How do Americans view Australians?

I'd say we generally view them as having really cool accents, but there's a little bit of a joke about it, too. You have to understand - us Americans kind of sort of hate everyone. Not really in a real way, more in a schoolyard bully kind of way, just a little bit. Not all Americans, just saying, and not me, but I'd say that there's a general kind of giggling about cooking in the bush and I suppose there's a stereotype here for Australians to be ungodly cheerful and happy and a little silly. Also an idea that they all live in trailers in the middle of ******** nowhere and their kids all go to internet school.

There's also sort of a jealousy thing, though, from what I've seen. Like, Australia to Americans can sort of be like 'the land where it is possible for us to return to the wilderness.' or 'the land where adventure is possible.' We sort of idealize the idea of living in Australia or New Zealand, as if as soon as we get there material things are going to slip away and we can live in the bush and hunt and gather for food and we'll all have amazing accents that we can't really differentiate from British ones but who cares?

So yeah. I think we kind of envy Australians, a little bit. We also make fun of them like there's no tomorrow, but I think the two are connected. Again, just in a broad sort of way from what I've seen. I live in Philly, and there's not many Australians I've met, but when I have met them or when groups of Americans discuss anything to do with Australia, this seems to be what happens. We also think you call everyone 'mate' and eat nothing but shrimp, which is sort of funny for us.

I guess the short answer would probably be 'unrealistically.'

I think of Canadians, Engish, Australians as the same as us (Americans). I have been to Australia and felt like I was at home in the US.

They think we spend all day in the bush / desert chasing kangaroos and eating spoon fulls of Vegemite while comparing our Crocodile Hunter accents.

As friendly neighbors when we have cause to think of them at all.

Sexy