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    Aussies Are Sharing Aspects Of American Culture They're Glad Don't Exist In Australia And It's So Insightful

    "Having to rely on sites like 'GoFundMe' to pay for your medical bills is uniquely American."

    While there are plenty of cultural differences that separate Australia and the USA, there are some subtle traits between the two countries that have seeped into each other.

    For example, here in Australia we're starting to hear about more and more places adopting the standardised American practice of tipping after a meal out.

    A woman holding out an EFTPOS machine in her hands

    Similarly, American kids are picking up on Aussie slang thanks to the international success of Bluey, an Australian children's program.

    Bluey characters

    But over on Reddit, u/allmycircuit5 asked, "What's one aspect of American culture or psyche you are glad has never been able to get a foothold in Australia?" Aussies had a lot to say on the matter, so here are some of the most top-voted responses.

    1. "The pledge of allegiance before school."

    —u/Tee_ao28

    2. "Having to rely on sites like 'GoFundMe' to pay for your medical bills is uniquely American."

    —u/nagrom7

    3. "Price and sales tax pricing. I still haven't found a good reason why this continues."

    —u/Lemonade_Scone

    4. "Their freedom [imperial] measurement units (as opposed to metric)."

    —u/pbrevis

    5. "Poverty wages only becoming liveable because of tips. Relying on the kindness of strangers so you're able to afford a roof over your head is just a terrible system."

    —u/AusXan

    "I'll refuse to tip for the rest of my life in Australia, but god damn I will protest hard for wage increases. Do I want people to get paid more? Heck yes! Out of the little guy's pocket though? Heck no! The tip system makes rich people, richer."

    —u/BabycakesLucia

    "The worst thing about tipping isn't tipping in restaurants, but in all non-food places. Imagine paying hundreds of dollars a night for a swanky hotel and realising you have to leave a couple of bucks each day for the housekeepers or the breakfast buffet because these guys get paid shit and rely on tips. The whole process is just so unnecessary cruel and it's designed for shallow Americans to lord their superiority over each other."

    —u/Syncblock

    6. "High fructose corn syrup."

    —u/Mayflie

    7. "I'm grateful for the great healthcare in Australia. Don’t bring that fucking American healthcare here."

    —u/Notamainbutalt

    "And tying your health insurance to your job, so you can’t leave? Fuuuuuuck that."

    —u/beachbanana17

    "Me too! I am happy knowing my tax dollars go towards others' healthcare. There's peace of mind knowing a medical emergency will not bankrupt me. Even if I never need to go to the hospital, I'll still gladly pay those tax dollars. Anything but the disease that is the American health care 'system'."

    —u/Fun-Caterpillar1355

    8. "I work at a university and get so many emails from people overseas who want to study in Australia. They send us their enormous CVs talking about all their extracurricular and charity work and requesting an interview to show how they’d be a great fit for the uni. This is how things work in places like the US, and it favours wealthier students who know how to ace these ridiculous admission interviews. I get a lot of pleasure explaining that uni admission in Australia is based exclusively on your ATAR or foreign equivalent, nothing more and nothing less."

    "The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) isn't determined by a single standardised test. It's determined by your final scores for subjects you take in your final year, which is a combination of final exams along with assessments done in those subjects over the previous two years.

    There's some criticisms of how our system can be too focused on a single entry score, but it beats having kids jump through these ridiculous hoops of interviews and essays just to have a chance at getting into uni. Plus, we have standardised ways of making ATAR adjustments to account for genuine disadvantages that students might have experienced during high school."

    —u/Gadziv

    9. "Shootings, no universal healthcare, school funding system and tipping."

    —u/Weissritters

    "Yep, the school funding system is outrageous and undemocratic. Really weird how no one makes any fuss about it."

    —u/Sydneyfigtree

    10. "Tipping, garbage healthcare, their weird modesty culture, protestant work ethic and obsessive hustle culture. Honestly, the bulk of American culture can sod off."

    —u/DopamineDeficits

    "Over-over-over simplified explanation [of protestant work ethic]: Protestants believe that faith alone earns salvation (a ticket to heaven), and what happens in life is all part of God's plan. In this sense, the job you have is part of God's plan and therefore hard work is part of showing God your gratitude. For Catholic's, salvation is earned, so if your hard work at your job isn't paying off, then you're either not working hard enough, or your faith isn't strong enough. Either way, fuck you.

    Modern America has the worst of both worlds with their 'boot-strapper' work culture: Can't find a job? Fuck you. Have a job and work hard but still poor? Fuck you."

    —u/FatSilverFox

    11. "No minimum annual leave! On average, you get 10 days per year. Plus, there's the much lower minimum wage and shitty healthcare. If you are one of the working poor in America, you are getting screwed over and you are probably voting for the party screwing you over."

    —u/PointOfFingers

    "The lack of PTO. Here our FT workers have entitlements protected by law, as well as things like paid public holidays and long service leave. The increasing casualisation of our workforce is eroding some of that, but we're still miles ahead of the US and I hope we will stay that way."

    —u/wwglow

    12. "Thanking every single military member for their service. I’m amazed as well when I see people appear on quiz shows in military uniform. What kind of knob head wears their work uniform to Jeopardy?"

    —u/the-zero-st

    "On the flip side, their absolute disregard for unhoused veterans. Actually, just the unhoused in general."

    —u/SnotGun_

    13. "School shootings."

    —u/maddogtannen316

    14. "The fact that they harp on and on about freedom, but literally imprison more of their own citizens than any other country on the planet."

    —u/glitter_h1ppo

    15. "High school popularity in movies and TV shows. There's an obsession with the years that they went to school which borders on the creepy. Okay, we get it, you were a high school quarterback hero or a bullied nerd, but move on, America."

    —u/torn-ainbow

    16. "The obsessive, almost religious, fanaticism towards a political party. I can see it try to flare up in Australia on occasion, but it mostly fizzles out and those that really do take it to heart are seen as weirdos."

    —u/LifeIsBizarre

    "We have a healthy mistrust of all politicians. It would be embarrassing AF to worship any of them."

    —u/Direct_Tea_7950

    17. "Putting tea or a cup of water in the microwave."

    —u/zargreet

    18. "If it's just one, I'd have to say their love of guns. They talk about them like we talk about buying/wearing shoes."

    —u/Zealousideal_Ad642

    19. "The national religion called 'Freedom'. I swear when you're in the US, you can hear the capital 'F' in the word. Not all Americans do it, but enough of them prattle on about how free they are and that they're the freest country in the world and that the flame of freedom burns within the heart of each American (l literally heard a tour guide say that). It's crazy! Here in Australia, we're just free without having to hypnotise ourselves about it."

    —u/vacri

    20. "The student loan bullshit where the interest alone can be more than an entire course cost on HECS here in Australia. Plus, it just keeps rising to the point where even in 15 years, people will never pay it off."

    —u/ButtPlugForPM

    21. "Highly processed food, sugary bread, shit coffee and orange cheese."

    —u/forsshizzle

    22. "The myth of exceptionalism — Americans believe they are better. That their values, culture, political system, and historical development are so extraordinary, that it is both predestined and obligated to play a lead role in the affairs of the world. Instead, they have become parochial, delusional, and an easy target for misinformation, messianic figures, and corruption."

    —u/petuniasweetpea

    23. "Why hasn't anyone mentioned the creamer? Y'know, that white powder they add to what they call coffee?"

    —u/PerceptionRoutine513


    24. "Lack of gun control. I'm a teacher and I worked in the States for a few years. The lockdowns were so, so awful. My little students never knew if we were in a mock lockdown or a real lockdown. Fortunately, the lockdowns were all mock, but I didn't always know that until after the fact. It’s truly so, so terrible. My kids and I cried many times while squished in the lockdown closet. Teaching back here in Australia, I can't even express how safe and free I feel."

    —u/lizcmorris

    25. "Americans will freak out over a nipple, but are somehow simultaneously fine with gore. There was a scene in the Hannibal series that showed a nude person whose back had been peeled and fashioned into angel wings. Apparently, his butt crack was a bit too visible, so they censored it...by covering it with more dried blood."

    —u/CaravelClerihew

    "They banned an episode of Bluey because someone farted, for instance."
    —u/the_colonelclink

    26. "A general lack of respect for human beings, low wages, shoddy labour laws, inadequate social services, no universal healthcare, blatant racism, political gerrymandering and the inability to use a knife and fork simultaneously."

    —u/Kind_Ferret_3219

    27. And lastly, "Car culture in Australia can be pretty bad, but it's not on the same level as in the USA. We actually have footpaths, for starters, and people don't look at you like you're literally insane for suggesting walking 10 minutes instead of getting in a car."

    —u/-apophenia-

    Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    Australians, what other aspects of American culture do you think should stay firmly in the USA? And for all the Americans reading, what's your take on this? Let us know in the comments!