What the American Funeral Says About the Australian Industry

    The concept of the American funeral comes from the Australian funeral industry, it is because of the industry that it has a presence.  Which I find amusingly ironic in a sense, how the American funeral is considered an ever-present threat to the Australian funeral, and yet it can only exist directly because of the Australian funeral; without the Australian industry there would be no American funeral.

Does the American Funeral Exist?

    Does the American funeral actually exist?  In short "no",  and yet at the same time it does.  The American funeral is an interesting thing which says a lot about the Australian funeral industry, and Australian society on a broader level.  In this post I continue my theme of 'American funeral' and look at if it really exists.

The Negatives of the American Funeral

     In this pervious post I discussed at the definition of the American funeral, the five key points which make up our understanding of this concept as the Australian industry uses it.

    Just the idea, the notion and nothing more, of American funerals is a source of anxiety and concern with those in the Australian funeral industry.  I have found an actual and ever present worry that the Australian industry will "slip" into American styles.  So let's look at what is so bad about the American funeral as viewed by the Australian industry.

Origins of the American Funeral

    The American funeral has an interesting history, which is unfortunately difficult to follow and mostly based on rumours and anecdotes.  It is not a new idea by any means, but is one which has changed over time.

Defining the American Funeral

    The 'American funeral' is a very important concept for the Australian funeral industry, it is talked about and referred to heavily (both directly and indirectly) by those within the industry.  Without doubt it is very important to discourse within the industry, and yet it is poorly explored or even defined, which only leads to an unhealthy discussion.

    As such I will spend some time digging deeply into this important yet overlooked topic, finally exploring it and giving it the time it deserves.