Our Americanisation

There are several ways in which Australia is becoming more like the United States. One way that I notice the most is in local language. Slack old me does not have a driving license yet, so I am a regular bus-catcher/taxi-hailer. It is on buses that I hear many people (usually aged between 13 and 25) reflecting, in the way they speak, the very real influence that America has on our lives and this country's identity.

The other day, three girls aged around 18 got on the bus. They sat several rows behind me and spoke as many people on public transport seem to...with the intention of letting the entire bus listen in on their conversation. The amount of times I heard the word 'like' in each sentence spoken was nothing short of incredible (and irritating). It was, like, really, like,...He was, like, um, yeah...She was like, um, okay...They were, like,...Like, I said, like...

One sentence I heard was: "My dad and I used to get on. Like, I would tell him about smoking pot and, like, stuff. But now I'm just, like, you're an asshole, I hate you."

Yes, she said ass. As in mass. Not arse. Ass... That pissed me off.

Alright, so I haven't counted out the possibility that perhaps these girls had American parents, from whom they had picked up this occasionally-revealed accent. But this incident was not an isolated one.

I suppose the obvious ways in which American influence is transferred is through newspapers, magazines, music, film and, of course, the overwhelming number of American television programs on Australian televisions. And I suspect that most of us display the effects on a daily basis, and we are probably unaware of it. I don't doubt that an expert could go through the posts on this blog and find evidence of my own Americanisation. And I'm certain that I myself am guilty of 'like' on a daily basis as well.

It's a worry. As a nation, we are still, in many ways, trying to define ourselves. But maybe it'll soon be all too late. When asked about our identity, we will only have to point in the direction of the USA.

Many of us are more familiar with the goings-on in American news (...people like me). We can name the first US president, but have no clue as to our own first PM. We eat McDonald's and KFC and Subway. We have colourful, moving captions on our news programs. Channel Nine excites us with the news of the upcoming 'Survivor XXXVII'. And, as John Howard can attest to, we do what America tells us to.