Wiz old boy, I think you are right on the money. I witnessed it first hand when I went to the UK in 98 and had the misfortune of having an ex AN LTC who is still in my mind 20 years later the worst in terms of those negative traits previously described.
Fortunately I’ve always been one to stand my ground with individuals such as him so I survived it, but it merely reinforced the well deserved reputation that did the rounds back then and survives to this day in Al Gahoud.
In fairness, I’ve flown with far more good Ozmates than bad ones, and in all honesty I’ve flown with more Kiwis who were pr1cks rather than nice ones like me
To me it all comes back to basic human interactions, Ozzie’s typically project their opinions in a way that plenty of cultures find initially rather confronting and associate that trait with being arrogant and brash, get past that, and I’ve realised that most Ozmates I fly with are just as messed up and useless like me.