GrodsCorp

Opening up the debate

Friday 15 September 2006, 11:49 am

The Editor

Categories: Society

Tags: Australia, immigration, MiddleAustralia, values

Billybob, being too lazy to actually log in and write a proper post (he’s probably forgotten his password), has raised some interesting questions in this comment. As a native Londoner who’s only been an Australian for a couple of years his observations of this country are valuable. I also think they would make for some useful debate fodder so here are two of the points:

Can someone please explain what the Aussie work ethic is?
My belief is that this statement is based on the 1950s immigrants from the Med., who to quote Starship, ‘built this city’. It is not based on the current 25-40 year olds that I come across, who all seem to be in Marketing and work a 25-hour week. Added to this, the ‘true’ hard workers of this tax paying generation all seem to be ‘new’ immigrants, (last 15 years or so). Regardless of whether they have ticked a declaration to work hard, speak English and pour beer onto their onions on the BBQ, these are now the people many Australians rely on to get through their daily life. I for one require my local 7-11 to be open when I fall out of my taxi at three in the morning after falling in love with the barmaid.

Where is middle Australia?
I know who they are in theory, but I look through the real estate prices and think is middle Australia really where people think it is. Look at the number of restaurants and bars there are. They all seem to be full, even on a Tuesday night… Booking is not an option.

Get thee to comments and let’s get to the bottom of this stuff.

22 Comments

billybob (Friday 15 September 2006, 11:55 am) #

I have a password?
The Editor (Friday 15 September 2006, 12:02 pm) #

Can someone please explain what the Aussie work ethic is?
You see, here lies the problem. Just like every other country the work ethic of its citizens varies from person to person. There are Australians whose work ethic drives them to exhaustion. There are some Australians who will do as little work as possible whilst trying to extract as much money as possible. There are some Australians who just won’t work.

The [insert country] [insert verb] ethic thing is just part of any nation’s ongoing efforts to build a myth. To talk up the nation’s superiority over other nations.

Where is middle Australia?
Almost every single Australian would consider themselves to be a middle Australian, that is, ordinary. It’s all part of this political push for mediocrity that we’ve been living through for a decade (and probably another to come).
billybob (Friday 15 September 2006, 1:51 pm) #

Can someone please explain what the Aussie work ethic is?
I already told you people in Marketing don’t count! Agree with the ethic description though.

Where is middle Australia?
I think that’s a little unfair Ed! Diversity is far from Middle… remember that!
J,The (Friday 15 September 2006, 3:06 pm) #

A very good book to read if you are interested in this topic is Michael Pusey’s The Experience of Middle Australia. He did a focus group based sociological survey of “middle Australia” (and he defines who he thinks they are, so read it) and how they are suffering from the economic rationalism and globalisation = greater productivity = less quality of life push which started about 23 years ago.

Read the Quadrant review of the book here

Some of the more interesting findings (to me, anyway) were that, despite the increase in overall wealth in Australia during the period of economic rationalism:- the gap between rich and poor had widened- the larger share of the wealth increase went to corporations, not households- people recorded less subjective happiness, were working longer hours and spending less time with their families than previously and were recording greater degree of uncertainty, stress and fear due to a decline in job certainty caused by globalisation.
billybob (Friday 15 September 2006, 4:14 pm) #

Has Michael Pusey got a Marketing degree?
J,The (Friday 15 September 2006, 4:25 pm) #

He is a Professor of sociology at UNSW. I don’t think sociology is a marketing degree…per se…
The Editor (Friday 15 September 2006, 4:28 pm) #

You’ve got to get help for your marketing-phobia, BB.
Alecto (Saturday 16 September 2006, 12:07 am) #

The last OECD report I saw said that Australians took among the fewest sick days, had among the fewest public holidays and worked among the most hours, of all OECD countries. Not the hardest working, but top fifteen percent in all of them.

I think we work harder than we think we do.
The Editor (Saturday 16 September 2006, 1:17 pm) #

I don’t doubt it, Alecto. However, should we be claiming that it is a unique, and superior, Australian ethic?
The Editor (Monday 18 September 2006, 9:33 am) #

I’ve put Pusey’s book on hold at uni and should have it in my hot little hands by October.

In the meantime I thought I’d record the results of the profound conversation I had with Billybob yesterday about middle Australia whilst at the Melbourne Victory game drinking beer. We decided that everybody thinks they’re middle Australia because they are average compared to their social circle. You see, we all hang out with people who are predominantly the same as us.

Cosmic, dude.
Kevin from Bathurst (Monday 18 September 2006, 12:00 pm) #

I hang out with people that have lower social status than me. Makes me feel good about myself.
billybob (Monday 18 September 2006, 4:37 pm) #

LOL at Kevin’s comment, but the issue still exists… what is a middle Australian?
Once we answer this then we can have a contest to see if Kevin’s friends are Middle Australians or if anyone knows anyone who is.
J,The (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 2:02 pm) #

Scott I am pretty sure I have the Pusey book in my possession, wil lend it to you when i start getting some of the rest of my book collection BACK (OK so I am clearly a member of Petty Australia. Shares characteristics with Middle Australia such as distrust of others, disproportionate number of unread modern intellectual books, buys organic as a positional good to feel better than her friends).
The Editor (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 2:09 pm) #

I’m only holding your dozen or so books hostage in order to get the one or two of mine you’ve got.

So there.
J,The (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 3:03 pm) #

And you wonder why you didn’t win hte CageFight with such dazzling ripostes as “So there.”
billybob (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 4:37 pm) #

Ed, I still have two of your books at my place. If you wish to see them again…

I will need to give them to you
The Editor (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 4:40 pm) #

I\’ll swap the books of yours I owe you for my books and an award winning performance on Sunday (and a bit of camera work).
billybob (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 5:24 pm) #

I just received this email joke from an English friend in England, it appears that Australia\’s politics and racial debate has now reached the world stage;

Two families move from Afghanistan to Australia. When they arrive the two fathers make a bet;
In a year\’s time, whichever family has become more Australian will win.

A year later, they meet again:

The first man says, \”My son is playing AFL, I had a meat pie with sauce for breakfast and I\’m on my way to pick up a case of VB, how about you?\”

The second man replies, \”F*ck off towel head.\”
The Amy Commission (Tuesday 19 September 2006, 6:35 pm) #

I also own that book. I think we are square for books at the moment, so you can borrow it from me if you want. Its a book-off!

But do you still have my Go! Team CD? I can’t remember.
billybob (Wednesday 20 September 2006, 8:48 am) #

Talking of CD’s, Ed, I was unable to sell your Pet Shop Boys back catalogue at my garage sale. You’re going to have to take them back, people think they’re mine!
Goobermetrics (Wednesday 20 September 2006, 8:59 am) #

BB - You shoulda got rid of his “Brad” CD’s while you were at it….
The Editor (Wednesday 20 September 2006, 10:21 am) #

I’m going to ban your IP, Goober. Such insolence.