A response to 'Australians have no culture'
Looking back at past messages, I've noticed a lot of 'Australia has no culture' sentiment. I would like to clarify why I don't think this is the case.
First of all, a lot of the rationale behind this sentiment is that people just think 'oh, Australia is an English-speaking, individualistic, capitalist country... so we're no different from America'. However, when trying to charactise the culture of a society, it's important to figure out the point of reference by which you're distinguishing it from other cultures. So, compared to America, it could be argued that Australian culture is quite similar (although disagreeable), but compared to North Korean culture, we're definitely worlds apart.
So let me go over why I think Australian culture is hard to characterise. To do this, I need to go over why North Korean culture is easy to characterise. Basically, there are some things that make a culture much more identifiable. The first, I'd argue, is homogeneity. Australia is a very diverse country with many different subcultures and backgrounds embedded within it. On the other hand, North Koreans all share the same lineage and language, and have been confined to the same borders since the Cold War. The second is whether it's top-down or bottom-up. Australian culture is very low-brow and has mass appeal. This makes it bottom-up, meaning it is something not prescribed. On the other hand, North Korean culture is literally a set of values, such as Juche, established by the Communist Party. Lastly, among others, is the point of reference by which you use to describe the culture. North Korean culture is alien to the majority of cultures, making it very easy for people to distinguish. Compared to other cultures, Australian culture shares a lot of similarities, such as democracy, Enlightenment ideals, the family unit, individualism, constitutionalism, etc, making it appear same-y. It's like a fish doesn't realise it's surrounded by water.
Hence, due to our culture's diversity, structure, and similarity to other cultures, it is generally hard to define. When people do try to define it, particularly English teachers, they tend to use abstract words such as 'fair go', 'mateship', and 'tall poppy syndrome', which are still not universal or easily definable values. Let's just say that the concept of a 'fair go' means a very different thing to Liberal politicians than Labor politicians.
In my opinion, the reason Australian culture is not easily definable is that it is a broad umbrella that hovers above many different subcultures. So a better word for 'Australian culture' is 'Australian mainstream culture'. And below that umbrella are subcultures such as Anglo-Australian culture (the culture most people think of when they think 'Australian culture'), Aboriginal culture, Asian-Australian culture, Arab-Australian culture, Elite Australian culture (think private schools and Rugby Union), etc. It's much easier to characterise Australian culture when you go into the country, which is mostly uniform Anglo-Australian culture. In the country, Footy is lionised, Clubs are frequented, Pokies are gambled at, MAFS is binged, and philistinism is common. Meanwhile, it is harder to find common ground in the big cities such as Sydney, which contain such a diversity of economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
To demonstrate this, I have made a diagram of the broad umbrella of mainstream Australian culture sitting above the different subcultures.
Mainstream Australian Culture
Footy such as AFL and NRL
Clubs such as RSLs
Shit reality TV such as MAFS
All the shit on channel 9
Self-depricating political commentary such as FriendlyJordies
Food is anything served at a Club, so Steak, Schnitty, Fish and Chips, Pizza, Pasta, mainstream Asian foods e.g. Dumplings
|
Anglo-Australian culture
- More or less mainstream culture, but more accentuated
- More emphasis on tattoos, Bali, vapes, trades, and more likely to live rural
| Aboriginal-Australian culture
- Kinship, dreamtime stories, connection to land, etc
| Asian-Australian culture
- Watches any sport but the local ones, most likely Prem or NBA
- Selective school culture
- Family orientated
- Connection to home country
- Drives a BMW
| Arab-Australian culture
- Footy or soccer
- Family oriented
- Says 'bro' a lot
- Alhamdulillah for inventing snack packs
| Elite-Australian culture
- Rugby union or niche sports like fencing
- GPS level private school
- Values education as a means to an end
- RM Williams
- Went on a rugby tour to New Zealand
- Skis in Niseko or Europe
- Gets a posh mullet with the sides cut off but no rat tail
|
Therefore, once you accept that Australian culture is not a homogeneous thing, but a collection of mainstream media, attitudes, and etiquette, formed by and for the masses, it is much easier to accept that Australian culture exists all around us.
To get an idea of the mainstream, I've provided a collage below. This is because it's easier to identify what is and isn't Australian culture, than to define Australian culture as a whole.









