Halloween

[Flowboy]

I'm with the curmudgeons on this one.

When the kiddies come around, I give them an apple.

Personnaly, I blame the parents. :mad:

It's a fair cop and we will be charging them too.

Aren't Curmudgeons where caviar comes from?

[Flowboy]

Who cooks prawns on the Barby??????

Ken?

[duckman]

I know that Gumby has started answering that, but holy #### batman where've you been?

The Americans were shattered over Steve Irwin, and that was widely touted as being adoption of Australian culture and values,

Irwin was representitive of Australian culture? :eek: You really are drawing a long bow there, Stu.

there was the whole Crocodile Dundee thing (and still is), the "Shrimps on a Barby" came from that era.

A fad built around a movie, nothing more. The novelty value was at work there.

There is the large Australian cultural festival held in LA each year, which is hugely popular, because the Americans love the Aussie culture.

No doubt attended mainly by ex-pat Aussies with a few Kiwi's thrown in for good measure.

So we haven't exported Australian Rules football, or ANZAC day, but Australia has done a lot of getting the local culture and values seen (and loved) in the US.

Sorry, Stuart but short lived fads and the celebration of the cult of celebrity do not count as culture in my book. None of that sort of thing is lasting.
How many Americans have adopted Australian words and terminology? "No worries" is becoming increasingly used over there and possibly "yeah, no..." and "yes, no...." also but there are far more American words used here than the other way around. American spelling is prevalent, particularly in Fairfax publications which I find galling.

How many Americans wear Akubra hats versus Australians wearing baseball caps? That can apply to any fashion.

And look and the vomit inducing fawning of our so-called 'glitterati' every year at the Logies when some 'big name' *cough, cough* star comes out from America. Talk about a cultural cringe and from the very people who never miss a chance to whinge and moan about the demise of Australian culture and how their industry ought to be protected from American invasion.

I've yet to be convinced that this cultural exchange is a two way street.

Cheers,

Mark.

[Bleedin Thumb]

I must admit I have been known to vehemently slag off Halloween for the same reasons as others have stated here.
However this year, as the kids are now getting to the age of influence (they get caught up by the commercial hype and influence us by exerting pressure) we celebrated Halloween in a uniquely Aussie fashion.

Last weekend the kids had a disco at the local Surf LIfe Saving Club as the adults stood around the barbie out the back sucking p!ss and eating sausage sangas.

I guess the moral is that if we must celebrate these festivals we should Ockerfy them......

Ockerfy, ockerfied, ockerfication me thinks these maybe new words.

[bennylaird]

Hmmm what about a day off for it? I can celerate it the same way I do the Melbourne cup, home in the shed

[Honorary Bloke]

How about 'shrimps' on a barby

I tried to put some shrimps on the Barbie, but she refused.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hmmm what about a day off for it?

Too right, Halloween long weekend, and Thanksgiving day. What about we adopt that festival they have in Spain.. the running with the bulls ..we could ockerify that to ...standen around speaken bull.

[bennylaird]

Too right, Halloween long weekend, and Thanksgiving day. What about we adopt that festival they have in Spain.. the running with the bulls ..we could ockerify that to ...standen around speaken bull.

Sortof like the friday thread but that's sitting round typing bull

[Gumby]

I tried to put some shrimps on the Barbie, but she refused.

If I responded to that one Bob, we'd all be off the the Orange room.

[Stuart]

You forgot "Crikey"

[Rossluck]

Irwin was representitive of Australian culture? :eek: You really are drawing a long bow there, Stu.

I've got to stand up for my deceased mate Steve Irwin here. I like to think that Americans saw in him what a lot of people from around the world saw in him, that he was a "couldn't really give a stuff what you think of me" genuine person. I don't cringe at the idea of having people like him representing Australia in the minds of overseas peoples.

On the transfer of culture thing, it always strikes me as amusing how much we worry about American imperialism and how little Americans know or care about us. A lot of them don't even know where Australia is, let alone care about our culture.

The Simpsons "Australian" episode brings all this to light. Apparently we all speak with a Cockney accent, can't drink anything but beer, our PM wears a wig like a high court judge, and we're determined to kick American butts. Hang on, from what I've seen on this forum, that last one rings true .....

[duckman]

On the transfer of culture thing, it always strikes me as amusing how much we worry about American imperialism and how little Americans know or care about us. A lot of them don't even know where Australia is, let alone care about our culture.

Precisely my point. Its not a two way street.

And as for their knowledge of us take a gander at this:

This bloke is already a US Congressman but wants to be a Senator.:eek:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20656046-2,00.html

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...6-2703,00.html

[Bleedin Thumb]

I've got to stand up for my deceased mate Steve Irwin here. I like to think that Americans saw in him what a lot of people from around the world saw in him, that he was a "couldn't really give a stuff what you think of me" genuine person. I don't cringe at the idea of having people like him representing Australia in the minds of overseas peoples.

On the transfer of culture thing, it always strikes me as amusing how much we worry about American imperialism and how little Americans know or care about us. A lot of them don't even know where Australia is, let alone care about our culture.

The Simpsons "Australian" episode brings all this to light. Apparently we all speak with a Cockney accent, can't drink anything but beer, our PM wears a wig like a high court judge, and we're determined to kick American butts. Hang on, from what I've seen on this forum, that last one rings true .....

On your first point I cant agree. Just because he was a popular TV personality doesnt make him a representative of Australian culture. Really if anything the bloke was a caricature of an "Australian Male" as was Crocodile Dundee. This "Australian Male" that is wheeled out by politicians and advertising exec's when they are trying to sell something.

Your second point about finding it amusing that we worry about the dillution of our culture by the steady import from the States when Americans know little or even care about our culture...well I wouldn't describe that as amusing I think its rather sad.

Look at TV footage from the 50's and 60's and we all spoke with Aussie accents and had a rich local idiom that is almost lost now.
So I think that we have good reason (as has the rest of the planet) to complain about American Cultural Imperialism. I dont really blame the Americans, we were the ones that bought the TV shows that bombarded us with a constant stream of Californication.
I guess we got our own back with skippy.

[Rossluck]

On your first point I cant agree. Just because he was a popular TV personality doesnt make him a representative of Australian culture. Really if anything the bloke was a caricature of an "Australian Male" as was Crocodile Dundee. This "Australian Male" that is wheeled out by politicians and advertising exec's when they are trying to sell something.

Your second point about finding it amusing that we worry about the dillution of our culture by the steady import from the States when Americans know little or even care about our culture...well I wouldn't describe that as amusing I think its rather sad.

Look at TV footage from the 50's and 60's and we all spoke with Aussie accents and had a rich local idiom that is almost lost now.
So I think that we have good reason (as has the rest of the planet) to complain about American Cultural Imperialism. I dont really blame the Americans, we were the ones that bought the TV shows that bombarded us with a constant stream of Californication.
I guess we got our own back with skippy.

My point about Steve Irwin is that he was a genuine person. He may have been represented in various ways by money people, but in the end he was above all of that in himself. His interest was in the animals. My strong impression of him is that he allowed himself to be carried along by it, as long as he could see a way to help wildlife conservation.

So far as American imperialism is concerned, I'm not a big fan of it at all. I mean, I listen exclusively to ABC radio so I can get as far away from it as possible. But I also have an attitude of "whatever will be will be" when it comes to the global village aspect of culture. Trying actively to identify and then to hold onto a particular culture (or really, a subculture) seems to me to be a futile exercise. It's prescriptive and controlling and, as history tells us, a bit of a waste of time. For instance, in the 50s, 60s and 70s rock and roll was shunned by your "adults" here in Australia with the Aussie accents and rich local idiom, while the younger generations pulled it into the country. You just can't stop these things, you have to roll with them (excuse the pun).

[ian]

It's my Wedding Anniversary today.

I thought it appropriate to get married on Halloween when I found out what a witch my wife was.

Just kidding. She's not a witch.

She's an ogre.:eek:

No wait. Gotta stop making misleading comments about my beautiful wife.

Brendon
curisious and curiouser, tomorrow is All Saints Day
so you felt the need to invoke ALL the Saints so you could face teh world the day after your wedding