Australia and New Zealand

In the south-east, far far away, there are two countries. Their names are Australia and New Zealand. Two beautiful countries, both with a remarkable history and unique cultures. Despite them being so close to each other, their nature is actually quite different. While Australia is almost completely comprised of a dry, barren wasteland, the conditions in New Zealand are a lot more vegetated and full of forests, lakes and green grass. That might be the most important reason why large parts of the wonderful Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in the lovely countrysides of New Zealand.

Map of Australia and New Zealand

The countries' histories and backstories are also very interesting. What both of the countries have in common, is that they both had an indigenous population prior to the arrival of the British. There were Maoris on New Zealand while there were Aboriginals in Australia. The main difference between these two indigenous populations, is the way they were treated. When Australia and New Zealand were first discovered by the British, in the 17th century by James Cook, Australia was used in the beginning as a place that the British used for loading off convicts from Europe as an alternative punishment. New Zealand, however, was different.

Aboriginies of Australia

New Zealand was not heavily populated by the British until convicts managed to escape from Australia, over to the other side. There, they settled and lived primarily off of fishing and whaling. They also got along well with the Maori population, and lived in mutual friendship. In Australia, however, the indigenous population was not treated as well. Like we've seen several times through the course o f history, indigenous populations are not always treated with care and respect. The Aboriginies' population was reduced with an estimated 90% during the first 120 years of the British arrival. This was not only because of the British violence, but also because of disease and loss of land that was caused by the British.

As of right now, New Zealand and Australia have a friendly and balanced relationship. They speak the same main language, they have similar flags, and they have strong economic deals with each other. About 70 years ago, it is estimated that one out of 50 Maoris lived in Australia. Now, the number has increased to one out of six. The two countries have also fought alongside each other in wars, such as World War 2. Australia and New Zealand also share the same queen; Queen Elizabeth II. But why is it really like this?

Flags of Australia(top)
and  New Zealand(bottom)

The reason why the Queen of England is also the queen of Australia, is because of the previous colonization and British control over the two countries. When Australia was a "prison colony", the country was ruled by England. While both Australia and New Zealand have their own prime minister and a "governor-general", who serves as the head of state, the monarch is still the British queen. To be honest, I believe that this should be changed.

I fail to see why two independent countries should share the same queen as England does. While I do understand that it is hard to renounce old traditions and customs, I still think that an independent country has the right to choose their own monarch. I do not know how Australians and New Zealanders think about having the British queen as their monarch. However, if I were to put myself in the shoes of an Australian, I doubt I would think that highly of it. While the Norwegian king does not have any real power of significance, he still acts as a representative of Norway. Who is better to act as a representative to Australia, than an Australian?

Of course, this is simply my opinion. Like previously stated, I am not an Australian, nor a New Zealander. I do not know what inhabitants of the two countries think about their current royal situation. I cannot conclude with a fact, I can merely conclude with my own opinion. And my opinion is that if a country has decided to have some sort of monarchy, then they should be able to choose their own king or queen.

Sources:

http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/newzealand.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Indigenous_Australians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_zealand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93New_Zealand_relations
http://www.nzembassy.com/australia/relationship-between-new-zealand-and-australia/new-zealand-and-australia
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/australia-and-new-zealand

Pictures:

http://is-a-cunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Aboriginals.jpg
http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/photolib/maps/Map%20of%20Australia%20and%20New%20Zealand%201941.jpg
http://www.smartbizaus.com.au/images/flags.gif

My thoughts on the United States of America.

The United States is probably the most known country in the world. It is not the biggest country in the world, nor the most populated one. However, it seems that most people in this world have some sort of relationship with the United States. Whether they love or hate the country, it is always some sort of opinion or impression about it. If you go to a country troubled by poverty, you may find many people dreaming about the day they will finally escape their wretched, miserable lifestyle. When you ask them where they want to go, many of them will answer "the United States of America".

When people think about America, they may hear words such as "the land of opportunity" "the American dream", and "a new start". You could say the United States' reputation has split in half. You have one part where it is a glorious land where anyone can get famous and successful, and you have one part where it is a country dominated by rich crooks, rednecks and obesity. Personally, I am a bit critical to the United States. Of course, as any country, there is a lot of great people there, but there are also many people there that I do not think that highly of. I am not saying that I think that a certain part of the United States' population defines the US as a whole, but it is a big part nonetheless.

If you would ask a random person from the Middle East about what he or she thinks about the United States, odds are that the person will not speak very highly of it. However, if you ask a random person from a country in the West, the chance of he or she being more positive about the US is a lot bigger. There can be several reasons for this. I believe that the most prominent of these reasons is that when we are in Norway, we are often exposed to the more positive things from America. We see American series and shows on the television, we use American products in our daily life, we eat American food for dinner. Of course, I would not say that it is directly positive that many Norwegians eat food from McDonalds once a week, but you get my point.

Now, if you move yourself to a country of the third world, you will find that there is a substantial difference from the Western countries. This might be because of that mostly the negative parts of the US reach the surface there. For example, I highly doubt that the average Iraqi has watched the Batman movies. If he or she remembers the "War on Terror", however, is more likely. Due to the United States' slightly controversial history, they have left many negative marks all over the world.

I myself believe that there are many wonderful parts of the United States, as well as the many not so positive ones. Look at American politics. A large part of the American population votes for the Republican party. The equivalent of the Republican party in Norway would be considered as extreme. While gay rights is barely a question in Norway, homosexual marriage is only allowed in one out of 50 states in the US. The American gun rights are based of a constitution that was written over 200 years ago! Thanks to capitalism, an American citizen's rights and priviligies are in many ways decided by the size of your income. I can safely say that I feel a lot safer living in Norway than if I were to live in the United States of America.

This picture is not meant to be taken seriously,
and is exclusively meant for comedic purposes

But of course, these things do not define the US. No matter how much we try denying it, American culture is everywhere. We are influenced by the United States in almost everything we do! Whether it is what we wear, what we watch, even how we speak, it all contains traces of American culture. I cannot say that I am exclusively positive or negative to America. I love some sides of it, and I despise other parts. All I know is that we cannot deny the fact that the United States is an incredibly important and influencing country in today's world. It is a great country, but Norway is honestly the place for me.

Lastly, I would also like to add that American cheese is not really cheese. I find that very disturbing.

Sources:

http://blogs.cbn.com/thewebblog/archive/2009/01/22/americas-second-largest-export.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_constitution
http://randomstuffihate.com/2008/03/04/american-cheese-is-not-real-cheese/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/11/who-loves-and-hates-america-a-revealing-map-of-global-opinion-toward-the-u-s/
http://www.who.int/countries/usa/en/

Pictures:

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/603789_514525098602746_108493436_n.jpg
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/flags/large/us-lgflag.gif