to ask what a chav is?

[tallulahxhunny]

Who/what are chavs?

They are very popular anyway as everyone seems to be one and everyone talks about them

[Cookster]

My children tell me its stands for "council house alcoholic and violent". Go to UTube and search for "moon chavs".

[usualsuspect]

Its a bloody awful word ,thats what it is

[scarlettsmummy2]

think jeremy kyle......

[WhoAteMySnickers]

It stands for something like Council Housed And Violent doesn't it? And in Scotland they have ned's, Non Educated Delinquents, so I'm reliably informed

[usualsuspect]

council housed ?

[Riveninside]

I think its horrible

[LaurieFairyCake]

It's short for something ...........

It's short for "I'm a snobby, pretentious fucker who likes to look down on the poor"

[BornInAfrica]

Why is it horrible? On that basis is 'Hooray Henry' or 'Sloane Ranger' also off the menu??

I'll tell ya what's horrible - chavs are what's horrible! I can't stand the bloody sight of them in their cheap hoodies with their ultra pale see through skin, hanging off Nike joggers and fuck you attitudes.

[usualsuspect]

You look down on the hooray henrys and slone rangers do you, BornInAfrica?

The fact 2 posters have mentioned council houses is enough to fuck me off

[SinicalSal]

Chavs aren't where you live, what you wear, what you call your kids.

Chav is what you do.

[BornInAfrica]

Of course I don't look down on them - do they dress and act in a way designed to threaten and intimidate? Of course not. Chavs DO do that.

[scurryfunge]

You may have missed the fuck off shoulder pads in the 80s then BornInAfrica.

[usualsuspect]

so wearing cheap hoodys and trainers is designed to intimidate?

[catgirl1976]

"Two theories have been posited as to the origin of "chav." Some
believe the word comes from the name of the town of Chatham in Kent,
where the term is best known and probably originated. The word,
however, probably derive from a much older underclass, the gypsies,
many of whom have lived in that area for generations. Chav likely
derives from the Romany word for a child, chavi, recorded from the
middle of the 19th century."

Apparantly

[tallulahxhunny]

wtf is a sloane ranger?????

i thought chavs wore burberry and and were orange

[Tchootnika]

It's an expression used by middle class people who wouldn't dare slag off the working classes (who are, of course, busy scrubbing their doorsteps and being decent geezers, etc.), but are too scared/insecure to actually approach said paupers.

[Rockerchic]

A sloane ranger is a Princess Diana type probably lives in Chelsea and shops in Harrods.

[Tchootnika]

No, Sloane Rangers live in Brixton/Stoke Newington and claim to be in the 'creative industries'.

[Rockerchic]

I think Chav is offensive and people that call people chavs need to have a bloody good look at themselves.

[Rockerchic]

Thanks nika I wasn't too sure but knew it was an 80's thing.

[Empusa]

"council house and volent" has been applied to it retrospectively.

It's a just a label for a particularly group of people who happen to dress in the same way and have similar interests.

It was always said in the same way that I had "greebo" (whatever the fuck that means) at me during the 90's.

It's primarily distinguished by fashion (burberry, tracksuits, bloody gold clown necklaces, etc)

Like every other group in the history of ever it has then had other associations attached to it. Eg. goths= suicidal. Punks = violent.

Like all labels there is some truth in it, but that obviously soesn't mean that all people in the same group are identical. Having grown up in the goth scene I know that there is a ridiculous amount of self harming going on, so I can see why there is an association. Chavs have earnt the violent reputation due quite a lot of them being violent. Whether they are violent because they are associate with other chavs, or whether they became chavs beuse of the violent rep is another matter.

[onceamai]

Sloane Rangers are now getting on a bit. Many still have blonde highlights and occasonionally wear a hair band but usually now it's their reading glasses perched on their heads holding back their hair. They have replaced the pearls with pastel coloured natural looking beady necklaces often in pale pink, cream and turquoise or something simple and silver. They wear a bit of Boden and LK Bennett and white linen trousers at weekends and still like shoes with a bit of decoration either with heels and pointy toes or ballet pumps with some decoration or jewelled flip flops. Nowadays they quite like gardening and open air theatre and if they're lucky a bit of Glyndebourne. They tend to spend some holiday time in Cornwall.

[Rockerchic]

They also sound boring once

[islawhiter]

Chavs throw litter on the ground and also gob on the pavement