An Australian musician has claimed that Australians are not “laid back” like foreigners think, but rather “lie to themselves” and “project” a false personality to the world.
Mark, from Wollongong, said Australians are “conservative, lazy and don’t want to cause trouble” despite the country’s tolerant and “larrikin” reputation.
He said the nation’s “boring” attitude is causing difficulties in the live music scene and preventing the country from becoming a “more exciting cosmopolitan society.”
“Australia can be summed up as we’re the people who moved next door to the pub because it’s trendy and cool, but then we complain about the live music and shut it down,” he said.
Australians were quick to agree with Mark’s opinion, while others pointed out that they tend to be early risers, so they are tired at night and can’t afford to go out as much due to the cost of living crisis.
Mark, from Wollongong, said Australians are “conservative, lazy and don’t want to cause trouble” despite the country’s laid-back reputation.
Mark responded to TikToker John Pabon, who wanted to know why Australians have an “aversion to doing anything social on weekdays.”
The musician who plays in the Strawberry swing band He explained that it had to do with the “lies” Australians tell themselves about how the world sees them.
“As Australians we like to think we’re laid-back larrikins, we love to party, we love to have a drink and all that sort of stuff,” he said.
“The problem with this is we have some of the strictest lockdown laws in the world in Sydney, you can’t buy alcohol on Good Friday and no one goes out during the week.”
‘It’s even difficult to have a good coffee on a Saturday after 1:00 o’clock, do we really like to party? Are we really that relaxed?
Mark said Australians are “deeply conservative people” who are “boring” and “don’t want to cause trouble.”
Mark said Australians are seen as laid-back people, but have an “aversion to doing anything social on weekdays”.
“You can see that because we’ve had largely conservative governments, we tend to vote for a conservative view of Australia,” he said.
“The few times we were presented with a different, more interesting vision of Australia as a progressive and exciting country, we historically rejected it.”
Mark said many Australians like to think they are “the cool kids” who are “descended from convicts”, when in reality many are descendants of law enforcement in the penal colonies.
He referenced a famous quote by journalist Clive James: “The problem with Australians is not that many of them are descended from convicts, but that many of them are descended from prison officers.”
“That’s why Australia loves something called preventive compliance, we like to put pressure on governments to regulate us, we like laws, we like laws that are enforced through fines, we saw that during Covid,” he continued.
“That doesn’t mean that all of these things are inherently bad, but rather that there is a disconnect between how we see ourselves and how we really are, and sometimes these things are really bad.”
He said Australia’s conservatism can be seen in its strict immigration policy which led Donald Trump to say then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was “worse” than him at allowing people into the country in 2017.
He said Australia’s conservatism can be seen in its strict immigration policy which led Donald Trump to say then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was “worse” than him in 2017.
Mark said the widespread conservative attitude extends to minor issues like not wanting to go out during the week.
‘The answer is because we are very conservative and a little boring. “That’s a problem because that’s what’s killing things like the live music industry in Australia,” he said.
“If you’re an up-and-coming band, you’ll often be booked on a weeknight and if no one comes out, you won’t play for anyone and you won’t make any money.” I think it’s time we start admitting some things about who we are as a people.’
Mark shared his thoughts on TikTok and sparked a lively debate among viewers, with people pointing out that they don’t make plans during the week because everything closes early.
‘Having moved from New Zealand to Australia, one thing that still baffles me is how early everything closes. “If you want to eat after 9:30 you better be at home or at Maccas, all the restaurants are closed,” said one man.
‘I have noticed that we are also extremely unstable. It makes making friends very difficult. “People love to cancel,” another responded.
Wow, you summed it up perfectly! As a foreigner in Oz, that has been my observation,” wrote a third.
“I’ve never thought about how conservatism infiltrates social life like this,” someone added.
Many pointed out that Australians are “early birds” so they are more tired in the evenings.
The average wake-up time in Australia is 7:13am, making Australians the eighth earliest risers in the world according to the World Population Review.
“Most Australians get up at 4am, we’re early risers,” one viewer explained, and a second said: “We get up at 4:45am every day.” I go to bed at nine every night. The girl needs to sleep!’
“People don’t want to be hungover during the week,” another responded.
Others blamed the cost of living crisis for keeping Australians from going out during the week.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that there was a 4.5 per cent increase in food and non-alcoholic drinks, while alcohol increased by 6.6 per cent in 2023.
The cost of recreation and culture saw an increase of 0.5 percent, while transportation increased by 3.7 percent.
“They pay me 18 dollars an hour. A pint of ginger beer costs $17. Imagine why I don’t go out during the week because it’s very expensive,” commented one user.
“I can’t afford $300 to go out and have four beers,” another joked.