# Fuck Australians **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853 "2009-01-31T12:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/61 "2009-02-02T08:18:19Z")
The thread title was great. Everyone should fuck more Australians. I concur wholeheartedly. The thread OP however, was lacking in … raison d’être. I simply don’t understand the pitting. People died in a heatwave, so you pit the country for not following your understanding of the seasons? Impossibly stupid. You, OP, don’t have a balanced understanding of the planet you live on, so I pit(y) you. And yeah, I know it must be a whoosh, but why post such a whoosh in the pit? Confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/62 "2009-02-02T08:34:26Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > I think the OP seriously does not know that when it is winter in North America, it is summer in Australia. Other than the OP not being in North America - he’s Swedish - you’re probably right. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/63 "2009-02-05T14:13:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Other than the OP not being in North America - he’s Swedish - you’re probably right. Wow - I didn’t know **Wildfire** was Swedish. Thanks, and s’cuse me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/64 "2009-02-05T14:23:36Z")
It’s forecast for 44C (111.2F) on the weekend where I live and at work we were trying to calculate the cost of actually using my AC all weekend. I came across a reference to 35,000 people dying for lack of AC in the 2003(?) European heatwave. I’ll bet the temps were lower than that in Germany, Italy and France. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/65 "2009-02-06T00:09:53Z")
**don’t ask** , relatives were in Europe during that heatwave and they said it was worse than trying to cope with similar heat here because they simply weren’t equipped to cope. Shopping centres didn’t have a/c, homes were built to trap the winter heat, that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/66 "2009-02-06T04:04:26Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > **don’t ask** , relatives were in Europe during that heatwave and they said it was worse than trying to cope with similar heat here because they simply weren’t equipped to cope. Shopping centres didn’t have a/c, homes were built to trap the winter heat, that sort of thing. You get a similar problem in NZ when the weather is hot. None of the houses I lived in had aircon and they weren’t designed with keeping temperature down so temps over 30 degrees good be really uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/67 "2009-02-06T04:45:53Z")
None of the houses I lived in in Qld had air conditioning either and I still survived. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/68 "2009-02-06T06:45:18Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > None of the houses I lived in in Qld had air conditioning either and I still survived. They’re designed to be cool though, raised off the ground, normally with good airflow including lots of louvered windows. It’s totally different to living in a box designed to trap and retain heat, or in many cases not designed to do anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/69 "2009-02-06T07:09:14Z")
Unfortunately, not all the houses are Colonials, or Queenslanders. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/70 "2009-02-06T07:33:47Z")
That would’ve been uncomfortable then (or not, some people aren’t bothered by heat.) ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/71 "2009-02-06T08:57:10Z")
Where I’m (mostly) living at the moment we’ve had 13 consecutive days with the temp over 40, with a max last Saturday of 47. The airconditioner has been running constantly between 10.00am and 10.00pm, and nearly everything in the garden is well and truly _cactussed._ Of course, up north, the poor buggers are getting deluged by Noah-level floods with whole towns up to their armpits (and beyond) with precious water…hey, we would be happy with just a couple of inches or so down here, why the fuck are they being so stingy?? ☹ I’d like to amend the OP’s OP from **Fuck Australians** , to FUCK AUSTRALIA. Gimme a country where the contradictions and contrasts aren’t quite so dramatic thanks. Grrrrrrr. It’s gonna be another 47 or 48 tomorrow here. I reckon hell would be cooler. 😃 Edited to emphasise the size of the FUCK! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/72 "2009-02-06T09:00:37Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Where I’m (mostly) living at the moment we’ve had 13 consecutive days with the temp over 40, with a max last Saturday of 47. The airconditioner has been running constantly between 10.00am and 10.00pm, and nearly everything in the garden is well and truly _cactussed._ > > Of course, up north, the poor buggers are getting deluged by Noah-level floods with whole towns up to their armpits (and beyond) with precious water…hey, we would be happy with just a couple of inches or so down here, why the fuck are they being so stingy?? ☹ > > I’d like to amend the OP’s OP from **Fuck Australians** , to FUCK AUSTRALIA. Gimme a country where the contradictions and contrasts aren’t quite so dramatic thanks. Grrrrrrr. > > It’s gonna be another 47 or 48 tomorrow here. I reckon hell would be cooler. 😃 With language like thay you’ll find out one day 😃 Seriously, it’s been pretty humid here, but temperatures around 30 so not too bad. I always run several hundred dollars in credit with the power companies so in this hot weather I can use the air con non stop with no worries about the cost. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/73 "2009-02-06T09:20:28Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > **SmartAleq** , Californians can handle the heat because we’re used to it, and ready for it. Do you think there’s any bus or train in Sacramento that has No openable windows? Our houses are built to take temps of 110F every damn summer. The Australians are not ready for heat, it’s seriously abnormal for them, and that’s why they’re dying. They are not accustomed to chugging the amount of Gatorade and water you did to stay alive in full elizabethians in the central valley. When you deal with heat every summer, you develop the habits to deal with it. > > . What you actually said was “The Australians are not ready for heat, it’s seriously abnormal for them, and that’s why they’re dying.” That is the part I consider a crock. Why is heat seriously abnormal for Australians? Why wouldn’t we be prepared for heat when we get it every year? People may die from the heat but not from the half witted ideas you have put forward. ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/74 "2009-02-06T10:56:01Z")
It’s almost 10.00pm and the outside temperature is 36 degrees. Tomorrow is the record breaker - 12 consecutive days over 40. Tomorrow is meant to be a mean Mallee day - 46 and windy to boot. Then a cool change to 33 on Sunday. I’ve been wetting down the cat and he hasn’t complained. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/75 "2009-02-06T11:02:24Z")
DellieM- which locality are you in? I fed my cat ice cream today to cool her down. ---
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/76 "2009-02-06T11:15:30Z")
Cicero - I’m in Mildura; as far north in Victoria as you get and still be in the state. I think we’re all fed up with the heat because there’s been no cool-down period of mid 30s between the 40s (does that make sense?). We have a hot burst of 40-45s every January/February, but again this summer is different being in a drought and on water restrictions means letting gardens die because the hot northerlies suck every drop of moisture out of the plants and the ground. The trees are starting to de-foliate. Thanks for the ice cream tip - I’ll try the 17 year old Pipster on it before bed! ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/77 "2009-02-06T11:25:11Z")
Ah- we had drought for about 5 years (Brisbane) and the dam levels dropped to below 20%. Badger loved the ice cream (has to be blue ribbon!!!) and then parked her fat arse in the air conditioning to sleep it off. Our temperatures are no where near as severe as yours. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/78 "2009-02-06T12:19:32Z")
> [@](#): > > _DellieM_ > The trees are starting to de-foliate. I’ve noticed that here too. Some of the trees are just giving up and declaring Autumn. We’re going to get lots of big trees dying off if the drought doesn’t break in the next year or two. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/79 "2009-02-06T12:54:24Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Where I’m (mostly) living at the moment we’ve had 13 consecutive days with the temp over 40, with a max last Saturday of 47. The airconditioner has been running constantly between 10.00am and 10.00pm, and nearly everything in the garden is well and truly _cactussed._ > > Of course, up north, the poor buggers are getting deluged by Noah-level floods with whole towns up to their armpits (and beyond) with precious water…hey, we would be happy with just a couple of inches or so down here, why the fuck are they being so stingy?? ☹ > > I’d like to amend the OP’s OP from **Fuck Australians** , to FUCK AUSTRALIA. Gimme a country where the contradictions and contrasts aren’t quite so dramatic thanks. Grrrrrrr. > > It’s gonna be another 47 or 48 tomorrow here. I reckon hell would be cooler. 😃 > > Edited to emphasise the size of the FUCK! 😃 Love a sunburnt country, do ya? ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853/80 "2009-02-06T13:06:56Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > What you actually said was “The Australians are not ready for heat, it’s seriously abnormal for them, and that’s why they’re dying.” > > That is the part I consider a crock. Why is heat seriously abnormal for Australians? Why wouldn’t we be prepared for heat when we get it every year? People may die from the heat but not from the half witted ideas you have put forward. Feh, I’ve lived in Sacramento (well, Roseville, Rancho, and Folsom, too, but nevermind) and in Australia, and it’s all pretty much even. Bit drier in Norcal, bit hotter here. (Here in my world being Sydney and surrounds, although my husband’s family is from Melbourne.) Not so hot in Sacramento as I’ve seen claimed though, and I lived there many years. 100+ in the summer, sure, some days, same as here. Hot enough to get convection wind if you open a door from an airconditioned house - not so much here, cause it’s not so dry. But I’ve never known an Australian (and hey, married to one, I know plenty) who didn’t know enough to drink plenty of water, wear a hat, use sunscreen, etc. in bad heat. To imply otherwise, as did **The Devil’s Grandmother** is just plain fucking dumb. What **The Devil’s Grandmother** fails to realise is that the heat and sun here is just plain different, due to the lack of ozone layer. The sky is brighter, the sun is brighter, and it just takes more out of you (anecdote not equalling data and all that.) Add to that that lots of older folks are from somewhere else (Europe or Asia, mostly), and that most older homes here don’t have aircon and you get people that just cack it in the heat. But to say Australians aren’t used to the heat or prepared for it like Sacramentans? Horseshit. And it’s going to be bloody hot this weekend and I will, in inner western Sydney, be running my aircon at whatever the fucking cost. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-australians/483853.md?page=5)