Hyena 2. Martin Davies image. www.daviesart.com

“After reading Chris Baker’s “View from here” I was inspired to write to Webdiary. His insight into how Australians are changing – overweight, overworked, scared – can be summed up in one word – AMERICAN. That is what Australians are becoming.” Petrina Goksan in the USA

After reading Chris Baker’s View from here I was inspired to write to Webdiary. His insight into how Australians are changing – overweight, overworked, scared – can be summed up in one word – AMERICAN. That is what Australians are becoming.

 

Being Australian and having moved to California three years ago, I was overwhelmed at the cultural difference to Australia.

After living here a short time my husband and I referred to Americans as “confidently stupid”. After a time, we realised that the “confidence” is actually a cover up of their insecurity and fear – fear of losing their jobs, fear of not being able to afford medical treatment, fear of not being able to afford to send their kids to college. These are the fears of the majority.

For the minority who have the money, they fear is losing it!!

The “stupidity” is actually ignorance, based on the propoganda that is fed them from all directions – the news media, blockbuster movies, their politicians and, most importantly, from advertising.

That’s what it’s all about here, advertising – getting the consumer to buy more of what they don’t need.

Being brought up in Australia, whenever you wanted to abuse someone for taking advantage of other people, you called them a “capitalist bastard” – the ultimate insult Well, in America if you call someone a “capitalist” it’s a very positive and honourable thing. They are the epitomy of what America’s about, making money.

Is that really what’s happening to Australia? Are Australians getting caught up in the illusion of Capitalism? There is no doubt that our Prime Minister is – why else would he sell the soul of our country to the Americans to fight a war in Iraq that was totally self-serving for the American capitalists with vested interests in weapons, oil, construction and all else associated with the billions of dollars that have been spent and will be spent?

For those of you who don’t know what capitalism in the raw really looks like, I’ll tell you. It’s dark and it’s ugly! It takes away all things that makes humans humane – tolerance, trust, generorsity and compassion. Everything comes at a price and the trick is that it is presented in such a way that you pay freely.

For those of you who think that you are not conforming to the dictatorship of capitalism, think about this. Have you ever bought something that you really didn’t need just because it felt good? Do you have a creditcard? Do you feel envy of someone else’s possessions or lifestyle? This is where it all begins, and once started it NEVER ends!

We need to start thinking like Australians again. We are a country of many cultures and many religions and this is something I’m very proud of – this is who we are. We are tolerant, we are trusting, we are generous and we are compassionate – and most importantly, individually we can make a difference.

So don’t let anyone tell you differently. Wake up and smell the wattle!