy in the mornings.

  Imagine the backlash if we dared to post something like that???
• 

  Mackin

  Beck: Thanks.

  Prisca: You are right about cultural differences. If someone in America had posted a joke about New Zealand or Australia, we would have all laughed along with them. However it seems that if you post a joke that in any way pokes fun at America, many Americans become very offended. That attitude is not understood in this part of the world, not by me anyway.

  Beautiful Garbage: When your kid comes to Australia (and if he's lucky NZ as well) make sure he tones down his "cultural sensitivity" a bit. Otherwise he'll find it a tad difficult. Perhaps some of the Ockers might like to post some examples of some of the greetings he might encounter.

  As for me, I think I'll just go back to reading the forums and the occasional reply to a fluff post.

  Mackin.
• 

  Prisca

  ((((((Mackin))))))

  Your contributions to this forum are just as important as anyone else's. And it's refreshing to listen to opinions and attitudes that are different from the "norm". And having met you, I know that you've got alot to offer this site.

  Hang in there mate.
• 

  Beck_Melbourne

  Mackin

  Don't start Andy (my Andy, not you Andee LOL) on ocker talk...here's some prime examples of how Andy interacts with his ocker brother Frog:

  Andy: G'day dickhead where the hell have you been?

  Frog: I've been in the dunny...got a bad case of the trotts.

  Andy: oh fair go mate?? You poor bastard...you been on the grog again??

  Frog: Turn it up ya big galoot, I gave up the grog weeks ago, and the fags (smokes).

  Andy: *laughs* Sure you did dickhead. Anyway, what's for tea cos we're coming over.

  Frog: Get nicked I've got a sheila over, gonna shag her later.

  Andy: No wonder you sound happier then a pig in mud ya bastard. Well I'm off to watch the idiot box, talk to you later dickhead.

  *hangs up phone*

  I wish you'd had a chance to meet Frog, he's a real character.

  ~Beck~

  ps....Andy said don't bust your blurter over it buddy LOL

  Edited by - Beck_Melbourne on 21 October 2002 5:5:17

  Edited by - Beck_Melbourne on 21 October 2002 5:22:55
• 

  Stephanus

  Not even close, Beck, you didn't include any rhyming slang. Are you Adrian or something?

  As for this air of Antipodean superiority I'm detecting on this thread, I tell you, if I had the money, I'd defect to Merika tomorrow - f*** Wollongong!
• 

  Prisca

  Stephanus old friend, don't tell me you only know the Gong? Go and travel a bit, and you will see why we rave on about how great Oz is.
• 

  Stephanus

  Like New England, perhaps?

  Australia is such an irrelevant backwater, yet we all act like the bantam rooster Curdie's mother refers to in The Princess and the Goblin - proud in an inverse proportion to its actual size and power. I'm quite sick of the slagging off the Yanks get at our hands - I'm a product of a family of Greenies and Lefties, remember - I'm surrounded by it all the time. Wollongong has just gone to the dogs (a Green MP elected) and I'm rapidly getting sick of this crap. The Yanks are big enough and rich enough and powerful enough to be able to practice something akin to self-sufficiency. If the rest of us want their attention, then we'll get it because we bloody-well do something worthy of that attention - not because we've got Ooorooolooorooobloodyroo and Quokkas!
• 

  SatanSpawn

  You know, Beck, in d' ol' USA, dat joke of yourn be downright politically incorreck. Ain't nice ta make fun a how peoples speaks. 'Specially if dey dahk skin.

  SS