Media Article:-
OPINION: Whether we like it or not bogans are part of our national identity
Is it an insult, observation, compliment or just a generalisation, which functions to group particular types of people or behaviour so that politicians, comedians, neighbours and the media can mock, deride or pay tribute to them?
Do we level the term as abuse or, as Griffith University PhD candidate, Roz Rowen believes (after researching the cultural relevance of the term for two years), has it evolved to be one we fondly embrace?
Could it be all of these things?
The debate kicked off again last week when leaked emails revealed Palmer United Party Queensland MP Dr Alex Douglas thought voters were "bogans" who live "empty lives", "buy and wear ugg boots, watch
Big Brother, choke on a diet of grease, dye their bright purple (sic), tatoo (sic) and rejoice in their ignorance," his words have aroused ire.
Douglas was quick to defend his words, saying he would "never deride them" ("bogans") - a bit late for that - and described himself as possessing "bogan" traits. We all do, he claims.
The website, bogan.com believes it's a derogatory slang word used to describe a specific section of the working class. It's relished by shows like Today Tonight and A Current Affair, both of which have worked to shape our perceptions and understandings of all things "bogan". According to this website, "bogans" even have their own language, "boaglish," which involves shortening words, names and mispronouncing others. Funny? Accurate? Or is this a sly way of slighting educational achievement by using some arbitrary and possibly colonial linguistic yardstick?
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http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...ational-identity/story-fnihsr9v-1226778191445
