This blog attracts quite a few Australians so I wanted to know more about them. I typed the question shown at the top into Google. As is now the usual case with Google questions, more connected questions were A.I. generated under the sub-heading "People also ask". Frankly, I found some of these follow-up questions rather odd. Even so I am now much more au fait with what being an Australian really means.
Here are just a few of those auto-generated questions with answers. I think if I had stuck with the task, endless follow-up questions would have been churned out by the system.
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What is a typical Australian behaviour?
They value authenticity, sincerity, and loathe pretentiousness. Australians prefer people who are modest, humble, self- deprecating and with a sense of humour. They do not draw attention to their academic or other achievements and tend to distrust people who do. Australians place a high value on relationships.
Do Australians hug a lot?
In Australia, we may sometimes shake hands when we greet someone in a formal manner (for example in the workplace), but we don't generally hug or kiss people we have just met or who we aren't close with.
How to flirt with an Australian?
What are some things to avoid when flirting with Aussie people?
Don't be too forward or aggressive. ...
Don't assume that everyone is interested in you. ...
Don't take things too seriously. ...
Avoid being too crass or vulgar when flirting with an Australian.
What are the don'ts in Australia?
Don't mention the divisive topics of Australian society (e.g., refugees, Indigenous affairs, LGBTQ, religion, etc). Don't be overly argumentative. Australians tend to avoid the company of people who are too opinionated. Don't litter as it's illegal in Australia.
What are the table manners in Australia?
Table manners in Australia are Continental, meaning that the fork goes in the left hand and the knife goes in the right. In some cultures, it is considered polite to leave a little food on your plate, but Australia is not one of those cultures. Feel free to finish your meal.
What is the most important rule in Australia?
The rule of law means that laws apply to everyone, including the people that make them. To make sure everyone knows the law and their rights, laws should be easy to find out about, easy to understand and enforced. The rule of law is a key feature of Australia's democracy and legal system.
Can you wear shoes in Australia?
No Australian states or territories have actually outlawed wearing inappropriate footwear while driving, and this includes wearing no footwear at all. However, rule 297 of the Australian Road Rules 2008 provides that the driver must still take all precautions to drive in the safest manner possible.
How do Australians show affection?
Within families and close circles of friends, women will often greet other members with a kiss on the cheek and men will often greet each other by shaking hands. Australian men generally do not openly display strong affection for male friends.
What do Australians call sandwiches?
Sanger is an alteration of the word sandwich. Sango appeared as a term for sandwich in the 1940s, but by the 1960s, sanger took over to describe this staple of Australian cuisine.
Is there gender discrimination in Australia?
Australia has made good progress towards achieving gender equality in recent times. However, women still experience inequality and discrimination in many important parts of their lives. At work, women continue to face a gender 'pay gap' and barriers to leadership roles.
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End note. The assumption that it is valid to generalise about the citizens of any particular state seems highly questionable to me and the follow-up AI questions and answers that Google churns out frequently miss the mark. Please note - No Australians were harmed in the making of this blogpost.
The questions are slightly odd but the answers are pretty well on the overly generalised money
ReplyDeleteWell, you should know Kylie.
DeleteThese are very safe questions. I can't see any Australian taking offense.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should ask the same about Canadians,
DeleteSounds like polite, common sense.
ReplyDeleteI was flummoxed by the shoe business, though.
The Google generative question system is not as smooth and logical as one might hope. Still a bit rough.
DeleteSeems pretty spot-on, though I thought there was talk a while back about driving in thongs (flipflops) being made illegal. Don't know if that actually happened though.
ReplyDeleteI can't see what's wrong about driving in bare feet.
DeleteBare feet is fine, but thongs (flipflops) can slip and get caught under the pedals causing chaos apparently.
DeleteYou might track down and watch an old movie titled "They're a Weird Mob" starring Walter Chiari and Chips Rafferty, set in Sydney in 1965. It's a comedy about the Australian ways as faced by an Italian immigrant (Walter Chiari).
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that.
DeleteCheck Netflix, they may have an "old movie" selection or maybe buy a cheap copy from ebay.
DeleteYoutube might have it.
DeleteYour sentence "The assumption that it is valid to generalise about the citizens of any particular state seems highly questionable to me" makes me wonder why you asked Google a generalising question in the first place. Was it just to see what sort of answers (and more questions, with more answers) would turn up?
ReplyDeleteA lot of what is said here about Australians apply to all decent folk. Don't most of us "value authenticity, sincerity, and loathe pretentiousness", for example, and "tend to avoid the company of people who are too opinionated"?
You were right about me just wanting to test out the system.
DeleteYou are also right about some fundamental values being share across the globe by decent, law-abiding citizens.
Have an upvote, Meike - though I don't avoid opinionated people. An exchange of [differing] views is not only invigorating but educational.
DeleteI am not sure what YP's post's pursuit is. I have a feeling it's more about making fun of what will be generated when you rely on "googling" a vague question rather than perpetuating national stereotypes.
On the other hand let's not forget that the Irish are permanently drunk and the English alleviate suffering their stiff upper lip and all of life's other ills by having endless cups of tea. And, no, not all Welsh men have the melodious tones of Richard Burton's voice.
Other than that: Don't mention the war.
U
Strewth!
ReplyDeleteHaving just spent ten days with a couple of Aussies you are in a good position to judge these generalisations JayCee.
DeleteYour joking! I am mortally offended and hurting. They are rather rather silly generalisations. As we say, 'come in spinner', and I am.
ReplyDeleteTypical Australian behaviour: There is some truth in this. Most people do not like people who brag or tell us how good they are and go on about their achievements. If they are genuine high achievers, you will learn about in other ways. High value on relationships, motherhood statement.
Hugging statements are out of date. Men do hug now, as they do in England. It certainly was like as described thirty years ago, more or less. I had to get over my discomfort and, pun intended, embrace hugging. I'm fine with it now. You would not hug in the workplace and there are situations where it is just not appropriate.
Flirt, I don't know. Gay men flirting is mostly done with the eyes, meeting them and holding contact, or looking away and then quickly looking back.
Don't do is pretty well spot on. Also avoid politics. It is an automatic fine if you are reported for littering. Deny it, and it is a court case.
Yes, table manners is correct. The standards of table manners has however fallen apart from what it once was.
Important rule? Load of nonsense.
I believe the footwear question when driving is correct, but state driving laws. I am not aware that we have federal road laws, more is the pity.
Australians seem to show affection in much the same way as English people.
Yes, sanger is quite commonly used.
I am not really going there on the last question, except from WWII my former work place had equal pay for women.
Nice to hear responses from the horse's mouth. Faster Dobbin!
DeleteWell I'm sure that the answers to these very important questions will be of great use to both me and your other followers, should any of us ever decide to vist Down Under (unless we are already living there of course). I visited years ago and found the country and people very much to my liking.
ReplyDeleteWere you there on holiday or business Carol? Maybe both.
DeleteI have not driven barefoot, since I moved out of Florida. It can be a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteTo me - barefoot should be safer on the pedals.
DeleteI am so relieved to know that no Australians were harmed in the writing of this post:)
ReplyDeleteThere were none around that I could harm!
DeleteI once was on an intramural volleyball team with an Australian woman. She was pregnant and played all throughout her maternity, even occasionally diving for balls which always alarmed me. In fact, she played our typical weekly match with us, went into labor the following day and had a beautiful girl, and then showed up 5 days later to our next weekly match with the baby in the bassinet on the sidelines while she played in the match. Needless to say, I was highly impressed with her fortitude.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that you couldn't get on a men's team Ed! Diving for balls is something that would alarm me too - well, at first.
DeleteLike Meike said, I think people are like this everywhere.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it seems as if lately the focus is often put on those that aren't decent folk!
Decent, law-abiding citizens are not newsworthy.
DeleteI think this says more about AI than it does about Australians!
ReplyDeleteThe follow-on questions can be quite weird.
DeleteThe question (and answer) I really don't get is "Can you wear shoes in Australia?" (?!)
ReplyDeleteAside from that, Australians don't seem all that different from us Swedes! (based on my own experience - I've not asked Google's opinion...)
There's still a certain roughness about follow-on questions from Google.
DeleteJohnny Logan is my favourite Australian Irishman.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are his favourite Cork-based smallholder!
Delete