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| Dealing with Anti-American prejudice...; How do you do it?.... | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 28 2011, 04:09:33 AM (2,682 Views) | |
| wd9and | Jul 6 2011, 09:33:20 AM Post #41 |
Chinwagger
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Actually, Halloween was brought on us by the Brits... Shakespeare mentions Hallowmas in the 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' in 1593. A Celtic tradition, revolving around All Saints Day.. I always remind my Aussie friends about that when they roll their eyes about the influx of Halloween marketing. "Blame the Brits, mate... They started it!" And I'll have to say you've hit it right on the head Bindie. After a while, they just go away and life continues on .. uninterrupted... Although I've found a good response to my few antagonists is to put on my broadest American grin, say quietly, "God Bless America"... |
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Alex Colquitt - Director the Lake FM & 2USA Australia's only American Multicultural Radio Station | |
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| heluvsme | Jul 17 2011, 08:03:06 PM Post #42 |
Chinwagger
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I haven't had any negative experiences yet, but I did notice that people don't fawn all over Americans here like Americans fawn all over Aussies in America. Girls were always saying, "I just LOVE your accent!" to my husband. Here, I have had people be friendly and ask what brought me here and be genuinely curious, but no one has ever treated me badly. The only thing even remotely negative that one guy said to me was basically that Australians look at us as "gun-toting" people. LOL! |
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| AmbroseChick | Jul 17 2011, 08:47:32 PM Post #43 |
True Blue Mate
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Oh so true... my hubby always got treated like royalty over in the US  Whenever people have a go at our "gun-toting" ways, I always say that an armed society is a civil society I think that Australians think we all have Show-downs on Main Street at Noon every day! Of course I do nothing to dispel this myth!
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| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| Stinky1138 | Jul 18 2011, 12:49:05 PM Post #44 |
Yacker
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we had a woman from toys'r'us with a quite obvious and thick mexican accent (this was in seattle) tell my husband he sounded funny and asked where he came from. i wish i had a gun to tote around here to teach bigots their fking manners. i'm starting to get more pissed off at my husband who conveniently never hears anything. aussie bigots are like all bigots tho, confront them and they're all mouth, no fight. |
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| Cassidy | Jul 24 2011, 11:25:02 AM Post #45 |
Anklebiter
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I think part of it is an age thing. Those who are older, wiser and more culturally aware don't seem to be as impressed with the accent. I find that when I get those “I love your accent” moments, it always seems to come from the younger crowd. I just finished uni, and got a lot of that sort of thing there. However, I tend get more comments about how I've adapted to the slang and terminology than I ever did about how my accent sounds. I did have a pretty horrid experience a while back, when Bush was still in office. I was at my campus having coffee with a mate, and I was talking about some pretty personal issues that were really causing a lot of hurt at the time. I wasn't talking loudly or anything as my conversation was sensitive and nothing I would have wanted anyone else to hear. This man, I believe well into his 70's, must have caught a word or too and a hint of my accent and just started screaming at me. He kept calling me a 'Bush Lover' over and over again...which drove me crazy because I'm not a republican. He obviously had heard a few groups of American girls chatting because he threw in a mocking “liiiike, like, like, LIKE! Learn to speak proper English!” The whole time I'm just sitting there in complete shock wonder why he was doing this to me. The whole coffee shop was just as equally shocked as me and were just staring at the whole mess of it. My beautiful Aussie gal I was previously talking with, stood up, got right in his face and gave it right back to him. In quite a sophisticated way might I add. It was pretty amazing to watch, and I really hope it made him think twice about harassing another person. For all he knew, I could have been Canadian...some people can be so quick to assume and to judge! Other than that, there hasn't been anything that really made me stop in my tracks and get mad about. People say all sorts of stupid things, but you shouldn't take it personally. You have to remember that most people don't know a thing about the US unless they see it on the news, TV or in the movies. Funny enough, the main questions I get are “do you guys really use those red plastic beer cups?” and “can you really buy guns in Walmart?!” 
Edited by Cassidy, Jul 24 2011, 11:31:20 AM.
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| AmbroseChick | Jul 25 2011, 08:47:30 AM Post #46 |
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True Blue Mate
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If any Aussie asks me about a stereotype of the US then I do everything to confirm their stereotypes - I tell them that yes indeed not only does Walmart sell guns but they give them to every new born baby as a gift. I figure it makes up for all the years of listening to my husband tell Americans that he rode a kangaroo to school and that crocodile wrestling was a national past time. Or just confirming whatever stereotype that they had about life Down Under. Yes he is very naughty. |
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| SanDiablo | Jul 25 2011, 09:00:04 AM Post #47 |
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True Blue Mate
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When someone just LOVES my accent, 95% of the time it is a super-butch tough girl. I'm not fussed. I'll take it where I can get it! I miss living in a flirtatious society. Flirting is a happy way of doing business, but here it seems the exclusive reserve of the young. Shame. |
| "I'll try anything twice." | |
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| XandyandZak | Aug 16 2011, 04:57:55 PM Post #48 |
Anklebiter
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I do come across rude comments every once in a while. I've been here over 4 years now, and in my experience more people like Americans than ones who don't; and usually the ones who don't have formed their opinions purely based on television and news. I have even had more than one Aussie tell me that they never liked Americans or wanted to visit the USA, but then they ended up going over there and LOVED it and now they LOVE Americans because they never really knew how nice we are! Sure feels good the hear that... My Aussie hubby was even one of those people when he was younger. He admits to thinking Americans were all self-centered and arrogant, and he never really wanted to go there. So he ended up going to the USA and found out how wrong he was! It really just comes from media portrayal and lack of contact with any Americans. 'Cause we are a loveable bunch; after all... and I am living proof that not all Americans are gun-toting nuts which many Australians seem to think. I am very anti-gun and I think some Aussies are surprised to hear that! It will always bother me a little; I guess... to hear Aussies say rude things or a stupid commercial making fun of Americans. But then I remind myself that they've probably never met one! Overall I love it here and just got my Australian citizenship last month.  |
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| AmbroseChick | Aug 17 2011, 08:15:28 PM Post #49 |
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True Blue Mate
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Congrats on your citizenship! The stereotypes go both ways - hubby copped it a lot when he was over in America. He did love all the attention he got from the women though When they ask about the gun toting Americans, I tell em that they give out the guns at birth just to freak em out I'm just naughty though.
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| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| mamkai | Aug 17 2011, 09:46:49 PM Post #50 |
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True Blue Mate
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I haven't encountered anything overt, however, I do notice that many people assume they know all about America and Americans because they watch TV. I find it incredibly laughable and arrogant on their part. If I judged Australia based on the advertisements and morning show I'd think they all wore that funky sports bra that is always being pushed. My good friends just went to the US for 3.5 weeks and informed me today that they loved it and were more than thrilled with the customer service. She said that she now understands why Americans come and expect more of Australian shops and employees, and that she could totally get accustomed to the treatment herself : ) |
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| West_Texan | Aug 17 2011, 10:58:08 PM Post #51 |
Chinwagger
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The first time that I encountered any anti-American bullshit it was actually from an English fella. So, I summonsed him to an unoccupied operating room and told him exactly how the Cow ate the Cabbage and then I threatened him with a good ole Texas ass whoopin if he ever spoke to me again about anything other than surgery. The word got around that I was "Volitile" and "Agressive". I hated what I had done because its not really my style but its been 3 years in the OR since that happened and I have not been disrespected one time! I would give any Australian or Englishman the shirt off my back with a smile but if they disrespect me for no good reason then I can and will become a nightmare for them. I spent many of my younger years defending myself aginst rogue mexicans in the West Texas desert and short of someone stomping the daylights out of me or pointing a gun at me, theres just not much else that frightens me. |
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| incognito | Aug 21 2011, 07:37:30 PM Post #52 |
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Chatterbox
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