14 People From Different Nations Describe What Their Country’s Version Of A “Redneck” Is (With Pics)

“Redneck,” “hick,” and “hillbilly” can all describe different types of people, and are certainly stereotypes that can not accurately portray any one individual. These terms can also be derogatory, while some self-identifying “rednecks” and etc. are proud to be included in these groups. Whatever way you cut it, though, it’s fascinating from an American point of view to see what other cultures perceive as their own “rednecks.” A recent thread at r/askreddit asked reddit users to describe what the “redneck” is like in their country. Here are a few of their answers, remixed and slightly reworded for clarity.

1. Australia = Bogans

The traditional dress is unwashed stubbies (basically short shorts) and a singlet, beer gut, a prime mullet, thongs (flip-flops, my American friend likes to inform me) or no shoes at all. Can’t forget the beer in hand and obnoxious attitude. Loud, and even harder to understand than the rest of us, punctuated with LOTS of swearing.

They WILL go into a panic if their town has a thong shortage. Poor Darwin.

This is how a bogan sounds when they talk:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmL72sgVdAQ&w=584&h=390%5D

Also — look for an episode of a show called “Housos.” It’s a piss-take but remarkably accurate.

Basically it’s all “Oi Damo! Fackin’ get a job so we can get some fackin’ Foxtell!”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9C9Q478PCQ&w=584&h=390%5D

You can also check out The Castle as a primer on Bogans.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-GVRvsZrA&w=584&h=390%5D


2. Brazil = Caipiras

So, our famous drink “Caipirinha” translates into a little redneck girl.

For a better understanding what a caipira is, check this video — Mazzaropi is one of the most iconic brazilian caipiras:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKbXQk3xRaQ&w=584&h=390%5D

They’re usually pictured with old, torn clothes, usually with plaid patterns. They usually wear some kind of straw hat, and male adults are sometimes portrayed with a mustache (and usually short hair, instead of the weird long hair that rednecks have). Girls are usually described as having braided pigtails.

Their accent is portrayed as skipping some vowels in words (especially when it is followed by/following another vowel), and with emphasis on the letter “r.” They also misplace the “r” letter in words, use “u” sounds instead of “o” and “i” instead of “e” (and “lh,” e.g. “Orelha” becomes “Oreia”). Lots of Minas Gerais slang is also associated with caipiras, such as “Uai!” as a word to express surprise and “Trem” to refer to anything (it is used as a substitute to “thing,” for example. It is hard to explain) “Trem” means “Train” (the noun, referring to the vehicle that functions on rails).

However “caipiras” are usually just people who live in rural, small towns. It is used in offensive ways (usually to refer to someone who isn’t used to the urban lifestyle of big cities, or someone who isn’t very good with technology, although this is a rarer use), but not very much. An actual caipira probably wouldn’t be very offended if he was called a caipira. It can also be used to refer to the general rural culture in interior brazil.

Here’s the Wikipedia page for caipira.

This picture shows people dressed up as caipiras for a festa junina.


4. UK = Chavs

Chavs are usually urban teenagers that wear popular heavily branded clothes, like the ‘OBEY’ type shit, hoodies, jogging bottoms, piercings and always have their arsecracks exposed. They look skinny, ugly and seems as dumb as shit. They typically hang around in playgrounds, outside shops, McDonalds, etc, generally playing loud music like Little Wayne whilst vandalising, intimidating, swearing, smoking, drinking cheap booze and taking drugs. If they ever move it’ll be by waking up the whole town with a loud mo-ped scooter thing at 2 in the morning.

Their family lives would be pretty crap, they’re mums probably took drugs whilst pregnant at 14, and slept around with everyone in the neighborhood. She works a shitty minimum wage job or just lives on benefits in a crappy council estate, and their dad had left them. The little brother is your average spoiled brat 12 year old cod player and has been subject to minimal parenting. The baby has no chance. The whole family likely dropped out of education at the first chance and has a combined total of four STDs at GSCE grade.

…They are more like “white trash” than rednecks… the UK doesn’t really have a redneck type. I’m assuming a Redneck is similar to Cletus from The Simpsons.

Rural UK is mostly populated with the middle class who are pretending the upper class. People sound, dress, and act snobby. Sure, the stupidity and racism is still there, but most rural communities in the UK are generally always trying to be better than they are. You wouldn’t see someone in a rural town in the UK walking around in just a pair of jeans, drinking moonshine and driving a beat up pick up truck, instead they have a Range Rover (albeit one that’s probably never been off road in it’s life), hold dinner parties, and care a great deal for making themselves presentable.

Chav was originally an acronym (I think originally) for Council House, Antisocial and Violent (or similar, there are some variants I’m sure) which clearly implies the individual is a detriment to wider society.

But it might be a backronym. It originally stems from “chavi”, Romani for “child”. Which is what these sorry excuses for teens and early 20somethings are, thug children in knock-off brands and tracksuits, drinking their way through life one wrong at a time.

The only shocking thing is that a fair number of them actually have a decent enough disposition and competence individually, it’s only as collectives that they become an unruly nightmare for anyone in their proximity. A fair number of them who avoid the drugs and criminal element go into blue-collar work instead and find themselves earning a decent salary as a bricklayer or drywaller and the like, picking up a lot of on-the-job training and functional qualifications, actually putting them far ahead of freshly graduated college and university students (to say nothing of drop-outs) desperately seeking employment even remotely related to their degree. The working class in Britain has become both extremely fractured and loaded with benefit-dependents from all walks of life.


5. Netherlands = Tokkies

In the Netherlands we call them “Tokkies.” There was a program on television about a white trash family. The mother’s last name was “Tokkie.” They instantly got famous. just look at the family:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ-GpsrIyW8&w=584&h=390%5D


6. Ireland: Pikeys, knackers, etc.

Basically just guys who wander around in Adidas tracksuits drinking Dutch Gold/Druids and stirring up trouble.

Here’s a good example:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixFQUpLnr3E&w=560&h=315%5D


7. Mexico = Naco

As a Mexican I love this word, and it honestly doesn’t have any translation in any language, so it basically is an exclusive word. Though the closest thing to it in English is indeed a redneck, you can’t really say rednecks are ‘nacos,’ nor ever ‘naco’ is a redneck.

Naco is a very strong and derogative term, often used exclusively against lower classed people. It also has variations; “gato,” “indio”, “nopal,” “tamal,” etc. My favorite word in the entire Spanish vernacular to be honest, though not proudly. But this to all of our non-Mexican readers; if you ever drive in the streets of Mexico City it will immediately become your go-to word as well.

…I think naco can encompass a lot of things. I primarily think of it as a failed attempt at pretentiousness and an obviously cheap/borderline trashy look. I think the British chav is a good approximation. Wikipedia “La Familia P. Luche” for a TV parody.
Although a lot of people equate the word with “indio,” or the lower class, I’m very uncomfortable doing so and don’t think very highly of people who use the word that way (fresas…).

I think the word can be funny in many situations. We have all liked something naco at one point or another.


8. France = Beauf

Beauf, or Jacky, has become quite popular.

“Jacky” in France would be the equivalent of the chav, though perhaps less violent. Mostly young, from rural or poor areas, mostly in northern France (cultural influence from equivalents in England and the Netherlands and Belgium), dressed like a chav, and will likely tune his shitty car (“pimp” his ride of sorts). Another term for them would be the “kéké.”

A Jacky/kéké is a type of “Beauf.” The latter is all encompassing for anyone who’s “ringuard” (there’s no real translation for that, but it means both “cheesy” and “unfashionable”). The beauf is basically the French redneck. A “white trash” type, usually rural lower class, alcoholic, considered stupid and whatnot. However the term is sometimes used for people who aren’t necessarily poor, but are ridiculously old school French, unclassy, with poor taste in entertainment or whatever. The type of person who’d party doing the chicken dance. French rich celebrities who are old school and unclassy are sometimes called beauf. For example, this guy is a rich celebrity, who disguises his acts in fun, quirky style trying to be classy, but it just comes off as totally campy and distasteful, and I’d call him a total beauf.


9. Portugal = Azeiteiros/ serranos

The first word comes from Olive Oil (Azeite), which is basically a reminder of how oily the stereotypical azeiteiro’s hair can be. They’re usually people who are loud, like house music (but the terrible one), usually have a cap and some lousy snickers and are rude. Like this.

A Serrano is a person who is very uneducated, sort of dangerous (they’re known to want to fight all the time), poor, dirty and with lots of kids. At least in my place, it may vary a bit from place to place.


10. Poland = Dresy/Dresiarze

This is a fair depiction of them:

They probably only barely finished some shitty high school just because the teachers did not want to have to deal with them anymore, and their lives revolve around drinking beer with mates, gym, looking for trouble and Polish football league. They can’t find any well-paid job due to that, but they obviously believe they deserve to earn at least 100k a year, which makes them go abroad looking for job and then bitch at our government not taking care of it’s citizens. Truth is they just don’t accept the fact they’re the margin of our society, self-confidence makes them believe they’re the most important though.


11. India = Jats or Bhaiyyas

They are called Jats or Bhaiyyas. (They also refer to specific communities and not all members are douchey, its a stereotype). Let’s assume Manish is one of them.

Manish comes to his best friend Raj’s home offering to take him for a ride to a nightclub in his car. Raj is surprised. Raj knew Manish to be the son of a poor farmer. But due to the US company opening a new branch, they bought his land for $$$ and they became a millionaire overnight.

Manish rolls his shades in one hand, and pats Raj on the back showing his new BMW. He says “Raj, do you remember when you used to give me a ride in school? Well, who is the beggar now? haha, just Kidding man!” Raj sits uncomfortably while Manish drives along.

Suddenly a beautiful girl walks by as they are about to enter , and Manish whistles loudly “Do you want a ride in my BMW? And then later a ride on me? Hahaha !”. The girl frowns at him and enters the nightclub. “Dude, what are you doing?” Raj says. “What? Bitches always lick money, man. Now, I have the money, I am THE man !”

A police officer stops them and threatens to arrest them if they make trouble. Manish puts on his shades (at night) and says, “Officer, do you know who my father is? All the politicians are in his pocket. He is practically the King of this part of Delhi and I am the Prince. One phone call to him, and you will be sacked !” The officer doesn’t fall for it and Raj begins to get afraid they would fall into trouble.

Manish pulls out his Rollex watch and throws it on the floor. As the officer bends over to pick it up, Manish drives away saying, “Raj, you idiot, don’t worry. Even the Police are my bitches ! By the way, you are a computer guy or something right? Yesterday, I clicked the photo of an American tourist woman. Can you photoshop her picture with me?” “Dude, that’s creepy, why would you want that?”Raj asks. Manish says, “I’ll put that as my Facebook profile pic. Man, a photo with a white girl increases my status ! I become international. I become the REAL MAN !”


12. Sweden = raggare

In Sweden we have the “raggare”known for driving old shitty American cars (but sometimes a Forrrrrd), pöking bruds and drinking shitty Swedish beer. They are hated by most of the Swedes, but the are still seen as a part of the Swedish “kulturarv” (cultural heritage).

Below is a short clip of the typical Swedish raggare (Ronny & Ragge).

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCkBuFEli2I&w=584&h=390%5D

…There are also the “epa-raggare” — the teen version of “raggare.” They drive mostly in old Volvo 740´s and its only legal to go 25 km/h AND it takes up the whole road. Loud and annoyin little bastards. Here’s a pic.


13. Finland = juntti

A redneck in Finland is a juntti, and they are the kind of people who live out in the country, drink beer, eat sausage, go to sauna, and have names like Jore and work as mechanics, truck drivers, builders, etc. Also they dress up in blue tracksuits or neon coveralls. Lots of junttis will vote for PS because Keskusta (sort of the old agrarian party) doesn’t rail against immigrants enough, but most of them are just nice people who are… really redneck-y.


14. Slovenia – “Čefurji”

Pretty similar to the UK chavs, but they are the children of Southern Europe immigrants (especially Bosnia and Serbia), who, although born here, refuse to assimilate (even if their parents already did that long ago) and try to continue some sort of culture of wearing tracksuits with Nike sneakers (men) slutty clothing with fake brands (women) and talking in a mix of Slovene and Serbian with the most godawful accent.

We don’t have an actual redneck equivalent, even in rural areas people are quite well educated or at least not dumb (nor sunburnt). Thought Catalog Logo Mark

I am the co-publisher of Thought Catalog. Follow me on Twitter. I also use a pen name called Holden Desalles.

Keep up with Brandon on Twitter

More From Thought Catalog