Does Australia Exist?

Terry B · #1 23-11-2011, 09:53 AM

Not according to the S & T magazine imaging survey they emailed to me. One of the questions asked what region of the world you live in. South asia and SE asia were options but no oceania. Just another example of the US centric view of some people.
I have emailed them but received no reply yet.

Rob_K · #2 23-11-2011, 10:14 AM

Didn't get that far before I bailed out, Terry. It's a product placement survey as far as I could see. And no, Australia doesn't exist, it's a figment of our collective imaginations. Very shrewd of S&T to pick that up.

Cheers -

Keltik (Trevor) · #3 23-11-2011, 10:22 AM

Yippee, I don't need to pay taxes now...

Screwdriverone (Chris) · #4 23-11-2011, 10:51 AM

Well, according to Obama's Military invasion (oops I mean training) plan, Australia is simply the 51st US state isnt it?

Cheers

Chris

casstony · #5 23-11-2011, 11:00 AM

They know there's an Australia out there somewhere, but they're not sure where it is.

On one of our US trips we hired a big red 4WD. After hearing my mythical aussie accent one person asked us if we drove to America

.

The US public education system and media does not prepare Americans for life outside of US borders.

bmitchell82 (Brendan) · #6 23-11-2011, 11:00 AM

We own all your bases muhahahaha !

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #7 23-11-2011, 11:01 AM

Pinches self....ouch
I exist, I really do.

sjastro · #8 23-11-2011, 11:10 AM

They're not all that ignorant.

I remember about 10 years ago exchanging E-mails with the then Associate Editor of S & T Dennis Di Cicco.

Dennis asked where I was from, from my response, he deduced I must live just outside Bacchus Marsh on the road down to Geelong.

Not the response you would expect from your typically geographically challenged American.

Steven

PS I think he knew because he had friends in the area.

Mliss (Mel) · #9 23-11-2011, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casstony

After hearing my mythical aussie accent one person asked us if we drove to America

.

wonderful!!

traveller (Bo) · #10 23-11-2011, 01:07 PM

Boy, where do I start?
Most education in the US is from a single (US) perspective. In addition, the States are fiercely anti-Federal anything, so you can get wacko "Intelligent Design" theories be mandated to be taught at state schools.
When they switch on their idiot boxes on, there is nothing but cat up the tree needing firemen to rescue it type of news.
Oh that and Kim Kadashian, now that I can live with

Bo

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #11 23-11-2011, 01:14 PM

I talk to Americans almost every night, and often for long hours, and they admit to knowing practically nothing about Oz.
Some know a few tiny bits only because they met someone who knows someone who came here for a visit 20 years ago.

Many know all about Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin (maybe they think we are all like them

)

But generally, they know very little to nothing about us.
There's 2, sometimes 3, of us Aussies talk with them at night and 'set them straight'

Most of it they doubt, some they accept

Mliss (Mel) · #12 23-11-2011, 01:25 PM

I lived in Alice Springs growing up I was the only Aussie in my grade 7 class, including the teacher.

I spelt 'sceptical' on a spelling test and was marked wrong and was told it's spelt 'sKeptical'

my Dad went off

Even came back to Perth with an American accent

in fairness tho, i know there are plenty of Aussies out there who wouldn't know the first thing about the US... and besides, horror stories of drop bears are always fun

strongmanmike (Michael) · #13 23-11-2011, 01:26 PM

Considering their last president thought we were Austrians, what do we expect

I suspect their current president has a better idea though....

traveller (Bo) · #14 23-11-2011, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Considering their last president thought we were Austrians, what do we expect

I suspect their current president has a better idea though....

You mean when Obama referred our PM as Gillarrrd???

ZeroID (Brent) · #15 23-11-2011, 01:31 PM

Think thats bad, try telling them about NZ !!
Unless you mention Hobbits .... in which case we are defintely mythical and imaginary. With hairy feet ....

Spent 10 days in Vegas a few years back. Only thing worth watching on the box was the weather channel, 30 mins of weather forecast then 30 mins of weather documentary, rinse & repeat ......
Vegas is a circus ....

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #16 23-11-2011, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeroID

Think thats bad, try telling them about NZ !!
Unless you mention Hobbits .... in which case we are defintely mythical and imaginary. With hairy feet ....

Spent 10 days in Vegas a few years back. Only thing worth watching on the box was the weather channel, 30 mins of weather forecast then 30 mins of weather documentary, rinse & repeat ......
Vegas is a circus ....

Brent, often when John in New Zealand is Broadcasting on Night Skies Network (or visiting as a viewer in my broadcast) he has to try explain NZ to them. Many think it is part of OZ, some think Africa. Some just simply say "where is New Zealand?"

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #17 23-11-2011, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mliss

... and besides, horror stories of drop bears are always fun

. . and how we ride Kangaroos to school with our books in their pouch

h0ughy (David) · #18 23-11-2011, 01:46 PM

i was peeved, but thinking about it now they didnt put it in i think due to AS&T distribution area. slack but i think it might be true

strongmanmike (Michael) · #19 23-11-2011, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveller

You mean when Obama referred our PM as Gillarrrd???

What an engaging orator Obama is, not since JFK have we seen such a man...Bob Hawke came close (in an Aussie way) at his best

Mike

supernova1965 (Warren) · #20 23-11-2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveller

You mean when Obama referred our PM as Gillarrrd???

I think that is more an accent thing rather than a ignorance problem