---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were a Western civilisation, an…"
description: "\"We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all these influences coming from both Great Britain..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png"
---

#  We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking…

![“We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all these influences coming from both Great Britain and America to us; sending us their culture in the shape and form of movies and television.” quote by Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png)

> “We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all these influences coming from both Great Britain and America to us; sending us their culture in the shape and form of movies and television.”

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Western, English‑speaking cultures in New Zealand and Australia are heavily influenced by British and American media, shaping their societal norms and entertainment.

**In simple terms:** NZ and Australia inherit British‑American media culture.

Key Takeaway

Recognize media’s role in cultural identity.

Themes

culture media influence identity

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

analytical observational

When to use this quote

- television programming
- film consumption
- education curricula
- public discourse

Key Concepts

cultural diffusion colonial legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can local creators assert unique identities?
- What media reflects your cultural values?

A Different Perspective

Rliance on foreign media can dilute local voices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [English speaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-speaking/) [Great britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-britain/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/)

## Related quotes

> [I have a work presently in the Press named 'Six Months in Hell' which you may one day read. I consider it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mckittrick-ros/i-have-a-work-presently-in-the-press-named-six-months-in-hell-which/)

[Amanda McKittrick Ros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-mckittrick-ros/)

> [The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/the-days-of-britain-and-america-intervening-in-sovereign-countries-in/)

[Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/)

> [And one of the challenges, of course, is to convince people that Muslims would like to be free, that there's other people other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/and-one-of-the-challenges-of-course-is-to-convince-people-that/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Not surprisingly, extensive effort in Britain and America goes into finding tax shelter. the system is "efficient" for the shelter industry, not for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/not-surprisingly-extensive-effort-in-britain-and-america-goes-into/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [The colleges of Edinburgh and Geneva as seminaries of science, are considered as the two eyes of Europe. While Great Britain and America give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-colleges-of-edinburgh-and-geneva-as-seminaries-of-science-are/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The success of the abolitionist movement lay in its making real for people in Britain and America the slave ship's pervasive and utterly instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-rediker/the-success-of-the-abolitionist-movement-lay-in-its-making-real-for/)

Marcus Rediker

> [Among all the many great transitions that have marked the evolution of Western civilisation ... there has been only one-the triumph of Christianity -that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bentley-hart/among-all-the-many-great-transitions-that-have-marked-the-evolution/)

[David Bentley Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bentley-hart/)

> [“Western ‘civilisation’ has been based on the ideas of ancient Greece, where the concept of ‘democracy’ (government by the people) assumed that slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/western-civilisation-has-been-based-on-the-ideas-of-ancient-greece/)

[Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/)

> [The Japanese keenly learned from Western civilisation in a bid to modernize and preserve the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-japanese-keenly-learned-from-western-civilisation-in-a-bid-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We stand then for freedom, because we claim the right to develop our own individuality and evolve our own destiny along our own lines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chittaranjan-das/we-stand-then-for-freedom-because-we-claim-the-right-to-develop-our/)

[Chittaranjan Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chittaranjan-das/)

> [Western civilisation came to this country in 1788 and I'm proud of that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/western-civilisation-came-to-this-country-in-1788-and-i-m-proud-of/)

[Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/)

> [The cult of the individual is killing us. I think Twitter signals the death of western civilisation, but people have been saying that since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-cult-of-the-individual-is-killing-us-i-think-twitter-signals-the/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [No civilisation, not even that of ancient Greece, has ever undergone such a continuous and profound process of change as Western Europe has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dawson/no-civilisation-not-even-that-of-ancient-greece-has-ever-undergone/)

[Christopher Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dawson/)

> [one feels guilty on behalf of Western civilisation. What damage are we doing, blindly and swiftly, to those races who are being taught that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/one-feels-guilty-on-behalf-of-western-civilisation-what-damage-are-we/)

[Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/)

> [Western civilisation needs a complete overhaul or it will fall apart one day or another. It has realised the most complete perversion of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/western-civilisation-needs-a-complete-overhaul-or-it-will-fall-apart/)

[Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/)

## More by Richard O'Brien

> [That means more to me, truthfully, than commercial success. To be a loved human being is much more important to me then any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/that-means-more-to-me-truthfully-than-commercial-success-to-be-a/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [I do like to be creative and I'm very lucky that I've been given different areas in which I'm able to do that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-do-like-to-be-creative-and-i-m-very-lucky-that-i-ve-been-given/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [With the film around for 25 years and the show being around even longer - still running and continuing to fill house all around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/with-the-film-around-for-25-years-and-the-show-being-around-even/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [However, there's three reasons for doing things in this particular world. One is love, one is prestige and the other's money. If you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/however-there-s-three-reasons-for-doing-things-in-this-particular/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [I've never been driven by fame or money or anything like that. It's never been part of my psyche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-ve-never-been-driven-by-fame-or-money-or-anything-like-that-it-s/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [He who quotes himself has a fool for a source.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/he-who-quotes-himself-has-a-fool-for-a-source/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/running-is-not-as-it-so-often-seems-only-about-what-you-did-in-your/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck, and the devil's eyes. He stared at me and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/he-shook-a-me-up-he-took-me-by-surprise-he-had-a-pickup-truck-and-the/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [The first movie I appeared in was Carry On Cowboy, though not as an actor. I was just riding horses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/the-first-movie-i-appeared-in-was-carry-on-cowboy-though-not-as-an/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [I'm not driven by money and I'm not driven by career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-m-not-driven-by-money-and-i-m-not-driven-by-career/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [I'm one of those people who never really joined the grown-ups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-never-really-joined-the-grown-ups/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [Life's too short to be working with divas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/life-s-too-short-to-be-working-with-divas/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [It is difficult to go on the next night after you receive a sandbagging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/it-is-difficult-to-go-on-the-next-night-after-you-receive-a/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [“And crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. Lost in time, and lost in space. And meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/and-crawling-on-the-planet-s-face-some-insects-called-the-human-race/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [There's something about shadows because you make your own mind up about what's lurking in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/there-s-something-about-shadows-because-you-make-your-own-mind-up/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

[Explore all 36 Richard O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all these influences coming from both Great Britain and America to us; sending us their culture in the shape and form of movies and television.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard O'Brien"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-english-speaking-civilisation-both/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-english-speaking-civilisation-both/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/725/richard-o-brien-17931_america_we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-englis_2635229.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all…” — Richard O'Brien",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard O'Brien",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We were a Western civilisation, an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-english-speaking-civilisation-both/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/we-were-a-western-civilisation-an-english-speaking-civilisation-both/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
