Australians are being branded “fake nice” and residents are being accused of hiding an “extremely collegial” culture behind friendly facades.
Commenting on the reality of loneliness in Western Australia, hundreds of people have weighed in after a 20-year-old man spoke out about the depression he suffers from in Western Australia.
The young Australian captured the attention of thousands this week when he described the country as lonely and expensive, with “poor water quality” and a brutal work culture.
And Daily Mail Australia readers agree: many say they too struggle, especially when it comes to maintaining and forming friendships in later life.
“I’m almost 40 and I barely have any new friends apart from old friends from school and some coworkers,” one woman admitted.
Another, about 70 years old, warned that isolation The situation only gets worse with age until couples find themselves alone with their partner as their only company.
Younger people agreed, saying the problem is “quite common” in Australia and is probably due to the country’s “obsession with work.”
“It’s a sad situation, it used to be a socially fun and connected place to live, now we just work, work, work,” said one woman.
Australians and expats have said that big cities like Sydney and Perth can be notoriously difficult places to make new friends.
But there were some cities that were singled out and shamed for having the “worst” offenders.
“Since the 90s, Sydney has always been a place full of cliques and it’s impossible to make new friends. Most people are very stuck up or jealous and don’t give you a second of their time,” one observed.
“Getting into the Northern Beaches community is almost impossible, even if you’re Anglo-Australian. You have to have been born there and your parents have lived there for decades,” one resident agreed.
Others said Australians from diverse backgrounds found it most difficult to break into new friendship circles.
“Multicultural Australia is very fractured; ethnic groups, including Australians, are unlikely to accept you if you are an outsider,” one man said.
One woman agreed, saying that these were “absolutely unattractive and unattractive qualities.” She thought the culture Down Under was so “regressive” as to be “absurd.”
“This explains a lot, I’m packing my bags immediately, this confirmed what I already knew, you can keep it (Australia),” one man ranted.
One woman said it was impossible to get into the community on Sydney’s northern beaches, even if you were Anglo-Australian.
Others defended the country and many suggested that those who are unhappy should simply leave.
“Australia is not mandatory,” he wrote.
The man who posted the original Reddit thread was overwhelmed by the response his speech received.
Although he comes from an African family, he has lived in Western Australia since I was a baby.He loves the education, safety and healthcare Down Under, but feels incredibly lonely despite being a naturally cheerful person.
“Making and keeping friends here is really hard, as a lot of people tend to keep their friends from school, work, or college close, and they can become very closed-off,” he wrote on Reddit.
“Hey, we should catch up” is a saying that gets thrown around regularly, when generally it’s just polite not to outright decline an invitation to hang out.
You’ve tried visiting beaches, parks and workshops, but nothing changes: everyone in your “small groups” is still reluctant to interact with strangers.
The young man, who thinks “being an adult is shit,” also highlighted the high cost of living and the fact that Australians definitely live to work and not work to live.
“I just need to know if anyone else feels the same way I do about living here,” she asked.
People experiencing depression and loneliness can turn to various support services such as: Beyond the blue Australia.
