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Words/things I learned watching BBAU from the US

I learned most of what everyone else has said here. Some words I felt stood out are: Pash, bogan, rissole, footy, whinge and sook.

Things ABOUT Australia & its people that I didn't know before:

- Australian Big Brother is set up way better than America's. It is also so much more artistic and moving; they made me care and FEEL what the HMs were going through.
- Australian people seem really freaking awesome. :)
- Australia is FULL of gorgeous locations. I started "exploring" Australia's cities and natural beauty online after watching the show. Now I MUST come travel it.
- Australians and Americans are both similar in some ways and different in other ways. However, Australians are different in a TOTALLY different way than Brits are different to Americans. I know this sounds weird, but in America we have a lot more knowledge of British celebrities, culture, music, etc. I see British people on our media (popular shows, movies, news outlets, reality shows, etc.) way more often than I see Australians. I also see news from the U.K. more often than from Australia. So now I kinda "get" Australians better than I did before.

I also noticed that the Australian HMs said, "I can't be bothered", like, all of the freaking time on the show.

In Northern California, we would say, "I need to be left alone"/"I need to be alone", or "I can't deal with this shit right now". It's funny because I don't think we say these similar phrases as often as the HMs said "I can't be bothered" on BBAU. It's a very specific feeling that everyone often feels, but we don't have a good way of explaining it. So I've actually caught myself thinking and even occasionally saying it now, especially when I'm stressed at work lol.
 
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I think 'bogan' is used as a much more general term in Australia than 'chav' in the UK. From what i've gathered a 'chav' is a very specific type of person whereas there are a lot of reasons someone might be referred to as a bogan here.
 
Funkypete said:
I think 'bogan' is used as a much more general term in Australia than 'chav' in the UK. From what i've gathered a 'chav' is a very specific type of person whereas there are a lot of reasons someone might be referred to as a bogan here.
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There's a little bit of bogan in every Aussie.
 
Funkypete said:
I think 'bogan' is used as a much more general term in Australia than 'chav' in the UK. From what i've gathered a 'chav' is a very specific type of person whereas there are a lot of reasons someone might be referred to as a bogan here.
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In Northern California (can't speak for all of the U.S., or even all of CA lol), the closest we have to either would be "white trash".
 
ValaVarda said:
In Northern California (can't speak for all of the U.S., or even all of CA lol), the closest we have to either would be "white trash".
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See I think that's a pretty harsh comparison. When we think of 'white trash' we think of people missing teeth, racists, people living in caravan. But here you can be referred to as a 'bogan' simply for wearing thongs (flip flops), a singlet and drinking a particular type of beer.
 
ValaVarda said:
In Northern California (can't speak for all of the U.S., or even all of CA lol), the closest we have to either would be "white trash".
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Or trailer trash...but both are kind of harsh. I like their term better, less specific of particular groups.

Lisa Winter said:
Most consider Chav to be an insult but some people will own it in an ironic way.
Yes we have rich Chavs too, usually girls who are dressed up like they are about to go out clubbing, fake tans, little educational interests, dropping brand names but usually maxed out on the credit cards.
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I used to work in a restaurant with that clientele. Girls with the miniskirts, fake eyelashes and heals they can't walk in. A bit like a Kardashian wannabe?
 
Funkypete said:
See I think that's a pretty harsh comparison. When we think of 'white trash' we think of people missing teeth, racists, people living in caravan. But here you can be referred to as a 'bogan' simply for wearing thongs (flip flops), a singlet and drinking a particular type of beer.
Click to expand...
I see what you're saying there, but please know that I didn't choose the harshest comparison, it's just that we don't have a term like "bogan", so that's simply the closest.
Then again, wearing flip flops is common in California and not looked down upon by any group, I've never seen anyone wear a singlet except in wrestling matches (I had to look up what that even is), and when people are picky about their beer they are either considered hipsters (who love PBR round here), rednecks (who love their domestic beer like Budweiser), or people like me who prefer micro brews, although there isn't a term for us that I've heard. So maybe we just don't have a subculture(or whatever it is) close enough to "bogans".

White trash = Welfare recipients who could get a job but don't, people who have kids and keep having more despite not being able to afford them, make scenes in pubic, have the cops coming to their house every week due to a domestic disturbance, etc. They also tend to shop at Walmart, dress a certain way, and are usually addicted to fast food, drugs and/or alcohol. Basically Kenny's parents on South Park.
I don't think it's a nice word for these people at all, but it's still used quite often to describe these types of people, which I feel there are many of in the U.S.. Do you guys have a word for people like this? Are there people like this there?

LovelyCoconuts said:
Or trailer trash...but both are kind of harsh. I like their term better, less specific of particular groups.
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A lot of people in Northern California do use that term, but white trash is used more often, at least where I"m from.

I also agree with you that their term "bogan" is less harsh. Calling someone trash is just mean.
 
ValaVarda said:
I see what you're saying there, but please know that I didn't choose the harshest comparison, it's just that we don't have a term like "bogan", so that's simply the closest.
Then again, wearing flip flops is common in California and not looked down upon by any group, I've never seen anyone wear a singlet except in wrestling matches (I had to look up what that even is), and when people are picky about their beer they are either considered hipsters (who love PBR round here), rednecks (who love their domestic beer like Budweiser), or people like me who prefer micro brews, although there isn't a term for us that I've heard. So maybe we just don't have a subculture(or whatever it is) close enough to "bogans".

White trash = Welfare recipients who could get a job but don't, people who have kids and keep having more despite not being able to afford them, make scenes in pubic, have the cops coming to their house every week due to a domestic disturbance, etc. They also tend to shop at Walmart, dress a certain way, and are usually addicted to fast food, drugs and/or alcohol. Basically Kenny's parents on South Park.
I don't think it's a nice word for these people at all, but it's still used quite often to describe these types of people, which I feel there are many of in the U.S.. Do you guys have a word for people like this? Are there people like this there?


A lot of people in Northern California do use that term, but white trash is used more often, at least where I"m from.

I also agree with you that their term "bogan" is less harsh. Calling someone trash is just mean.
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Oh I know lol don't get me wrong I was just trying to explain the difference.

if I were to compare a bogan with an american stereotype I would probably say they are closest to rednecks.
 
ValaVarda said:
White trash = Welfare recipients who could get a job but don't, people who have kids and keep having more despite not being able to afford them, make scenes in pubic, have the cops coming to their house every week due to a domestic disturbance, etc. They also tend to shop at Walmart, dress a certain way, and are usually addicted to fast food, drugs and/or alcohol. Basically Kenny's parents on South Park.
Click to expand...

Here in the Brisbane area, those people come from a place called Logan so they're called Logan Bogans haha!
 
Hey, I shop at Walmart! I wear flip-flps (in Florida we called them thongs) and if I knew what a singlet was, I'd probably wear it too. White trash? Nah. College educated, tax paying, upstanding citizen here.
 
I work teaching English, and the most important thing in getting a student to a decent level is to stop them translating, and for them to start thinking in English. I think a similar concept may work here. Allow yourself to grok 'bogan' as it is, not to attempt to force it into an American or British or whatever costume. Bogan is that type of urban Aussie Aussie, like Boog. Not a chav or a ned or white trash or red necks, but bogan.
 
ValaVarda said:
I learned most of what everyone else has said here. Some words I felt stood out are: Pash, bogan, rissole, footy, whinge and sook.

Things ABOUT Australia & its people that I didn't know before:

- Australian Big Brother is set up way better than America's. It is also so much more artistic and moving; they made me care and FEEL what the HMs were going through.
- Australian people seem really freaking awesome. :)
- Australia is FULL of gorgeous locations. I started "exploring" Australia's cities and natural beauty online after watching the show. Now I MUST come travel it.
- Australians and Americans are both similar in some ways and different in other ways. However, Australians are different in a TOTALLY different way than Brits are different to Americans. I know this sounds weird, but in America we have a lot more knowledge of British celebrities, culture, music, etc. I see British people on our media (popular shows, movies, news outlets, reality shows, etc.) way more often than I see Australians. I also see news from the U.K. more often than from Australia. So now I kinda "get" Australians better than I did before.

I also noticed that the Australian HMs said, "I can't be bothered", like, all of the freaking time on the show.

In Northern California, we would say, "I need to be left alone"/"I need to be alone", or "I can't deal with this shit right now". It's funny because I don't think we say these similar phrases as often as the HMs said "I can't be bothered" on BBAU. It's a very specific feeling that everyone often feels, but we don't have a good way of explaining it. So I've actually caught myself thinking and even occasionally saying it now, especially when I'm stressed at work lol.
Click to expand...

I can't be bothered isn't a way of saying that someone wants to be left alone - although, in that sense it sounds wonderfully 19th century. 'Lady Penelope, there has been an occurrence; I shall be in my chambers, and I cannot be bothered.'

It actually means that the energy required to do something is more than one is prepared to expend. 'She wants a fight, but I carnt be bothered anymore.'
 
Funkypete said:
See I think that's a pretty harsh comparison. When we think of 'white trash' we think of people missing teeth, racists, people living in caravan. But here you can be referred to as a 'bogan' simply for wearing thongs (flip flops), a singlet and drinking a particular type of beer.
Click to expand...

What about the term 'westie'. That was a term used in NZ.
 
'Bogan' I think is more about a certain type of taste and sensibility rather than anything strictly economic or region-based. It's a kind of inverted snobbery. A preference for things that might be called lowbrow and a suspicious attitude to things that might be called highbrow. It's not some block of people or that there is some dividing line somewhere. It's more like a dimension of the Australian character and you can have families were some members are definitely bogans and some definitely aren't, like mine.
 
oddjob said:
'Bogan' I think is more about a certain type of taste and sensibility rather than anything strictly economic or region-based. It's a kind of inverted snobbery. A preference for things that might be called lowbrow and a suspicious attitude to things that might be called highbrow. It's not some block of people or that there is some dividing line somewhere. It's more like a dimension of the Australian character and you can have families were some members are definitely bogans and some definitely aren't, like mine.
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The family thing can be hilarious - I have older twin sisters, one is bogan one is a prissy socialite.
It causes great hilarity at family functions - but socialite twin does exclude her partner from a lot of family shit:)

Bogan twin gets more and more ocker and loud and beer swilling just to annoy snooty twin, who proceeds to get snootier and snootier.
 
There's a misunderstanding here about what "I can't be bothered" means.

It means "I am too lazy to do that".

e.g. "There is a pile of dishes in the sink, I should do them, but I can't be bothered!"

"I should do my homework tonight, but I can't be bothered!"

"I was supposed to sweep the path, but I just couldn't be bothered!"

Ruder version substitute another word for 'bothered'.

I am pretty sure they use it in the UK to. In TV series The Royle Family they certainly say "She couldn't be arsed!" ("Did'ya mum do gravy Dave?"-"Nah she couldn't be arsed!") which means the same thing.


Article about the phrase:

http://englishhelponline.me/2011/02/24/grammatical-expression-cant-be-bothered-to/
 
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ValaVarda said:
White trash = Welfare recipients who could get a job but don't, people who have kids and keep having more despite not being able to afford them, make scenes in pubic, have the cops coming to their house every week due to a domestic disturbance, etc. They also tend to shop at Walmart, dress a certain way, and are usually addicted to fast food, drugs and/or alcohol. Basically Kenny's parents on South Park.
I don't think it's a nice word for these people at all, but it's still used quite often to describe these types of people, which I feel there are many of in the U.S.. Do you guys have a word for people like this? Are there people like this there?
Click to expand...


Yep - and they have various labels - loser, dole bludger being two of the politer ones. Bogan wouldn't necessarily apply.
 
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