Australians slam British expat over controversial 'culture shock' video — Is she being insensitive?
- Replies 9
Anglophiles often find themselves bemused by the differences between British and Australian cultures. Although both countries share a common origin – Britain – there are nonetheless a host of cultural differences between the two.
Perhaps the most obvious difference is in the way the two cultures view the world. Australians spend most of their time outdoors while their British counterparts like staying indoors. It was said that the Aussies prefer to engage in more outdoor activities since their climate is sunnier than that of the UK.
As cultural norms vary, it's not surprising when a person of either nationality feels some sort of 'culture shock' when they visit the land of another.
Take, for example, the case of this one British expat, who claimed that Aussies who visit the UK have no idea what watermelons nor instant coffee are, has come under fire.
You read that right, folks! While both items mentioned are common here Down Under, the expat seemed to have a wrong impression of Australians' knowledge of them.
British writer Jordana Grace has taken to Instagram to share a clip where she reenacted two encounters she allegedly had with Australians, claiming that the conversations they had led her to believe that watermelons and instant coffee are not a thing in Australia.
In the clip, the comedian can be seen imitating the 'confused' faces of Aussies whom she claimed were bewildered over being offered a smaller-than-usual watermelon from the UK.
'Aww, thanks...what is it?' ,' Jordana asked, mimicking an Australian accent in the re-enactment, to which the Brit replied, 'A watermelon.'
When the 'Aussie' Jordana repeated her question, the Brit reiterated: 'Seriously, that's what our watermelons look like'.
In another skit, Jordana reenacted the moment she gave instant coffee to an Australian visiting the UK.
She claimed the Australian accepted the gift excitedly because they were 'missing coffee,' but was then perplexed because the instant drink was just a 'jar of dirt.'
Jordana's claims were quickly debunked by hundreds of Australians who took to the comments section to call out the expat.
One user wrote: 'Honey what? This literally is a watermelon, as an Aussie, I see no difference except for maybe size lol.'
'We have watermelons and a lot of us have instant coffee in our household. I was so confused with this whole video,' another agreed.
A third chimed in: 'I love instant coffee, this is weird this video, I was excited to see the culture shock and I was left confused because none of it was shocking to me.'
Jordana has received backlash for her claims about Aussie culture shock. Credit: Instagram/@thejordanagrace.
When it comes to the watermelons, however, some Aussies admitted that they were surprised with how different watermelons look in the UK.
One person asked: 'Why is the watermelon the size of an orange?'
'I mean it looks like a watermelon but it looks like it would weigh a 1/4 of a normal watermelon, kids in Australia would eat that small thing in seconds,' read another comment.
A third shared: 'Had a British housemate in Melbourne who was so blown away by our fruit. He'd never seen a fresh passionfruit. He spent $30 on fruit and spent the next few hours on an odyssey of flavour.'
While Jordana made points about the differences between Australian and British cultures by garnering mixed reactions, of course, there are also many similarities between the two. One perfect example of this is the shared love for sports.
So, there you have it, folks! What are your thoughts on Jordana's claims? Are they offensive or is she telling the truth? Let us know in the comments below!
Perhaps the most obvious difference is in the way the two cultures view the world. Australians spend most of their time outdoors while their British counterparts like staying indoors. It was said that the Aussies prefer to engage in more outdoor activities since their climate is sunnier than that of the UK.
As cultural norms vary, it's not surprising when a person of either nationality feels some sort of 'culture shock' when they visit the land of another.
Take, for example, the case of this one British expat, who claimed that Aussies who visit the UK have no idea what watermelons nor instant coffee are, has come under fire.
You read that right, folks! While both items mentioned are common here Down Under, the expat seemed to have a wrong impression of Australians' knowledge of them.
British writer Jordana Grace has taken to Instagram to share a clip where she reenacted two encounters she allegedly had with Australians, claiming that the conversations they had led her to believe that watermelons and instant coffee are not a thing in Australia.
In the clip, the comedian can be seen imitating the 'confused' faces of Aussies whom she claimed were bewildered over being offered a smaller-than-usual watermelon from the UK.
'Aww, thanks...what is it?' ,' Jordana asked, mimicking an Australian accent in the re-enactment, to which the Brit replied, 'A watermelon.'
When the 'Aussie' Jordana repeated her question, the Brit reiterated: 'Seriously, that's what our watermelons look like'.
In another skit, Jordana reenacted the moment she gave instant coffee to an Australian visiting the UK.
She claimed the Australian accepted the gift excitedly because they were 'missing coffee,' but was then perplexed because the instant drink was just a 'jar of dirt.'
Jordana's claims were quickly debunked by hundreds of Australians who took to the comments section to call out the expat.
One user wrote: 'Honey what? This literally is a watermelon, as an Aussie, I see no difference except for maybe size lol.'
'We have watermelons and a lot of us have instant coffee in our household. I was so confused with this whole video,' another agreed.
A third chimed in: 'I love instant coffee, this is weird this video, I was excited to see the culture shock and I was left confused because none of it was shocking to me.'
Jordana has received backlash for her claims about Aussie culture shock. Credit: Instagram/@thejordanagrace.
When it comes to the watermelons, however, some Aussies admitted that they were surprised with how different watermelons look in the UK.
One person asked: 'Why is the watermelon the size of an orange?'
'I mean it looks like a watermelon but it looks like it would weigh a 1/4 of a normal watermelon, kids in Australia would eat that small thing in seconds,' read another comment.
A third shared: 'Had a British housemate in Melbourne who was so blown away by our fruit. He'd never seen a fresh passionfruit. He spent $30 on fruit and spent the next few hours on an odyssey of flavour.'
While Jordana made points about the differences between Australian and British cultures by garnering mixed reactions, of course, there are also many similarities between the two. One perfect example of this is the shared love for sports.
So, there you have it, folks! What are your thoughts on Jordana's claims? Are they offensive or is she telling the truth? Let us know in the comments below!
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