The Shebang Blog
What is a Bogan? Tell us now!
Posted by Triple M Thursday 4 September, 2008 03:07 PM
The Shebang are having trouble putting their finger on what makes a real bogan.
Is a bogan a top bloke to his mates, but a menace to the rest of society?
What do you think are the defining features of a real bogan? Is it the mullet and poor dress sense? The lack of personal hygiene and distinct vocabulary? Their choice of car and music?
Are you a bogan? Do you know or live near someone who is a bogan?
Tell us here.
Comments
Post a Comment | Comments (20)
I would have to say what makes a bogan is what they spend their money on.
They always buy crap and lots of it, they use massive amounts of energy and just don't seem to care!
Posted by Deano Wednesday 2 April, 2008 05:01 PM
I consider a bogan or bogans to be a stereotype. What Paul Hogan and his mate Strop was to those from the seventies. The type who goes to the cricket and yells out 'bloody idiot', carries an esky and has zinc on his or her nose, wears a pair of shorts, a singlet and thongs, has a beer gut, smells of BO, and has a mullet to match. He has three day growth and reeks of beer and is always scratching his arse and frontal parts in public.
Basically they have no care for anyone else or how they expose themselses to the public.
Posted by Trevor Wednesday 2 April, 2008 09:40 PM
I'm a BOGAN, I drive either a commodore or a ford, I let everyone know who I support, from a lounge chair of course.
I've got a beer in my hand while I'm cookin a barbie and I abbreviate everybodys name.
So Fi, Mart, Muz, if you need a model for boga-rama, I volunteer!
Posted by Brian Mason Saturday 5 April, 2008 12:16 PM
Anyone from Queensland!
Posted by jo l Sunday 6 April, 2008 11:24 PM
I don't think that being a bogan is a bad thing. I'm going to marry one in June and I'm proud to say that.
He's always loud and outspoken and chucks in a fair bit of swearing and slang.
He loves his work clothes more then any nice clothing I have bought him, but in my opinion I'd rather be with a bogan then these so called metrosexuals.
In my eyes a bogan is what you call a REAL AUSSIE BLOKE!
Posted by jess Monday 7 April, 2008 10:29 AM
A bogan is somebody who is stupid enough to all the crap the show on t.v, like the vacuum cdleaners and dusters.
I mean its more expensive to buy their than at a shop! Then again I'm a bogan because I 'm always buying art stuff but I never use it!
Posted by Amber Monday 7 April, 2008 03:54 PM
Hey everyone, I just want to say don't get mixed up with a Bogan and someone who is a Dag. Anyone can act daggy but being a true bogan is a way of life.
I work a second job in a bar and true Bogans live and party differently to us ''others''.
True Bogans don't own a shirt or a razor, drink whatever is on special until the 50 bucks runs out, then start a fight before being chucked out and lighting up a joint and stumbling home to the family of seven they have left at home.
Posted by Sarah Tuesday 8 April, 2008 09:26 AM
It's a term of endearment - who hasn't heard of "the Bogan from Logan"-
It used to mean "snot hanging out of one's nose" but now it means someone who is funny.
Posted by al your pal Tuesday 8 April, 2008 11:35 AM
A bogan is truly ignorant of anything occurring outside of his/her neighbourhood.
A male bogan has tattoos that say things like 'My Brother's Keeper'.
A female bogan has several kids in tow, and generally refers to them as 'you little bastards' as opposed to their real names which, for the boys are Xander, Kai and Logan, and the girls are Taneel, Dakota, Madison, Britney and Schapelle.
Posted by Kat Wednesday 9 April, 2008 09:49 AM
Watch Underbelly. Isn't that about bogans? Bogans with cash!
Posted by andrew weir Saturday 12 April, 2008 12:06 PM
All you idiots who said anyone from Queensland - two things:
1. I'm pretty sure Underbelly isn't based in QLD... dumbass and...
2. By all the other descriptions it sounds like someone from Sydney or Melbourne to me, so in short...
Dear Jo and all sharing this opinion...
Get a life!
love,
QLD
Posted by I don t even know Tuesday 15 April, 2008 08:36 PM
Just about anyone who goes on Big Brother.
Posted by fred Thursday 1 May, 2008 11:51 AM
I am definitely a bogan. I live in the suburbs, I have a dog named Diesel, and I have Jimmy Barnes, Guns & Roses and Metallica in my CD collection.
I own a pink terry towling track suit and wear it to the shops and I spend more nights at the pub drinking beer with the boys than I do at home.
I am proud to be a bogan.
Posted by Leeanne Jaud Wednesday 3 September, 2008 03:33 PM
And I drive a Holden.
Posted by Leeanne Jaud Thursday 4 September, 2008 10:59 AM
Here's a lengthy description of what makes a bogan, from www.bogan.com.au
The Definition of a Bogan
What is a bogan?
BOGAN (pronunciation boe-gn) 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 primarily by the media; 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".
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.
Eric Bana's portrayal of the character Poida gained him accolades within the industry and launched his acting career. This is one of the few examples of boganism leading to success & wealth.
So now we have a basic understanding of the bogan, lets delve into the world of mullets and long-kneck beers in brown paper bags.
Traits of the bogan can be summarised by the following points:
• A 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, 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.
On rare occasions bogans may be spotted wearing enclosed shoes when entering the local RSL to "have a slap on the pokies".
A female bogan usually wears a matching ensemble consisting of second-hand fashion purchased from discount retail chains like Big W.
• A lack of personal hygiene. A bogan will allow his/her hair to grow into an attractive style named the "mullet".
A hair cut is a rare event for the bogan, and most styling occurs when the razor is brought out to either a) produce a "skinhead" style cut or b) a "frullet" (front-mullet).
Similar styles apply for females, however the female bogan frequently colours her hair auburn.
The bogan bathroom contains a bar of multi-purpose soap used to clean the family, washing 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".
• 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".
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) and the common phrase "where's me fuckun beer woman" (where is the location of my alcoholic beverage dearest female partner).
The boaglish vocabulary is mostly limited to frequent curse-words and mis-pronunciation of common English words. A common bogan trait also includes shortening words. Locations such as the Wyong Leagues Club become the "leaguesy" and females/males such as Sharon/Barry become "Shazza" and "Bazza".
• 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, such as the Holden Commodore (VB-VP models), Holden Kingswood and the Ford Falcon (all models up to the recent EF).
Bogan accessories include anything HSV/HRT for Holdens and FPV/FTR for Fords. Drivers often attempt to imitate their heroes Skaifey (Mark Skaife) and Ambrose (Marcos Ambrose).
Bogan vehicles are rarely detailed and are serviced even less frequently. Most bogan drivers hold animosity towards imported vehicles "farken rice" 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, Barnesy and Midnight Oil are also popular.
• Employment status. The common bogan is either a) not employed or b) a tradesman/labourer. A bogan employee can be spotted kitted up in a fluorescent vest or polo shirt. Unemployed bogans often frequent RSLs/clubs for discount lunches before continuing on to the local Centrelink office.
This will be followed by a journey to the most convenient bottle shop ("bottlo") to purchase 2x24 cartons ("slabs") of Victoria Bitter ("Veebs"). 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.
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/QLD and Victoria, the majority of bogans are located on or west of the Great Dividing Range.
The bogan house consists of a number of elements (see below):
The bedroom (for rootun).
The balcony (for smokun/shootun).
The livun room (for watchun telly/smokun/gettun pissed).
The kitchen (for storun beer).
The combined bathroom/laundry (for washun shit) .
The shed (for rootun/smokun/shootun/gettun pissed/storun beer/workun on the 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.... n shit
Posted by Chris Thursday 4 September, 2008 06:36 PM
On weekends, and weeknights, I squeeze my size 16 thighs into size 14 jeans and head to the pub.
After beer six, I pick a fight as alcohol makes me more intelligent and tougher than those around me. After beer ten, I need a lift to see me through to beer fifteen.
Sometime during the night I will sing along to 'Candy Candy' by Iggy Pop. After that I have no idea what happens until the next day.
I catch a taxi home and relax on my green Harvey Norman couch watching Farmer Wants a Wife with my American Bulldog.
Posted by Leeanne Jaud Thursday 4 September, 2008 11:16 PM
Yes we do live in poorer areas and wear shabby clothes, and many of us do struggle to find work. We do drive old Holdens and Fords and we do try to maintain pride and humour in our situation. At least we help each other out and most of us would help you out too.
We have a finer sense of community than you metrosexuals and new age sensitive phonies do.
Our homes are open to all, we feed our visitors whatever we have and we judge each other and others by their character, particularly their heart, not by their trendy clothes or their use of the latest fashion speak.
Our values are honesty, reliability, and friendliness, even to strangers, and of course humour.
We don't like phonies,or sucks to political correctness, or shallow people who think they are something special by adopting the latest fashionable clothing or the latest fashionable opinion.
Yes some so-called boguns have computers and know how to use them.
Posted by Gaz Monday 22 September, 2008 08:40 PM
A Bogan is a person who is Australian with a very noticeble accent.
They originate from the Western Suburbs and if you live in the west of sydney loiter at Penrith Station.
They like Beer and notice small things to be interesting. An example is when one of them went 'Shit look how fast that train when by!!!!!'
They are the underdogs of Australia wearing tradie clothing.
The thing with bogans is that they fit into different sub groups. This is like the different groups of skinheads in the UK
Posted by Liam Thursday 25 September, 2008 01:57 PM
A bogan. I see them all the time. They are the ones that go into a store that sells second hand games. Has a trolley with 2 kids in it with another 2 running around them.
They get all of their kids to grab 1 game each. (cheapest games around) then they try to put them on layby with the minimum deposit. Which is usually around $2.
Posted by Gatty Friday 31 October, 2008 06:05 PM
hey radio mates, check me bogan video out! It won't disappoint.
Posted by joshua brown Sunday 16 November, 2008 10:33 AM