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Australian Rednecks; The "Bogan"
Topic Started: May 4 2007, 04:52 AM (290 Views)
FamousGroupie
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Obsessive Saddo Fangirl
What is a bogan?

BOGAN (pronunciation boe-gun) is a term used primarily in Australia to describe a particular section of the working class demographic. This derogatory slang word is a gender-neutral noun; this being important as many bogans tend to gravitate towards one another forming relationships and extended families. A bogan family is not an uncommon phenomena in certain regions. A bogan typically resides in either a low-cost housing estate, government housing or in the outlying regional areas of continental Australia. Generally bogans tend to congregate in areas with little or no features & amenities.

Generally the bogan fits a particular stereotypical image. The perception of what actually constitutes a bogan has been shaped over the years primarily by the media; notable especially are television programs such as Channel 7's Today Tonight and Channel 9's A Current Affair . These programs regularly feature stories of harrowing boganism - including communities under siege from bogan terrorism, and bogans "rorting the system" in relation to welfare benefits and questionable practices. A number of comedy programs have also featured bogans in the past, prime examples being Kylie Mole of The Comedy Company and Poida (bogan pronunciation of the name "Peter") played by Eric Bana, the portrayal of which gained him accolades within the industry and effectively launched his professional acting career. This is one of very few examples of extreme boganism leading to success & wealth.

So now we have a basic understanding of the bogan, we may delve further into the mysterious world of mullets and long-neck beer bottles in brown paper bags. Traits of the bogan can be summarised by the following points:

• A pronounced lack of dress sense in social situations. Typical bogan attire consists of a flannelette shirt, King Gee stubbie shorts (either blue/khaki), torn or soiled jeans from the 1980's or earlier, and of course double-plug standard issue white thong sandals with black rubber. A bogan's dress sense is not influenced by intended destination/occasion hence the line between workwear and formal wear is often hazy at best. On rare occasions bogans may be spotted wearing enclosed shoes when entering the local RSL to "have a slap on the pokies" or to "get p*ssed wif me mates on the veebs (VB)". A female bogan will usually wear a matching ensemble usually consisting of second-hand fashions or products purchased from discount retail chains.

• A lack of personal hygiene. A bogan will often allow his/her hair to grow into an attractive style named the "mullet" as popularised in the 1980's. A hair cut is a rare event for the bogan, and most styling occurs when the razor is brought out to either i) produce a "skinhead" style cut or ii) a "frullet" (front-mullet). Similar styles apply for females, however the female bogan frequently colours her hair auburn. The bogan bathroom usually contains a bar of multi-purpose soap used to both cleaning the family, washing the hair, styling the hair and manicures/pedicures. Whilst most non-bogans will use Eau de Toilette spray as a perfume, the most common boganistic fragrance is "Odour of Toilet". The bogan frequently rosters showers at irregular intervals such as once a week for males and twice for females.

• Distinct vocabulary. The bogan language is somewhat foreign to most English-speaking people. For example in Boaglish, the word "shooting" would be pronounced as "shootun". Similarly, the word "look out" is pronounced as "look eet". The Boaglish alphabet does not contain the letters "i" or "g", hence the pronunciation of words containing the suffix -ing are simply pronounced -un. Examples include "rootun" (rooting), "fishun" (fishing) and the common phrase "Where's me f*ckun beer woman" (what is the current location of my alcoholic beverage dearest female partner). The Boaglish vocabulary is mostly limited to frequent curse-words and mispronunciation of common English words. A common bogan trait also includes shortening words. Locations such as the Wyong Leagues Club become the "leaguesy", the Crown Casino becomes the "leaguesy" and females/males such as Sharon/Barry become "Shaz" and "Baz".

• A particular choice in motor vehicle. The bogan usually drives one of two makes of vehicle. Typically this is either a Holden or a Ford . Common bogan variants manufactured by each of these companies include the Holden Commodore (VB-VP models), Holden Kingswood and the Ford Falcon (all models up to the recent EF). Other well known bogan vehicles include early model Datsuns and Toyotas . Bogan accessories include anything HSV/HRT for Holdens, and FPV/FTR for Fords. These vehicles tend to be more prevalent on the roads whilst the V8 supercar races are being held. Drivers often attempt to imitate in heavy traffic their heroes Skaifey (Mark Skaife) and Ambrose (Marcus Ambrose). Bogan vehicles are rarely detailed, and are serviced even less frequently. Most bogan drivers hold animosity towards imported vehicles and are still bitter that the Nissan Skyline beat the Holden and Ford racing teams at Bathurst in the early 90's. Consequently, many bogans believe their VN Commodore has the ability to beat anything with the badge "Ferrari", "Nissan", "BMW M3" or "Pagani".

• Choice in music. The bogan prefers either metal or pub rock. A bogan would suggest that the song Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel would be a more appropriate national anthem than Advance Australia Fair. AC/DC is also a popular choice. Anything Barnesy. Midnight Oil is another classic example of the bogan genre.

• Employment status. The common bogan is either i) not employed or ii) a tradesman/labourer. A bogan employee can be spotted kitted up in a fluorescent vest or polo shirt. Unemployed bogans often frequent RSL's/clubs for discount lunches during the day, before continuing on to the local Centrelink office to receive the hard-earned cash of the tax-paying public. This will be followed by a journey to the most convenient bottle shop ("bottle-o") to purchase 2x24 cartons ("slabs") of Victoria Bitter ("Veebs") for $60. Also included in this purchase is the all-important packet of Winfield Reds ("Smokes"). The rest of this pension money is budgeted towards the "pokies" at the local pub.

• A poorly-maintained house or unit. As previously mentioned, the bogan often resides in regions of a lower socio-economic standing. Basically, in most cases the bogan is located some way inland from a coastal fringe or major waterway. In the case of Sydney, this has lead to the term "westie" being coined in order to distinguish the boganistic population of the inland western suburbs from the more affluent residents of the east. In the case of NSW/Queensland and Victoria, the majority of bogans are located on or west of the Great Dividing Range. Whilst this is not always the case, it is important to note that the concentration of bogans per capita is somewhat higher in these areas. The bogan house usually consists of a number of elements (see below):

1. The bedroom (for rootun).
2. The balcony (for smokun/shootun).
3. The livun room (for watchun telly/smokun/gettun p*ssed).
4. The kitchen (for storun beer).
5. The combined bathroom/laundry (for washun sh*t) .
6. The shed (for rootun/smokun/shootun/gettun p*ssed/storun beer/workun on the VN Commo).

All-in-all the bogan is seen as a top bloke by his mates, but is a menace to the rest of society. Our bogan awareness campaign aims to expose the secrets of the bogan by delving into previously uncharted territory.... no sh*t.
I don't believe in Bondi. I don't believe in rugby league. I believe in Yoko, John Lennon, the Lost Weekend and me.
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vidgamerjon
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Ummm ok? :unsure: That IS rednecks. :lol: Glad to know we're just about the same in any country. :D
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The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.--dcTalk
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Emilee
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oh man. this is so embarrassingly relevant to my area.
I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine.
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Nick2006
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nothing wrong with working class ppl

i am one myself
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Emilee
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im not saying that there is. my family is and always has been working class :)
I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine.
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harddaze

Nick2006
May 6 2007, 02:27 AM
nothing wrong with working class ppl

i am one myself

Working class does not equal bogan, although it seems likely that bogans would be a subset of "working class".

Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.
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FamousGroupie
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harddaze
May 6 2007, 04:38 PM
Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.

They're the winter alternative of the double-plug black thongs (I believe Americans call them "flip-flops".)
I don't believe in Bondi. I don't believe in rugby league. I believe in Yoko, John Lennon, the Lost Weekend and me.
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Bill
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In many (though not all) cases, bogans define the difference between working class, and actually working.
Put a puppet on it.
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~LovelyRita~

harddaze
May 6 2007, 02:38 AM
Nick2006
May 6 2007, 02:27 AM
nothing wrong with working class ppl

i am one myself

Working class does not equal bogan, although it seems likely that bogans would be a subset of "working class".

Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.

ugg boots? They're some of the preppiest things you could own! Trust me, my school is prep ville USA and all the rich girls have at lest 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.
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FamousGroupie
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~LovelyRita~
May 7 2007, 06:13 AM
....least 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.

Ugly, overpriced, originally Australian footwear. :angry:
I don't believe in Bondi. I don't believe in rugby league. I believe in Yoko, John Lennon, the Lost Weekend and me.
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harddaze

~LovelyRita~
May 6 2007, 08:13 PM
harddaze
May 6 2007, 02:38 AM
Nick2006
May 6 2007, 02:27 AM
nothing wrong with working class ppl

i am one myself

Working class does not equal bogan, although it seems likely that bogans would be a subset of "working class".

Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.

ugg boots? They're some of the preppiest things you could own! Trust me, my school is prep ville USA and all the rich girls have at lest 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.

It seems that bogans are leading the way - and not only in fashion (ugg boots). Their taste in music is also world class, as ACDC's Back in Black is the second best selling album of all time, only behind Thriller.

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Bill
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~LovelyRita~
May 7 2007, 06:13 AM
harddaze
May 6 2007, 02:38 AM

Working class does not equal bogan, although it seems likely that bogans would be a subset of "working class".

Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.

ugg boots? They're some of the preppiest things you could own! Trust me, my school is prep ville USA and all the rich girls have at lest 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.

Proving that there's one born every minute! ;) :lol:
Put a puppet on it.
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foolonthehill
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~LovelyRita~
May 6 2007, 04:13 PM
harddaze
May 6 2007, 02:38 AM
Nick2006
May 6 2007, 02:27 AM
nothing wrong with working class ppl

i am one myself

Working class does not equal bogan, although it seems likely that bogans would be a subset of "working class".

Strangely, I didn't see a mention of mocassins or ugg boots in the article.

ugg boots? They're some of the preppiest things you could own! Trust me, my school is prep ville USA and all the rich girls have at lest 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.

They're wicked preppy here too... and I don't even live in a prep town. :wacko:
all of those pictures on the wall...
what makes them fall?
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doris mendlovitz
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For real, It sounds like some parts of West Texas. Only those rednecks can get very violent.
love doris.
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~LovelyRita~

FamousGroupie
May 6 2007, 06:34 PM
~LovelyRita~
May 7 2007, 06:13 AM
....least 2 $150 pairs of the ugly, overpriced foot wear.

Ugly, overpriced, originally Australian footwear. :angry:

hmm, it's all starting to make sense. The downfall of American fashion is all due to Australia. :P
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