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There was a time when it was a vicious insult to call someone a bogan, but latterly it's become just as common, if not more so, for people to self-identify as bogan, and do so with upturned faces and swelling chests.
Indeed, bogan pride made headlines this week when the mother of Australian actor and comedian Rebel Wilson declared herself to be a bogan in court.
"I accept I'm a bogan. I live in the western suburbs of Sydney," Sue Bownds told the Supreme Court of Victoria.
(Ms Wilson is suing magazine publisher Bauer Media for defamation after it published a series of articles that Ms Wilson claims lied about her age, real name and "bogan" upbringing.)
I was surprised by Bownds's assertion, for two reasons.
First, because I myself grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, and the kind of rough-and-ready, plain-spoken, pub-rock-loving, mullet-and-flanno-wearing salt of the earth that the word usually signifies was never known as a "bogan" — we were "westies".
Second, because Rebel Wilson attended Tara Anglican Girls' School, which is a school for bogans in much the same way that Cambridge University is a rural TAFE.
But what didn't surprise me was that Sue Bownds was willing to declare her boganism in public. After all, she's not the only to do so recently.
New Bachelorette Sophie Monk's friends have affectionately declared her a bogan looking for bogan love, and when a Bachie goes bogan you know it's mainstream.
And as one social researcher put it this week, Schapelle Corby's "bogan element" has endeared her to Australians — and there's no greater bogan trifecta than pot, Bali and boogie boards.
Perhaps Wilson's own comedy television series Bogan Pride started the revolution — or would have if anyone had seen it. Whatever the origins, bogans have reclaimed the erstwhile slur and wear it as a badge of honour.
Still, this new paradigm has made the question of what bogans are, and what to do about them, even more complex.
What makes a bogan?
To define a bogan is not a simple task — like pornography, it's more a case of knowing one when you see one. And also like pornography, you can find a lot of bogans in the pages of Picture magazine.
This points to the essential element of the bogan character: they are not ashamed. Where others might see the comfort of Ugg boots or the infectious chorus of a Nickelback song as a guilty pleasure, the bogan sees only pleasure.
In this sense, the bogan represents humanity at its most authentic.
Although not existing in a state of nature in the material sense — preferring to surround themselves with concrete, cars and clotheslines — bogans possess a kind of innocent purity of the mind.
As Adam and Eve, prior to eating the fruit of knowledge, did not know they were naked, so bogans do not know that they are not supposed to wear stubbies to a funeral and frankly, that kind of lack of pretence is refreshing.
So then how do you spot a bogan in the wild?
The visual cues are obvious: the mullet, the Uggs.
But there's more variety in Bogan fashion than is often assumed — the modern bogan's tastes run the gamut, from desert boots to knock-off NBA tops, and shaved heads are if anything more prevalent than mullets nowadays.
And of course, bogans come in all genders; lady bogans are a lot less likely to sport the classic mullet, and a lot more likely to be wearing enormous sunglasses or leggings.
Sometimes one can identify a bogan situationally: for example, a person spotted at a motor racing event is a bogan — and the fact you're at the event means you're one too.
It's also likely that a person you encounter at an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant is a bogan.
If you see someone drinking alcohol on the street in daylight, they may or may not be a bogan: if they threaten you with violence for looking at them, they are one.
That's the key to spotting a bogan: attitude.
Overwhelming self-confidence, a resentment of authority and pretension, eagerness to engage strangers in conversation on a range of topics from football to panel-beating to those c***s at Centrelink (admittedly, a topic of conversation quite widespread among all sectors of society nowadays) — these are the hallmarks of the bogan.
The cashed-up bogan
Crucially, it should be noted that if socio-economic status were ever a reliable indicator of boganosity, this is no longer the case.
The cashed-up bogan has become so ubiquitous that it's barely worth considering it a separate category anymore; CUBs now dominate our cultural landscape, from Our Rebel herself, to Eddie McGuire, to Kyle Sandilands.
And the prime ministership of Julia Gillard showed bogans are certainly not barred from the corridors of power.
But once you've spotted a bogan, how should you behave? First, take things slow. The bogan is a generally amiable individual, but also a wary one.
Years of snobbery and contempt from rich wankers and arty hipster co**spanks have made them suspicious of outsiders looking to make contact — any suggestion you might be about to look down your nose will cause the bogan to lash out, potentially leading to physical violence or having Bacardi tipped over your head.
Approach with caution and make no sudden movements; keep your hands visible at all times and accost the bogan with a neutral greeting such as "Hello there" or "What's the score?"
The important thing is to reassure the bogan that you mean them no harm. If you can also offer them some Winnie Blues, all the better.
Bogans are just like you, just more honest and fun
Second, try to establish common ground. This isn't anywhere near as difficult as you might think. Bogans are actually just like you and me, just more honest and fun.
Many non-bogans are also interested in automotive repair or football — though if discussing the latter it's important to be aware of your surroundings.
In New South Wales and Queensland, talking about the footy with a bogan means rugby league. Elsewhere it means Australian rules. Get this wrong and the bogan will immediately identify you as an enemy and probably try to steal your girlfriend.
In a pinch, just chat about music — this is easy to do because everyone knows, deep in their hearts, that bogans have better taste in music than anyone.
The wonderful thing about chatting with a bogan is that you can relax and admit that Appetite For Destruction is your favourite album.
If you can successfully ingratiate yourself, you can experience the beautiful phenomenon that is bogan friendship — for nobody is more loyal than a bogan, nobody is more devoted, more willing to key the cars of those who do their friends wrong.
In time, you may learn just why bogan pride is so fierce, and why even the mothers of private school girls-turned-Hollywood stars would rather be bogans than anything else.
For in its bracing authenticity and joyful self-love, it could be that bogan life is the noblest life of all.
Topics: popular-culture, offbeat, courts-and-trials, national-days, population-and-demographics, australia
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