One of my initial observations, aside from how delicious American bacon tastes, is how much my identity has become intertwined with my status as an expatriate minority, that is, on being an outsider. Suddenly surrounded by familiar accents and a shared national identity, I am merely one of the gang. It’s not like I have forgotten how to be an American – I can be just as rude as the next person – but I do feel a little saddened by my change in status. Being in a tourist town, people ask where I am from, and I cannot resist answering “Australia” in an attempt to maintain some degree of specialness among the throngs. It turns out, that living in Australia is far more interesting here than it is there. But this is no surprise, being aware of America’s antipodean infatuation – even if the general population (and evidently my spell checker) is unfamiliar with that particular word.
I walk the Streets of San Francisco (with a bow-bow-chicka-chicka soundtrack playing in my head), infatuated with the sights and scents of this not-quite alien landscape that is far more colorless in person than in my memory. The smell of green-bud and urine are not quite so pungent on the city sidewalks of Sydney. Kevin isn’t sure if there were always so many kooks and panhandlers on Market Street, or if he has just become desensitized by the civil cleanliness of Australia. The police look mean, probably to cover up their fear and disgust for the refuse of society they must face each day. San Francisco is erased from my list of places I might like to live some day.
We stroll through the shops comparing prices. We have to be escorted out of the Shoe Pavillion, as we have doubled over in hysterics at the price of trainers (aka running shoes). I buy a year’s supply of my favourite skin care products and spend the rest of the afternoon making exclamatory statements. Shopping for undergarments is one of my least favourite activities in the world, but as I walk through the door of Victoria’s Secret, I am swarmed by helpful women with tape measures asking intimate questions about my support needs. Oh yes, I remember now…it is called customer service. I am reminded of it again when our smiling waitress asks if everything was all right and could she get us anything else. The cost of dinner and drinks is about the same – including the tip.
But I know that this strangeness is nothing compared to what lies ahead...
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5 comments:
Audra, as I am sure you know, there is a link between the way your waitperson in the USA acts all faux-chummy with you and the fact that SF is full of human "refuse".
It's called the living wage and the fact that your waitperson is not paid one in the USA and has to depend on your tipping to survive. And when she gets old or loses her job as a waitperson, it's one small step to becoming human refuse. This is the bad side of the socially Darwinian US. Your waiter in Oz won't suck up to you, because he or she gets a reasonable salary anyway, but you don't have to deal with human or other "refuse' in the public realm.
The comment above illustrates some of the fundamental differences in perception between our countries, particularly when it comes to matters of etiquette and social custom. My theories and supporting arguments are too complicated for the comments section of my blog and I promise to post a cohesive thesis on this subject as it takes shape in my psyche.
Basically, because of Australia's colonial backdrop, her people are intolerant of 'sucking up' but also have an extraordinarily well developed sense of social propriety, including general politeness and social responsibility. America, being a nation of blended cultures set against a revolutionary backdrop, we see things a little differently. 'Sucking up' is often our version of the thinly veiled passive-aggression that underlies the politeness of many people. And because of the unfortunately idea that anyone can be president, we tend to hold individuals accountable for their circumstances. Thus, a waitperson unsatisfied with their position should advance herself so she doesn't become refuse. The sad corollary is that we also see it that it is somehow her fault if she loses her job. Indeed, the bad side of social Darwinsim, but a system for which good arguments can be made.
(note to self: I just realized I have never met a career waitress in Australia, well, at least not in Sydney - they tend to be itinerants working their way across the country, so customer service is not a priority for them anyway.)
Personally, I like the tipping system, particularly when it comes to buying the affections of my bartender. However, I don't like that tax is not included in the prices of goods and services and I keep getting unpleasant surprises when my bills arrive.
I would say that the USA also has a "colonial backdrop" - doesn't it?
Having lived for several years in both countries I also see Australia as far more blended /multicultual. OECD figures show 25% of the Australian workforce was born overseas - far higher than the US %. Australia has had SBS TV for about a quarter of a century now. No such thing in US unless I am mistaken.
Yes, America began life as a colony, but we had a little war that re-shaped our attitude rather suddenly, whereas Australia's servitude to the crown atrophied slowly.
I think Australia has more differnt cultures that are represented more fully, but when I said blended I mean that the immigrant nations that formed American culture (in the beginning, anyway) created something that didn't already exist. This is certainly true in Australia where there is an ongoing public dialogue about the definition of being Australian (and a fine definition it is!). I don't recall America taking on that challenge so formally. I think Australians might integrate better, but that probably goes back to the politeness bit.
And no, we don't have an SBS and our perspective on world news is slanted, but through satellite TV one can get channels to support any ancestry.
When Australian's illustrate the societal ills of America (and there are plenty), I sometimes wonder if they simply cannot grasp how much bigger and more complicated our population is. I say more complicated, because of the problem of undocumented immigrants that drain already weak systems, even while they bolster our way of life. I can barely grasp the enormity of trying to govern, employ, and care for a population that is 10 times that of Australia.
I agree that the US is basically ungovernable and that Australia is ludicrously over-governed for a country its population size.
I also agree that undocumented workers cause many problems in terms of depressing wages, for one thing.
I think Aust. is very well aware of this and actually, it was the reason for the much -criticised "White Australia" immigration policy. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century were undercutting wages. Unions have always been very powerful in Oz (country invented the 8 hour day) and guaranteeing a living wage and security to all was a total priority from the get-go. With Australia's geographic position, there was no way this was possible unless immigrants came from non-Asian (ie white, European) countries and were not so desperate as to work for a pittance.
It's the same protectionism at work in the EU today - free movement of labor for EU nationals (ie those whose ecomonic backgrounds are similar), door closed to those from poorer countries (African for example) who will undercut wages. Only it is less crudely put than "White Europe".
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