what are americans perception of australia.?
435721
I dislike putting people in categories or boxes, but I'll give you my "general idea" of what I think the Average Aussie (henceforth called AA) is like.  I'd guess the AA is hearty in their humor and their out look on life.  My idea would be that the AA is on the adventurous side.  For some reason, I think the AA loves green bell peppers and really spicy food (where on earth did I get that?)  It would seem obvious, given your famous opera house that the AA loves the performing arts.  We briefly covered Australia in school, I was told it started out as prison island of sorts.\n\nThat's about all I can come up with at this point mate, was I even close?
1096021
Do you live in Australia?
448651
Oh, I feel your pain! I am an American who is excellent in geography (including knowing all the Australian states and capitals), and I am appalled by the lack of knowledge in my country. However, I think many other countries would have the same problem. \n\nJust learn how to duck and cover.\n\nPS - Most people confuse Australia with Austria.
826272
I am european, but I am a frequent visitor to america.\n\nI think that americans are generally unaware of how much they are manipulated by their politicians in terms of what they think is normal.\n\nAmerican culture is in itself militarised.  In Europe we laugh about how every worker in america has to have a uniform...and badges...and a batman type utility belt....\n\nWe also are amused at how every emergency is met by throwing as many uniformed people at it as possible.  This was beautifully parodied in 'The Blues Brothers' with all the SWATS going 'huck...huck...huck..while abseiling.\n\nAmerica is still a young culture, and the rest of the world still see it as a country full of people who are impressed by childish things, so the militarisation of your police departments is not slow...it is painfully and amusingly obvious to everyone but americans.
1092069
I really don't care what their favourite sports are or are not. That is their choice. They have the right to enjoy whatever sports they like just as the rest of us do. I'm not obsessed with America or it's people. There are good and bad everywhere. I do not see them as superior to me or my country in any way, shape or form. With that said I can see why others get annoyed sometimes. While there are many wonderful people there are also those that are surrealistic and cannot praise any other country or achievement or accept anything less than being dominant and it's a shame they give the majority a negative appearance. I was annoyed at their attitude to Australia in relation to qualifying. and not to unhappy that those responsible are eating their words or suffering from foot in mouth disease. Why can't we all just respect each other and our differences.
180811
One word...  "Jealousy"\nWe are still the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world although that status is now on decline due mostly to bad leadership.  People see our success and power and get quite jealous.  We are still the land of opportunity and freedom though and that is attractive to everyone.  We have jobs, unemployment support, medical care, a governement that doesn't torture or kill, and a hugely diverse population.  What isn't to like about living here?  If you were in another country with little hope of success and you saw the soap operas about the wealthy American life style I am sure you would want to come here as well.\n\nI don't agree with the view expressed by some that that people are just mad at our government.  I will concede that at one time that might have been the case but in my field of work for an environmental consulting agency with internation ties I see things differently.  I visit places and meet people of many nations and I have to say that, for the most part, when people know I or my coworkers are American they treat us very differently so we usually go with claiming to be from Australia or Ireland depending on who is in our group.  Don't get me wrong.  There are many good people as well who like Americans just like any other nationality.  They are very tolerant which makes the experience much more enjoyable.  Once again, it is the ones who make the most noise that get heard and right now those are the US haters.  Some people just like to blame others for their sad lives rather than trying to improve their situation.
798295
What about Australia?
830478
I don't think Australians are odd. I think all of the Aussies I have talked to here on Yahoo Answers are super friendly and very cool!! In the US, we really like Australians, especially the accents. OK so, when I was a young kid, I think I had an idea in my head that alot of Australians were very strong and rowdy people who wrestled crocodiles all day and lived in the outback. I think seeing movies like Crocodile Dundee, put this idea in my head. But then as I got older I learned that Australia is pretty similar to here with big cities, suburbs and rural towns. I think the personality types of Australians are probably as varied as they are here and in every other country in the world. I hope I can make a visit to the land down under some day!
447407
The main reason Americans are such prime targets of stereotyping is becuase they are part of the most predominent country. No, I'm not saying they're the greatest. The truth is that America itself is a very hypocritical nation in that it was first organized against imperialism ,but now has bases on almost every country. You ask why America is stereotyped? Well, would you like one of the newest nations just strutting around as if they could do no wrong ,in your own backyard no less? Anyway aside from America's bad points you are absolutely correct. However, America does feed most of it's own bad press in statistics and the news. The question you should be asking is why all news reporters just happen to find the least literate, fattest, and most interesting characters to interview. Its simple, it sells. America, whether people want to admit it or not is a bussines and what is a bussiness if they're product doesn't sell? Its not a bussines at all. So in reality all the stereotypes and slander that plague your tv set is old fashioned American ingenuity at work. By the way, America is a diverse country. I guess you could say America is a little bit of every country so when people in other countries stereotype America they're just laughing at what they would be if they had freedom. I don't hate America ,but i do hate some of its characteristics. No country is perfect and at the moment America is as close to perfect as we can hope for.
1046371
Yes,  We as Americans should be very concerned about world opinion.  My girlfriend went on a vacation to Australia not long after we met.  She noticed a little hostility from some of the people from other countries that were in their group.  These ultra conservative "cowboy" extremest are giving us a very bad image around the world.  I stumbled across a website for a German band .........  I think it was Ram-stein but I'm not sure.  I was shocked and appalled at all the anti U.S. statements. \n      I once got into a discussion at a bar with a girl from Czechoslovakia she told me that Americans in general were uninformed and often deceived by our media.   We are the most powerful country in the world right now our problems are the worlds problems and visa verse.  We as Americans have a responsibility to know whats going on in the world (not just what FOX news tells us) and act accordingly.
487484
Yes and No! I'm thinking of studying abroad in the US next year so I've had to look at the differences. Australia has the easiest education system compared to many countries. A lot of Americans come over here (especially for university) and find they get perfect grades because we don't have as many assignments or tests and our exams are comparitively easy. They seem to find themselves doing a lot of "sitting around!"\n\nIn a lot of instances, Australia's education system has failed many Australians - especially in primary and secondary schools. There is no emphasis put on things that must be known for life (spelling and grammar for example), and heavy emphasis put on the things that will never be used. There is unnecessary pressure on getting into university "first time round" or the misconception is, that you've lost the opportunity forever. \n\nOn the otherhand, Australia has some of the best universities in the world, where some of the leading research has come from. Flinders University in Adelaide (South Australia) is the leader is medicine, particularly in this country. They have produced some of the finest research and made many important medical breakthroughs. Griffith University in Brisbane and the Gold Coast (Queensland) has one of the best Buisness schools in world, and also has the worlds only masters degree in Suicidology. Several universities in Melbourne pride themselves on their degrees in engineering, business and meteorology. Many of these universites have international businesses battling to take students on once they have graduated. As you can see, we have some brilliant universities, and once you've gotten to university I would say that, yes, we are the envy of the world. In primary and secondary education however, we are a disgrace! If you are considering coming to Australia make your choice wisely as to where you will go because some universities have quite a poor reputation while others have people desperate for a place!\n\nHope this answered your question!!
429139
You're observations are for the most part accurate.  Most Americans know little about Canada.  Keep in mind that the USA is the superpower of the world (I'm not saying that is a positive thing) Just that our media, foreign policy is force fed to the world, so everyone know about us.  \nI'm American. Perhaps I'm an exception because I do have some knowledge of our neighbors to the north.  I know lots of Canadians and I have observed that Canadians for the most part have negative feelings about America but the reverse is not true.  We mostly think Canada is a nice place with mostly friendly people who love hockey.
348200
I must preface what I have to say just a bit...I love America, and what I say here is not a reflection on ALL Americans, but how we have gotten the reputation that we have!           I have traveled extensively and it is true Americans are VERY disliked! It because of a few different reasons. One being entitlement. Most American think they are due the best and fastest service, that they are entitled to tell other people how to live and what to believe. We are a nation that is very spoiled and really has no grasp on other peoples lives. Americans...I hate to say are a complacent people also, which leads to mis-understanding from other cultural groups. Finally there is our President...I think from what you wrote above I need not expound on this issue. Yes Americans ARE very dis-liked, but this is not all together unfounded.
1042104
Hey there. I'm a Malaysian (a country in South East Asia) and I may have a different perspective among other answerers (I do live outside of America, don't I?) Anyway, most people would view Americans as rich, well-educated, and sadly, trigger happy. Yes. Nobody here ever thought of Americans having troubles with drugs, illegal immigrants, and so forth, because the only news that we get about America in our news papers are about Bush's policies against the world, about Hollywood actors, and American sport. As a proof, give me a minute as I fetch today's paper.\n...\nOkay, from the Borneo Post on American related news:\nHome: None (for obvious reasons, haha)\nClassified: None\nSports: "Storms douse action at US Athletics championships"\nWorld: "US warships successfully shoots down warhead in test"\n"Poll finds great divide between West, Muslims"\n"FBI arrests seven in Miami"-suspect netted in raid over alleged plot to attact Chicago Sears Tower skyscraper\n"US Senate rejects Democratic deadlines for quitting Iraq"\nTV Guide: None\nPeople&Places: A lot especially on Keith Urban's and Nicole Kidman's wedding\nBusiness: None\n\nNo news on drugs. No news on illegal immigrants. We don't know anything about the real life of Americans unless we surf the internet and actually search for American news. America equals to Hollywood. If I were to tell my neighbour that I am going to New York, she would say "Are you going to Hollywood? Americans must be very handsome and pretty and rich. How can you afford to stay there? Don't they hate Asians and Muslims? You'd better not go if you want your mother to have a grandchild." Some also view that Americans are living in their own world. When the whole world is crazy about football (soccer), Americans would watch NFL. When the world is against George W Bush because of what he did to the world (such as invading Iraq without UN's permission and refusing to pay back US' debts), Americans kept supporting him. CNN controls the mind of Americans. Nevertheless, the American Dream is always on most pauper's mind, hence creating the illegal immigrant problem. I'm not suprised because before I saw your question, I came upon a question where someone asked "Which country is the richest?" and most answerers replied "USA". Americans are also vein for thinking that other countries are poorer eventhough most countries here have a lower unemployment rate and a higher buying power. Well, that's only from my humble opinion. I'm sorry if I made anyone angry but it is reality, and that is what we really think about Americans. I hope I helped out in a way or another.
858491
Ha ha to the guy above RE: the Barnsley comment.  I'm originally from Yorkshire!! But we moved to NZ 17 years ago.\n\nAussies have a diverse mix of cultures, a lot like America and the Italian / Greek sector seems to have that macho attitude you were speaking of.  \n\nYou should come to NZ instead - the kiwis are very friendly (but so are the Aussies really), but we are a lot more laid back over here.  Both Aussies and Kiwis don't have all that PC bull you guys seem to have to deal with, but we do take our indiginous cultures very seriously.  Most of us over here find American tourists a little arrogant, but if you make an honest attempt to assimilate yourself in to the culture, etc, you will be readily accepted.\n\nThe weather is hot most of the time (unless you are in Melbourne), and the beaches are glorious - the food divine.\n\nI think you'll have a great time over in our neck of the woods.
433060
I'm from Australia.\n\nI think that a lot of people in the USA don't know very much about countries outside of the USA (compared with people who live in other countries), so sometimes they appear to be misinformed (which is easily mistaken for arrogance).\nHowever, I have met many nice people from the USA who are not in the least arrogant.\n\nThe politics of the government of the USA are a different matter entirely.  I think the USA's foreign policy is very arrogant and patronising, and I think it gives the country a bad reputation that some parts of it at least do not deserve.
393611
I'm non US. The majority of our part of the world think about you as\n\n"Selfish people (Well, may be exept for Bill Gates). Very Proud about themselves. Especially New Yorkers think that worlds largest "everything" is located in their home city. (Which not actually the truth).\nThe politicians of your country think the universe is USA centered. (Bin Larden proven it's not)"\nMy advice to all Civil Citizens of USA, is "Get down to earth. You are just another set of human beings, living in yet another geographical location. There's nothing else. Swiss people earn more than you in average (So you are not the richest in the world), Australians enjoy more freedom than you, Chinese have the fastest growing economy. EU is becoming world political super power. Even India is now in the Space race. So there's nothing so special about being American anymore. Just be real. Be human"