6 ms·

This may be uncharacteristically abrasive and terse, but fuck this country. (yes, I live here, and want to leave)

DanielBMarkham 17y ago
I hope this post comes off okay. I've been visiting your country for a few weeks now on holiday, and I've found both here and NZ to be places with wonderful people and scenery. Having said that, both places seem to have a bit of the nanny-state complex. I can sympathize that it is frustrating -- but it's not all bad, by any means. We've had a wonderful time. I'm not sure I would chose to live here, however. I've traveled and lived in a bunch of places in the states, and the attitude seems a bit different here. I remember being in NZ last week and seeing the front page of one of their papers -- "New Zealand's Millionaires". It was three or four poor blokes mug-shotted on the front page, just like they had been caught robbing a liquor store or something. The message was clear: rich people have somehow cheated their way to the top. These guys are not to be emulated (except maybe as hoodlums) So that (and a few other things) makes me more of a visitor who would like to come back than somebody who would want to live here. I think there are a lot of people who are really laid back, and just a few who want to micro-manage everybody else. Unfortunately it only takes a few....
- whatusername 17y ago
  We even have a name for it - Tall Poppy Syndrome - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome I think it's slowly changing (certainly I haven't heard anything negative about Elizabeth Blackburn and Barry Marshall/Robin Warren -- Nobel Prizes for Med in 2009 and 2005)
  - etherael 17y ago
    I think the reason you haven't heard anything negative about them is because the vast majority of people here wouldn't know who they were or what they did. On the other hand, if I were to randomly pick a player in the lineup of a state or national football or cricket team, odds are the vast majority of the population here would be overjoyed with the idea of telling you how awesome they are and how much better the world is with them around. And yes, this is indeed part of the problem with this place.
- andrewtj 17y ago
  I'm an Australian and I agree with your comments except to say that I find the "laid back" attitude is a bit of a misnomer - it's really indifference spun to appear as a positive thing.
  - etherael 17y ago
    This was in my blind spot, but it's clever, thanks for pointing that out, I couldn't agree more.
- etherael 17y ago
  You sound like you might have some interesting ideas on better alternatives, care to share?
Devilboy 17y ago
Where do you want to go? I'm Australian too and I don't see many good options.
- andrewtj 17y ago
  Don't the options largely depend on you? What do you find to be such an imposition that you'd like to leave?
  - Devilboy 17y ago
    No I personally moved to AU in 2001 to escape my crappy third world country. I agree that Australia has issues but if you want to live in an English speaking place I think Australia is pretty close to the top of the list. Personally I could never live in the USA and lately I've felt the same way about the UK. So I was just wondering what options ethereal was considering here out of interest.
- etherael 17y ago
  I have a few ideas, Switzerland looks quite nice, but I don't think it's really the hot bed of technical innovation I'm looking for, I'm apprehensive about the states, but I think it's ignorant to be so until I have at least visited it, my travels thus far are restricted to South East Asia and Europe. What I really care about is getting away from the cloying nanny state come cut your tall poppies down culture of this place, it's stifling and I see a pattern of it not only continuing, but getting worse, based on my current twenty nine years living here.

I hope this post comes off okay. I've been visiting your country for a few weeks now on holiday, and I've found both here and NZ to be places with wonderful people and scenery. Having said that, both places seem to have a bit of the nanny-state complex. I can sympathize that it is frustrating -- but it's not all bad, by any means. We've had a wonderful time. I'm not sure I would chose to live here, however. I've traveled and lived in a bunch of places in the states, and the attitude seems a bit different here. I remember being in NZ last week and seeing the front page of one of their papers -- "New Zealand's Millionaires". It was three or four poor blokes mug-shotted on the front page, just like they had been caught robbing a liquor store or something. The message was clear: rich people have somehow cheated their way to the top. These guys are not to be emulated (except maybe as hoodlums) So that (and a few other things) makes me more of a visitor who would like to come back than somebody who would want to live here. I think there are a lot of people who are really laid back, and just a few who want to micro-manage everybody else. Unfortunately it only takes a few....

whatusername 17y ago
We even have a name for it - Tall Poppy Syndrome - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome I think it's slowly changing (certainly I haven't heard anything negative about Elizabeth Blackburn and Barry Marshall/Robin Warren -- Nobel Prizes for Med in 2009 and 2005)
- etherael 17y ago
  I think the reason you haven't heard anything negative about them is because the vast majority of people here wouldn't know who they were or what they did. On the other hand, if I were to randomly pick a player in the lineup of a state or national football or cricket team, odds are the vast majority of the population here would be overjoyed with the idea of telling you how awesome they are and how much better the world is with them around. And yes, this is indeed part of the problem with this place.
andrewtj 17y ago
I'm an Australian and I agree with your comments except to say that I find the "laid back" attitude is a bit of a misnomer - it's really indifference spun to appear as a positive thing.
- etherael 17y ago
  This was in my blind spot, but it's clever, thanks for pointing that out, I couldn't agree more.
etherael 17y ago
You sound like you might have some interesting ideas on better alternatives, care to share?

Devilboy 17y ago

Where do you want to go? I'm Australian too and I don't see many good options.

andrewtj 17y ago
Don't the options largely depend on you? What do you find to be such an imposition that you'd like to leave?
- Devilboy 17y ago
  No I personally moved to AU in 2001 to escape my crappy third world country. I agree that Australia has issues but if you want to live in an English speaking place I think Australia is pretty close to the top of the list. Personally I could never live in the USA and lately I've felt the same way about the UK. So I was just wondering what options ethereal was considering here out of interest.
etherael 17y ago
I have a few ideas, Switzerland looks quite nice, but I don't think it's really the hot bed of technical innovation I'm looking for, I'm apprehensive about the states, but I think it's ignorant to be so until I have at least visited it, my travels thus far are restricted to South East Asia and Europe. What I really care about is getting away from the cloying nanny state come cut your tall poppies down culture of this place, it's stifling and I see a pattern of it not only continuing, but getting worse, based on my current twenty nine years living here.