LC Australia Program 2011: What's it like to be an Australian?

By Melanie Frank

The crowd roared higher with excitement as the Broncos tackled one of the Cowboys. Broncos? Cowboys? Are we back in the States? No my friends and family members, we are not. We are in a much better place. A place where athletes tackle each other with zero padding, a place where the game never stops so teams can realign or strategize, a place where the players are able to pull the opponents off the field by their shirt collars and not have a penalty called... if you haven’t guessed it by now we were at a rugby game.

It was a National Rugby League game to be exact. It was great and it was exciting, and it was definitely a fast paced sport. Up in the nosebleed section of the Suncorp Stadium, we watch the massacre happen below. From so high up we could not really get the full range of emotions that one might feel when down close by the field. From up above our view of accidental head bashing and neck crunching moments was diluted. Yet even close to the back row of the stadium we were able to see as every so often the game would pause for moment as an unconscious or injured player lay on the field.

As I cheered on the Brisbane Broncos (an obvious choice, as they so happen to have the same colors as my favorite Quiditch team- Maroon and Gold), I tried to remember what I had learned that day in school so I could keep up with what was going on during the game.

This will make all you sports fans jealous: one of our school lectures that day was all about Australian sports. We talked about cricket, rugby, and the Olympics. We learned that Australians often strongly identify with their brutal but talented sport events and players.

So what I learned in school that day is that the rules of the game go something like this:

There are 2 teams on a rectangular grass field each with thirteen players. The game is played in two 40-minute halves. The objective is to get the rugby ball (shaped kind of like an American football) to the opposing team’s goal line, where placing the ball down with distinct force in the “touch down” area scores the points. It reminds me of American football in the way that it has the same type of long opened goal line that extends across the field, but unlike football you can not just run into the area for the goal to count. The ball must actually be placed on the ground with purpose for the team to gain 4 points; this is called a try, what we would call a goal or a touchdown. If a team has made a try then it is allowed to kick the ball through the funny looking goal post located at either ends of the field, near where it scored the original try. A successful kick can gain the team an extra 2 points. So that is scoring…. The way in which you actually get the ball to the other end is where the brutality comes into play. A player is allowed to either carry or kick the ball forwards or pass it sideways or backwards towards their fellow teammates. Along the way the opposing team will tackle the player with the ball until there is either a turnover or steal. A turnover happens when there have been six attempts for the defensive team to try and make a try. HA! - Confusing, I know! If the defensive team is unable to make a goal before 6 tackles have been made then the guy with the ball must turn it over to the other team and the battle starts all over again.

The game quickly came to an end. The final score came down to North Queensland Cowboys 16, the Brisbane Broncos 14. I was sad to see the excitement end but I was also happy that there would be no more injuries for the rugged rugby players for the rest of the night.

Over the past few days our lectures have dealt not only with sport but also Australian families, national identity, welfare, crime/violence, and the ethics of anthropology/archeology. For the most part, what I have picked up from these classes is Australia is not much different from home. Their family dynamics are much the same as in the United States. The same holds true for their welfare system and crime/violence statistics. However, in Australia the welfare state offers more universal benefits such as healthcare and affordable education than in the US. Other benefits also include income support and housing assistance. Much like the United States, Australia’s welfare system tries as much as possible to rely on market solutions. However, the Australia welfare system is a little more socialized.

When I first came here I had a sense that in general Australia was a safer and nicer nation compared to the intimidating streets of many cities in the United States. What I found out in class the other day was that yes, Australia does have a slightly lower crime and violence rate than America. What I learned is that in an international comparison of country crime rates the percentage of citizens victimized in Australia is at 16.3% whereas in the US the rate is 17.3%. It turns out that England & Wales have it way worse than both Australia and the US, with 21.8%. The US, as it turns out, has a higher assault and sexual assault rate in comparison with Australia but for motor vehicle crimes and burglary we have the same percentage. I guess it seems that American men have something to learn from these Australian chaps on how to treat a lady properly.

This gets me to the topic of national identity. Despite the fact that Australians celebrate their unique endemic species, they still face the problem of how to define themselves as Australians.

Australia’s identity crisis stems from being a white western nation isolated from other western nations. Because of this fact a segment of the population can come off a bit xenophobic. Some fear that a mass migration from their neighboring nations could disrupt their vision of a white westernized Australia. They fear Asian people migrating in from above and Pacific Islanders all wanting to claim some of the pristine shorelines of the country. From 1901 to 1973 Australia went so far as to have an actual White Australian Policy. This policy aimed to exclude all non-European immigrants from entering into their country. While the discriminatory policy no longer exists, 40 years since its termination Australians’ historical fear of being overtaken by the East still somewhat persists today. However, with the current globalization of the world and Australia’s strong import and export relationship with Asia, they are beginning to embrace a fair amount of immigration from the north as they try to deal with new issues of multiculturalism.

Even though Australians seem to be going through an identity crisis there is a persistent image of Australians being relaxed, friendly, laidback, rugged outdoorsmen with a strong passion for sports. Just the other day as information of the Japanese Earthquake spread all over the Australian news channels, they still seemed to find time to slip in a few minutes to talk about soccer and rugby highlights.

A day in the life of an Australian requires a hot sun, a giant huntsman spider chilling in the corner of your room, and drinking a cold refreshing beer as you cheer on your favorite rugby team. Yes my friends and family members, for the most part we are starting to lower our loud American voices and blend in. It took some time but I think we are getting the hang of it.