The Femme Files

What’s The Difference Between Convicts and Capitalists?

Coming from the US, the land of everything over- over the top, overweight and over populated to the “land down under”- under the equator, under populated, and in my opinion,  underestimated, I somehow managed to believe my transition from Florida to Australia would be like going from the East to the West Coast. After all, Australia and America are both English speaking, Western country allies that enjoy beer drinking and partying!  

 Indeed, I did find that American pop culture hadn’t left my side in Australia. American music plays on the radio, American movies are in the cinema, and even American sitcoms are on TV (all of which tick Aussies off, yet deep down they still can’t help but enjoy it).

 Yet despite sharing the same language and distaste for American pop culture, I surprisingly found something in  Australia  that America greatly lacks. It may be a cultural difference, but I consider it a historical one. Though both countries were once former British colonies, their origins are completely different. 

In a historical nutshell, Australia was founded as a place to house convicts from Britain. (Stupid move by the poms if you ask any Australian) A “convict” could range from someone who stole a loaf of bread to a murderer. Though the committed crimes varied tremendously, deportation was the punishment.  Once in Australia, all persons and crimes were treated the same, which led the new inhabitants of Australia to forge Egalitarian sentiments.

 These egalitarian sentiments still  resonate in contemporary Australia and is one of the things I’ve come to appreciate about Australians the most. At bars, you’ll find lawyers hanging out with brick layers. White collar, blue collar, it’s all irrelevant. In fact, when meeting people in Australia, it’s refreshing not to be asked off the bat, “What do you do?” This may seem like a trivial question, yet not asking it upfront shows how Australians don’t form first impressions based on a person’s profession and bank statement – unlike the majority of their American counterparts. In all  honesty, what does form an Australian’s opinion about a person is the content of their character. (Martin Luther King would be proud.)

 America, we could learn a thing or two about egalitarianism because that is not what our origins are based upon. America was a nation built on opportunity and pursuing dreams. While this is absolutely amazing and a right for everyone, it’s not right to be opportunists or disrespectful ( an impression we have abroad). As cliché as it sounds, everyone needs to treat each other with respect and equality no matter what your position is or may become on the economic or social scale.

 Egalitarianism may sound like it promotes a more homogenous nation of people, but really it promotes a more harmonious nation of people. I can feel this as an American living in Australia and  for this, Australia, I am grateful to you.