A 'Bogan' is a younger caucasian dude - 18 to under 30 - that is the traditional larakin that drinks beer, and premix rum and coke, likes cars and everything associated WITH cars, including racing them, and watching them get raced - see V8 Supercars fans. Holden or Fords are IT for Bogans. They listen to bands like ACDC through to Metallica but venture into Led Zeppelin's era, as well.

Traditionally Bogans come from the working class and areas obviously associated with the working class. They wear black jeans with thongs, or shorts, singlet and thongs. There is always a print of some description on WHATEVER shirt they're wearing. Bogans know more information about cars than google could EVAAAAR cough up.

Bogans like to party and drink hard. They tend to not handle their rum very well and end up fighting, eachother.

A Bogan chick is sometimes referred to as 'A Mole'.

Examinator,

I'll have a go at defining a bogan.

A gruff and/or angry individual often found in outer suburbia robustly pusuing narrow and often antisocial activities. Closely related to the yobbo. In fact, could well have evolved from/to one.

Commonly associated with mullets, flannelette shirts, hotted-up cars, wet T-shirt competitions, seedy pubs, heavy metal music, etc. The antithesis of beauty. You get the picture.

Shane Warne, apparently, is proud to be called one.

Dear examinator,

I guess it's very easy for those of us
who live in comfortable suburban homes,
enjoy a stable family life, are
actively involved in political and
community life,are concerned with personal
career advancement and have high aspirations for
our children (who are expected to receive a
tertiary education as a matter of course), to
fear, and judge people who are different
from ourselves.

People whose members live in decaying urban
neighbourhoods or distressed rural areas.
People who may be chronically unemployed,
unskilled, illiterate, welfare dependents.
People that are considered virtually worthless
on the labour market, and therefore virtually
worthless in terms of power and prestige as well.

I guess the contrast between their "leverage"
in society and ours, couldn't be starker.

Their supposed laziness, promiscuity, and
reliance on public handouts are contrasted with
our proclaimed industriousness, morality, and
sturdy independence. Right?

This way of thinking unfortunately tends to
reproduce itself from generation to
generation.

It's easy to see why. A child raised in a
'high-status' family has a good opportunity to
acquire the values, attitudes, personal contacts,
education, and skills that make for success in
our society.

A child from a 'low-status' family is raised in an
atmosphere of poverty, interacts with low-status
peers, and lacks the models and opportunities that
children in a higher class take for granted.

The upper-status child has a head start in life.
The lower-status child, a handicap.

As a result of these social influences on the
individual, most people remain for a lifetime
in their class of origin.

One way to change this - is through education.
Through giving children equal educational
opportunities. Which is something that the
current Government is undertaking to do, to
break the cycle of poverty - and all that it
brings with it.

We can only hope that they succeed, especially
if the Opposition decides to finally support
this worthy initiative.

That's the theory Foxy, but it leaves cashed up bogans out of the picture.

Cashed up bogans are those described by StG and RobP who've done well, mostly out of trades or easy credit, and moved both geographically and figuratively. They've moved to McMansion enclaves and gated communities, and they'll be pulling their kids out of private schools when the recession hits them. They've shifted from the working class social category to middle class welfare recipients, or Howard's battlers.

Bogan is less about socioeconomics and more about taste. The 'money can't buy taste' thing. A bogan could make a million dollars a minute and still be a bogan.

We need to be careful in using the word bogan to describe these people,
The word has entered Aussie speak use but like many has different meanings in different states.
Medea has called Kath and Kim bogans, hardly what is meant here.
Just as the term Westys once branded people from Sydney's western suburbs harshly once.
Do not get me wrong, the problem is real, and I know some will call me class traitor, but we ask too little of so many on social welfare.
Education is the root of the problem, but lack of will to do better is too, linked? maybe.
Wednesday morning my country town, one bank had front out of ATM its guts and papers all over footpath and road.
Alarm bells rang in three shops, and seven children no more than ten invaded Cole's, leaving with arms full of stolen goods.
2 of last nights revelers adults now sober begged for a ride to the next town giving racist insults every time some one said no.
How do you educated some one who will not go to school?
We must take the debate out of the hands of do gooders.

Belly, foxy
My point exactly.

All.
I too was from the Collingwood environment booze and disallusion. I was however balanced, with a chip on both shoulders. Left school at 16 for a series of jobs and more jobs. Eventually I went to night shcool then uni, tafe etc. But that is me I have qualities (such as they are) that made me motivated to improve my situation. But to extraplolate that onto others is at best delusional at worst churlish.
I wonder how to help these people to not be so disallusioned at such an early age that crime, drugs, indescriminate (desperate wanting a positive identity)sex, teenage pregnency are no longer acceptable options. These of course simply create the next generation of problems.

Interestingly enough conversations with many teen aged girls at the time a common thread of a exagerated need for a better self image
was prelevant. Many saw boyfriends andor babies as a way to have the power to create a better environment. An almost driving need to fix errors in their home environment.
Despite the bluster boys were simularly disposed a need to be important.
I wonder if we understand all the motivation.