On Culture

On several times i heard people in Melbourne said something negative about Sydney. Full on, crazy, selfish are amongst the familiar label. But what gets up my nose is when people say that Sydney has no culture. Spurious comment! I am okay with any opinion even the harshest ones as long as the foundation of the arguments are strong. In this case, i don't see that comment strong enough. What do they think of culture? It's fucking big word and it's hard to find a single definition although it is possible to have one. I share my view on culture with a Welsh guy, Raymond Williams who said that culture is ordinary. And it is also a creative process of making meanings.

What kind of culture that Melbourne have to make themselves different to Sydney? There are some similarities in its cultural practices. Both in Melb and Sydney, vegemite is not a strange thing, except for tourists. I haven't heard people in Melbourne doing a ceremony before having toast and vegemite such as circling the table three times without any clothes. They eat vegemite toast like most Melbournian do. If we agree with Williams' notion on culture, vegemite on toast is a form of cultural practices which both Sydney and Melbourne have. Claim that Sydney has no culture in this sense is self-contradiction. It is equal to say that Australia has no culture or Melbourne has no culture.

But do Melbourne have potato cake and Sydney have potato scallop? It's all fucking the same thing, isn't it? Having a different name for a fucking potato does not mean they differ significanlty in their cultures or does not justify the claim that the other does not have a culture.

Yes i agree that Melbourne is great for fashion, music and food. However, Sydneysider can find these things in their city although a little bit expensive. They differ in these forms and these differents are markedly implying that each city has its own culture.

Here i am not a Melbourne-basher nor am i Sydney defender. I indeed like Sydney but not because it is better than Melbourne in general (the weather is perfect in Sydney, actually). It is rather an emotional thing. Sydney is the city where i began to have my sphere of existence since i left my country.