Yet Another Great ad from Down Under...

[Flerbizky]

So where the Bloody Hell are you ?....

[Edit:] Forgot to mention, I liked the ad and found it quite entertaining....

 

[X-Othermic]

What the hell? its just an advert about Australia!

 

[Anderton Prime]

Great, now here's a testimonial from someone who's been there.

I found the people to be relatively rude and unwelcoming of tourists.

There are Japanese tourists EVERYWHERE.

The only Aboriginals I saw were drunk out of their minds, not dancing in the middle of the outback for my benefit.

Kangaroos that live in the wild are not friendly or approachable; they can kill you with one well-placed kick.

In many souvenir shops I actually saw back scratchers made out of kangaroo paws. The entire hand and arm is stuffed and jammed onto a stick so you can get at those hard-to-reach spots on your back. I also saw change purses made from the scrotums of kangaroos.

I was there for a month over Christmas (which is summer in Australia). You couldn't go snorkelling in most areas because of poisonous jellyfish which infest the waters off the coast.

Little known fact: tipping in restaurants is uncommon in Australia; as a result, the service is quite often way below the standards North Americans have come to expect. On more than a few occasions, I sat at a table in a restaurant / bar for a half hour before a waitress came over to take my order.


Don't get me wrong, Australia is beautiful and should be seen by everybody. I'm just getting a little tired of the ads that make the people who live there seem like the most hospitable and polite human beings on the planet. Australia is a lot like America, both in terms of society and inhabitants. It's not a paradise or a garden of Eden. And it costs a HELL of a lot to get there, not to mention the 13 hour flight, half of which was aboard a positively ancient Qantas 747, which actually poured water in my lap as we began to descend into Sydney. Imagine being in a plane and a stream of water starts emptying onto your legs. Not good. Yes Qantas has never crashed, but it appears they've never upgraded to new airplanes either.

Sorry, this was the commercial that broke the camel's back.

What the hell? its just an advert about Australia!

Exactly my point. People from Australia have of late begun to regard themselves as God's gift to mankind. It's just another Americanized country, with a whole bunch of Americanized citizens living there.

I'm so sick and tired of people in North America saying "Cheers" and "No worries" and calling each other "mate." It's pathetic.

 

[Omnis]

Wow. That sucked.

 

[Vasco]

Great, now here's a testimonial from someone who's been there.

I found the people to be relatively rude and unwelcoming of tourists.

There are Japanese tourists EVERYWHERE.

The only Aboriginals I saw were drunk out of their minds, not dancing in the middle of the outback for my benefit.

Kangaroos that live in the wild are not friendly or approachable; they can kill you with one well-placed kick.

In many souvenir shops I actually saw back scratchers made out of kangaroo paws. The entire hand and arm is stuffed and jammed onto a stick so you can get at those hard-to-reach spots on your back. I also saw change purses made from the scrotums of kangaroos.

I was there for a month over Christmas (which is summer in Australia). You couldn't go snorkelling in most areas because of poisonous jellyfish which infest the waters off the coast.

Little known fact: tipping in restaurants is uncommon in Australia; as a result, the service is quite often way below the standards North Americans have come to expect. On more than a few occasions, I sat at a table in a restaurant / bar for a half hour before a waitress came over to take my order.


Don't get me wrong, Australia is beautiful and should be seen by everybody. I'm just getting a little tired of the ads that make the people who live there seem like the most hospitable and polite human beings on the planet. Australia is a lot like America, both in terms of society and inhabitants. It's not a paradise or a garden of Eden. And it costs a HELL of a lot to get there, not to mention the 13 hour flight, half of which was aboard a positively ancient Qantas 747, which actually poured water in my lap as we began to descend into Sydney. Imagine being in a plane and a stream of water starts emptying onto your legs. Not good. Yes Qantas has never crashed, but it appears they've never upgraded to new airplanes either.

Sorry, this was the commercial that broke the camel's back.



Exactly my point. People from Australia have of late begun to regard themselves as God's gift to mankind. It's just another Americanized country, with a whole bunch of Americanized citizens living there.

I'm so sick and tired of people in North America saying "Cheers" and "No worries" and calling each other "mate." It's pathetic.

We're not rude and unwelcoming, I'm sure your attitude probably made you think otherwise.

I guess you went to Queensland for a while. Yes, in Summer there are a lot of Jellyfish in the tropics. Maybe you should've done your research first, instead of finding out then whining like a little *****?

Yes, there are a lot of Japanese tourists in the Summer, because that's the main time that toursists visit Australia (duh).

Of course wild kangaroos are dangerous, you think a 2m tall animal would come and cuddle you? I do hope you were joking when you thought wild kangaroos were friendly.

No one tips in restaurants here. It's called asking the waiter/waitress to come over instead of sitting there like you're up yourself waiting for someone to come serve you. This is of course unless you're in a fancy restaurant where they will come and serve you.

Oh ok, Qantas. Go get a plane that's better than a 747. What's that, they're the industry standard for long haul flights? Oh! And they've ordered the new Airbuses arriving this/next year? How interesting! Clearly you pissed yourself.

All your post has shown me is that you're a pompous arsehole who whines a lot and doesn't do any research on the country his visiting (maybe a poor education contributed to that?).

 

[Flerbizky]

We're not rude and unwelcoming, I'm sure your attitude probably made you think otherwise.

I guess you went to Queensland for a while. Yes, in Summer there are a lot of Jellyfish in the tropics. Maybe you should've done your research first, instead of finding out then whining like a little *****?

Yes, there are a lot of Japanese tourists in the Summer, because that's the main time that toursists visit Australia (duh).

Of course wild kangaroos are dangerous, you think a 2m tall animal would come and cuddle you? I do hope you were joking when you thought wild kangaroos were friendly.

No one tips in restaurants here. It's called asking the waiter/waitress to come over instead of sitting there like you're up yourself waiting for someone to come serve you. This is of course unless you're in a fancy restaurant where they will come and serve you.

Oh ok, Qantas. Go get a plane that's better than a 747. What's that, they're the industry standard for long haul flights? Oh! And they've ordered the new Airbuses arriving this/next year? How interesting! Clearly you pissed yourself.

All your post has shown me is that you're a pompous arsehole who whines a lot and doesn't do any research on the country his visiting (maybe a poor education contributed to that?).

Thank you thank you thank you... Having never actually been to Australia, I wouldn't have anything to build my defend on, but I still need to speak to an australian I didn't like... And if you're anything nearly as cool (in real life that is) as the Kiwis I've recently been doing some work for, I'd say you're a pretty damn cool bunch !...

 

[Anderton Prime]

I guess you went to Queensland for a while. Yes, in Summer there are a lot of Jellyfish in the tropics. Maybe you should've done your research first, instead of finding out then whining like a little *****?

No, I never went to Queensland. And the trip I took was akin to someone backpacking across Europe. Sorry I didn't check up on every little detail before going. My point is that the ad in the link is misleading.

Of course wild kangaroos are dangerous, you think a 2m tall animal would come and cuddle you? I do hope you were joking when you thought wild kangaroos were friendly.

Oh man. If you can't see that in this ad, as well as in almost any other piece of literature and advertising about Australia, kangaroos are made to look like cute little doggies that you can romp around with, then you're blind. My comment on the kangaroos was in DIRECT RESPONSE to the shot of the kangaroos on the golf course in the commercial. Stupid, misleading, and downright untrue.

No one tips in restaurants here. It's called asking the waiter/waitress to come over instead of sitting there like you're up yourself waiting for someone to come serve you. This is of course unless you're in a fancy restaurant where they will come and serve you.

Here in North America we call restaurants the SERVICE INDUSTRY. I.E., when I am paying an inflated price for food, I expect to be served. Therefore, I find it rude when I am not attended to in a restaurant. Perhaps I should do as the Romans do, but I can still have a problem with your customs, and I can still warn people about what to expect if they go there, which is all I'm doing here.

Oh ok, Qantas. Go get a plane that's better than a 747. What's that, they're the industry standard for long haul flights? Oh! And they've ordered the new Airbuses arriving this/next year? How interesting! Clearly you pissed yourself.

So you think I was making up the story about my flight? Well, I wasn't. I speak from direct experience, not through my ass. And no, I did not "piss myself." By the way any more personal attacks on me and you'll be reported. Oh wait,

All your post has shown me is that you're a pompous arsehole who whines a lot and doesn't do any research on the country his visiting (maybe a poor education contributed to that?).

Too late, reported. I've made no personal attacks against you; I have merely shown a side to your homeland ,never shown in the ads. If you've got a problem with it, fine. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let you publicly insult me.

The mere fact that someone decided this tourist ad was worthy of opening an entire thread about is proof of how brainwashed people are regarding Australia. Again, I am not making things up, nor have I lied or exaggerated even once in my review of the country. I speak from DIRECT EXPERIENCE. The majority of people I met there looked down their noses at me and most of the men I found to be 30-year-old chauvinistic surfers. My sister lived in Wollongong for an entire year and came to the same conclusion.

I was just waiting for a rude and arrogant Australian to come in here and argue against my post. And it only took just over an hour for one of them to reveal his true nature. Insult me all you want, you only keep proving my point.

Notice how when Flerbizky offered his opinion that all the Australians he's met have been nice I refrained from calling him names and insulting him. I still disagree (strongly) with his post, but I'm an adult and can converse with other adults without namecalling.

 

[Omnis]

Well said, Andy.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

CRICKY! Ain't Austrailia a beaut! Toss another shrimp on the barbie then for me gov'na, cause i'm on me way...Cause i'm goin to the land down under, where woman roll and men thunda, can ya hear, can you hear that thunda, ya betta run, ya betta take cov'a...
I think the best part of Austrailia, aside from Steve Irwin and Croc Dundee is all the songs that has been made about the place, especially the ones from the 1980's. 👍

 

[the Interceptor]

Well ...

in the end, it's just a commercial, which always makes the products it advertises look good, doesn't it? If it'd say."Australia! A nice country, with rude or drunk inhabitants, cute looking killer animals, nice beaches you can't enter the water at, restaurants you won't get anything but a flat derriere, and free lap water with your flight - come and visit us!" ... would you still want to go there? An ad is meant to make something look as good as possible, to make sure you will want to spend your money on it.

And I've been there as well, and I loved it. The flight was good (British Airways, 27 hours of travel, 21 hours of pure flight), nice people everywhere, great nature, loads of cool cars you don't see here, and so on. I only was there for three and a half weeks, and I absolutely loved it.

Of course, it always depends on what kind of experiences you gather on a trip like this. I could have been making the same bad ones as you did, and I guess I wouldn't have liked it as well. But ... blaming an ad for not telling the truth - don't you think that's kind of ... well ... unprofessional?

Regards
the Interceptor

 

[Anderton Prime]

I understand your point, Interceptor, but all the ads for any place in Canada I've ever seen usually just show landmarks, cityscapes, and local attractions. Not once have I seen a tourist ad for Canada showing people playing with raccoons or golfing with beavers. We also don't show shots of our Native people doing ceremonial dances as though they're on display in a show as a way to get people to come here. I just find problems with the ad from start to finish.

There are enough beautiful places in Australia to fill ten commercials without having to say one word. Show people hiking around Uluru or exploring the rainforests on the northern tip of the continent. I liked the shots of the plane landing on the Barrier Reef, but when I wanted to snorkel over the Reef (apparently one of the absolute things-to-do-before-you-die activities in the world) I was told not to because the stingers would get me. We had to go waaaay out off the coast to do any snorkelling.

 

[a6m5]

I would love to go to Australia someday, but I do have realistic expectations. Kangaroo back scrathchers, "no service" restaurants, wild kangaroos, those things doesn't bother me at all.

Since growing up in Japan, I've been presented with a image of friendly, cuddly Kangaroos as well, but you've got to know better than that. Koalas are another super popular animal in Japan, but I wouldn't hold one, unless it was supervised or okayed by someone who knows what they are doing. Another Japanese influence: We don't tip in restaurants either. I think Japan has it best, because we don't tip, but we expect & receive great service. From our point of view, when you are waiter, etc., you are getting paid to serve. Customer does not need to tip for something waiters are getting paid to do.

Unfriendly people and the jellyfish thing was unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have too much fun on your Australian vacation, Anderton. And DODGE, if I was visiting warm vacation spots, I'd go in the middle of winter. So I can escape the cold as much as possible.

 

[the Interceptor]

I suppose this ad was made by some company that got the application from the australian ministry of tourism, or whatever it might be called. I'm sure they put their heads together to think about what to show in an ad about Australia. The logical thing to do, and the thing you see in 95% of all ads about countries, is the fashions they have. They could as well just show you some country, but they decided to put people in it. It may have been the wrong decision from your point of view, but seeing it from the other side, it may be the absolutely right thing for others, who wouldn't pay attention to some nature being shown.

I can't say that this commercial makes me want to go to Australia, but I doubt that one with some nice landscapes would. Additionally, commercials usually don't work for me.

However, I don't see a lot wrong things with this one, for me it's one of many, and somebody decided to put some people in it. Sure, it may give you a wrong impression of what's going on there, but like I said before, it's a commercial, which is supposed to look spot on.

Regards
the Interceptor

 

[Master_Yoda]

CRICKY! Ain't Austrailia a beaut! Toss another shrimp on the barbie then for me gov'na, cause i'm on me way...Cause i'm goin to the land down under, where woman roll and men thunda, can ya hear, can you hear that thunda, ya betta run, ya betta take cov'a...
I think the best part of Austrailia, aside from Steve Irwin and Croc Dundee is all the songs that has been made about the place, especially the ones from the 1980's. 👍

I love your avatar

My friend has been to Austrailia twice hes always said it was alot of fun, but im not to faund of his meaning of "fun".

 

[Anderton Prime]

Unfriendly people and the jellyfish thing was unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have too much fun on your Australian vacation, Anderton. And DODGE, if I was visiting warm vacation spots, I'd go in the middle of winter. So I can escape the cold as much as possible.

On the contrary, I had a wonderful time. The country is too beautiful to be spoiled by any of the inconveniences I mentioned. I just had a few disappointments that made my trip slightly less fantastic than it might have been had I known what to expect. So I am just informing people about my experience. Sorry if I gave the impression that my trip was a failure.

 

[a6m5]

On the contrary, I had a wonderful time. The country is too beautiful to be spoiled by any of the inconveniences I mentioned. I just had a few disappointments that made my trip slightly less fantastic than it might have been had I known what to expect. So I am just informing people about my experience. Sorry if I gave the impression that my trip was a failure.

I see. Yeah, Australia is so beautiful. It's one of my favorite countries for sure. Thanks for the heads up though, mate.

 

[smellysocks12]

Actually I have one of those kangaroo paw beer bottle openers.... haven't bought it in Australia, I bought it at a flea market in the Netherlands. As a kid I scared many of my friends with it, having a kangaroo paw sticking out of my sleave. Now to think of it, I wouldn't ever buy something like that when visiting Australia. Really sick, pretty much as sick as buying a Gorilla's hand or Ivory.

 

[Small_Fryz]

If you want lovely beaches go to the gold coast or sunshine coast 👍(ive been their), its only up north where the jelly fish are (where i live now), I'm sorry but thats got nothing to do with australia, its just how it is. Its like blaming antartica for the snow.

As for meeting bad grumpy people, well im afraid you meet these people anywhere you go, people like that arnt racist they appear in every race and country.

Australia is a really lovely country and most of the time your a mate until proven otherwise, if you dont act stuck up and think your **** dont stink or think your better than us then we have no problem with you. Australians dont like those type of people.

As for the tipping, its not in our culture to do so, waitress pay and structure would be totally different compared to north america. As with all things some resturants are worse than others.

on a side note australian politians are now saying if people want to come to australia and live over here they accept to be australian and have our values and respect them otherwise they are not welcome. This has come about after all the muslim antics, however while it appears its directed towards muslims (just so happens to be more muslims who are guilty) its directed towards any race. Its fine to keep aspects of your old culture but not if they go against Australians.

Please disregard the above statement, was not expressed properly.

As for the Kangaroo thing common sense has to come into play. It is true you will see them and its quite safe to be 100m away from them or even 50m i think, but you cannot approach WILD ones just view them at a distance, im sure at zoo's and stuff you can and are allowed to feed them pat them etc.

 

[Keef]

Anderton, you know there are alligators that live on many golf courses in Florida. You're supposed to scare them away before you hit that annoyingly elusive ball. The guy in the commercial did say "We got the roos off the green" or something like that. You aren't supposed to hug them, you're supposed to get rid of them, like the alligators, so you can try and hit that stupid little ball without fearing for the safety of your own.

 

[Anderton Prime]

on a side note australian politians are now saying if people want to come to australia and live over here they accept to be australian and have our values and respect them otherwise they are not welcome. This has come about after all the muslim antics, however while it appears its directed towards muslims (just so happens to be more muslims who are guilty) its directed towards any race. Its fine to keep aspects of your old culture but not if they go against Australians.

Wow, how absolutely incredibly racist. How do you feel about this trend? Is it a common attitude shared between Australians, or so-called "mates?" I guess you're a mate as long as you conform and act / dress / speak in the same manner as other Australians.

If the politicians in Canada started saying something like that, there would be public outrage. This "sidenote" does little to help your case that Australians and their attitudes aren't as bad as some people think...

 

[Casio]

Wow, how absolutely incredibly racist. How do you feel about this trend? Is it a common attitude shared between Australians, or so-called "mates?" I guess you're a mate as long as you conform and act / dress / speak in the same manner as other Australians.

What they are proposing, is a like 'Australia Test', to give you a basic knowledge of the history of Australia, our customs and way of life. Apparently they have something like this in England too before you can become a citizen.

I think the problem was, people are coming over to Australia, and forming little cultural groups/areas and shutting themselves off from everyone else. Not even bothering to learn english, and being aggressive to Australians entering their 'area'.

 

[eliseracer]

If the politicians in Canada started saying something like that, there would be public outrage. This "sidenote" does little to help your case that Australians and their attitudes aren't as bad as some people think...

Harper has said some downright retarded things and nobody seems to care...

 

[Sambert]

---

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

I found the people to be relatively rude and unwelcoming of tourists.

I've met plenty of tourists, known of plenty of people that have visited here, and it's very rare that you hear of this. But you get the occasionaly rude and unwelcoming bunch anywhere you go. I had my fair share of rude and unwelcoming Americans when I visited Los Angeles. There were some rude English folk when I visited England. You expect that everywhere. Not everyone is perfect.

There are Japanese tourists EVERYWHERE.

That has nothing to do with anything. There are A LOT of tourists in Australia, from plenty of different countries. In fact, something you don't know is that there are more people visiting from New Zealand than any other country.

Of those Japanese people you saw, at least half of them live here, and there are a lot of people with Asian backgrounds in Australia that were actually born here. In which case, you're technically half-complaining about Australian citizens and Australian people.

Either way, I don't see how that attributes to a bad experience, personally.

The only Aboriginals I saw were drunk out of their minds, not dancing in the middle of the outback for my benefit.

That's quite offensive. Aboriginal people aren't just some novelty. Are you trying to say that Abroginal people should be dancing around entirely because you want them to?

So what if they're laying around drunk. I know of plenty of Australian people that lay around drunk, too.

Kangaroos that live in the wild are not friendly or approachable; they can kill you with one well-placed kick.

And? I've seen plenty of advertisements in which Grizzly Bears and Polar Bears are made out to be cuddly and cute, too. As has been said previously, advertisements are meant to make a place look as good as possible. With things like Kangaroos hopping around on the golf course may be a little exaggerated and a little misleading, it's meant to be taken in good humour and fun. Not everything has to be entirely serious.

I was there for a month over Christmas (which is summer in Australia). You couldn't go snorkelling in most areas because of poisonous jellyfish which infest the waters off the coast.

Yes, that would be a bit irritating, but it depends on where you go. There are plenty of places around Australia that have clean, beautiful beaches, too.

Little known fact: tipping in restaurants is uncommon in Australia; as a result, the service is quite often way below the standards North Americans have come to expect. On more than a few occasions, I sat at a table in a restaurant / bar for a half hour before a waitress came over to take my order.

I tip in restaurants every time I'm at one. It's a personal choice over here, it's not compulsory. That's how it should be.

I'm just getting a little tired of the ads that make the people who live there seem like the most hospitable and polite human beings on the planet.

While we may not be the most hospitable and polite people on the planet, I'm sure that there are plenty of people that have had very positive experiences, and there are people that have already posted who are saying so. Personally, I believe you've just had a bad experience with certain situations. You can have a bad experience anywhere.

I'm not trying to give you the impression that we are perfect human beings, nor am I in that state of mind, however I'm simply rebutting at certain points of your argument that I consider wrong or unfair. I do apologise to you that you have experienced some bad incidents, and I would be annoyed, too, but some of the points you have made are unfair, or downright rude, as well.

It's just another Americanized country, with a whole bunch of Americanized citizens living there.

That is quite true, and one of my biggest pet-annoyances. I'm quite sick of the overly-influencable teenagers here.

Vasco - Calm down. You can make these arguments without resorting to insults and offensiveness.

on a side note australian politians are now saying if people want to come to australia and live over here they accept to be australian and have our values and respect them otherwise they are not welcome. This has come about after all the muslim antics, however while it appears its directed towards muslims (just so happens to be more muslims who are guilty) its directed towards any race. Its fine to keep aspects of your old culture but not if they go against Australians.

I think what Dion is trying to say here is that complaining and trying to overrun Australian culture and our ways with your own is wrong. We're generally very accepting people, disregarding the minority of jerks you find in any country, but what has happened lately is that Muslim people are unfairly complaining about and insulting our women because we do not wear the same type of clothing, and degrading them for this. This is entirely wrong, and has brought a major uproar about it.

I think the problem was, people are coming over to Australia, and forming little cultural groups/areas and shutting themselves off from everyone else. Not even bothering to learn english, and being aggressive to Australians entering their 'area'.

Precisely.

 

[Small_Fryz]

I think what Dion is trying to say here is that complaining and trying to overrun Australian culture and our ways with your own is wrong. We're generally very accepting people, disregarding the minority of jerks you find in any country, but what has happened lately is that Muslim people are unfairly complaining about and insulting our women because we do not wear the same type of clothing, and degrading them for this. This is entirely wrong, and has brought a major uproar about it. Precisely.

Indeed, im not sure how to word what exacatly they are saying, let me find an article..

Please dismiss my post about it as its not worded properly.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18212111-1702,00.html?from=rss

Their we go.

 

[Taurine]

Holy crap, a simple thread about a simple video which caused a bit of fuss turns into one big whinefest.



This place is getting more geriatric by the day, is there nothing better to do then sit on a Gran Turismo forum and complain nonstop?

 

[Casio]

Holy crap, a simple thread about a simple video which caused a bit of fuss turns into one big whinefest.

That simple video actually caused a lot of debate down here. Some people were saying that it's inappropriate to use the words 'bloody hell' when advertising our country.

Also, people thought it was a tad over the top to spend $180,000,000AUD on this advertising campaign.

 

[Taurine]

That simple video actually caused a lot of debate down here. Some people were saying that it's inappropriate to use the words 'bloody hell' when advertising our country.

Also, people thought it was a tad over the top to spend $180,000,000AUD on this advertising campaign.

I saw a Sky News segment on it last night. Personally I think they could've thought of something better then 'bloody hell'

Overdoing the traditional australian image I think.

 

[somebody]

Most of the points I'd like to make have been made already by Small Fryz and others, so I'll just say this...

You do regularly find kangaroos hopping around some golf courses and not just in the bush. Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra all have golf courses where kangaroos can be found.

 

[Blake]

Wow, how absolutely incredibly racist. How do you feel about this trend? Is it a common attitude shared between Australians, or so-called "mates?" I guess you're a mate as long as you conform and act / dress / speak in the same manner as other Australians.

If the politicians in Canada started saying something like that, there would be public outrage. This "sidenote" does little to help your case that Australians and their attitudes aren't as bad as some people think...

I’m sorry, I don’t understand what is wrong with this?

You come to Australia, you are expected to follow our laws, and conform with our customs – whether you believe in them or not.

If I go to a temple in Bali, I am expected to wear something that covers up my knees – and I have no problem respecting their customs and their wishes. I don’t know about their customs or beliefs, but I conform because I am in their country.

We expect visitors and migrants to Australia to do the same. If you don’t like our customs, you are free to leave.