Friend still believes in "chavs"?

[waytoooldforthisshite]

Had a funny (well, slightly depressing) conversation today. my friend came round all flustered, telling me that she'd been "harassed by chavs" outside the shop. One was some teenager who asked for her number 🙄

Tried to explain that "chavs" aren't even real, it's a tabloid invented stereotype/myth from the early 2000s that was basically used to demonise working class people. But she just went on about it like she was quoting The Sun from 2004. I ended up showing her this article. She's 39.... and I expected her to know a bit better but what can ya do eh?

Just feels so outdated now. You don't really hear anyone say "chav" anymore (thankfully), and it's weird how those old class-based stereotypes still linger. I honestly felt like I'd timetravelled back to the Little Britain era 😂

Anyone else still know people who talk like that?

@waytoooldforthisshiteNo I'm sorry there’s a huge difference between a working class person and a chav - whom very much still exist! 🤣 They’re usually hanging about on their e-bikes or dirt bikes, revving their battered, lowered little hatchback with the stickers on it and allllways own an XL Bully or a Pitbull!

You keep posting this same crappy article from a publication nobody has ever heard of. Either it's AI written or you wrote it, either way it's soulless drivel.

I was just wondering how many friends OP has ...

We call them 'neds' up here though, rather than 'chavs'.

They like hanging England flags from lampposts and painting roundabouts with a red cross.

I see chav as a behaviour (anti-social) rather than where you live. I was brought up on a council estate and most definitely have never been a chav, but the people you see in the streets hollering and unable to behave like a civilised human are to me chavs, no idea where they live. As a council estate kid I’m not offended by the word and use it myself.

I love it! Rapscallions……this will have
me laughing for days. And if my DGC misbehave I will reprimand them accordingly!

Yep. It sounds like they were written by other virtue signally numpties who don't know what they're talking about either.

When and if I and clearly many other people on this thread use the term 'chav' they definitely don't use it to mean working class people in general. Some chavs are working class (although often not working), some are middle class. Some are even very rich. I know what a chav is. I'm related to and friends with some. They exist.

Same in mine. The chavs were proud of being chavs and wore what we called ‘scally pants’ which were cuffed adidas trackie bottoms, tucked into their socks and with brown or black rockports. A Burberry cap, a kappa t shirt and a gold chain finished the look. I wanted rockports and wasn’t allowed them because they were too expensive 😆

Chavs are real and they are not pleasant to be around.

You are really over thinking this OP. British people have a very dry sense of humour and they rib many sections of society or groups.

OP has jumped the shark, this is just tedious now.

What about Toff?

What class would you consider yourself OP?

I've heard 'chavver' was used in certain parts of Northern England.

In addition to 'neds' (a pan term covering both male and female chavs), I'm reliably informed female neds used to be referred to as 'wee Sengas' but I don't think I've ever actually heard this used when out and about in the wild.

Chav is a horrible term and I wouldn’t use it myself but oh yes, they do exist. If you’ve never met one you must live in a very sheltered bubble. You’re wrong if you think chav refers to the working class.

You've been reading Owen Jones’s book, I imagine. The demographic this rude term denotes is what sociologists used to call aThe Underclass and is quite different from the working class.

It refers to largely unemployed (maybe unemployable), semi-criminal, poorly educated and chaotic members of society who get involved in antisocial behaviour.

You’re on to a loser there, Mumsnet hates OJ. 😄

I don’t use ‘ chav’ and don’t like it but a couple of my friends do. Of course it’s a slur but it is now used as shorthand for someone who looks common or cheap which is why you see it used on S&B threads a lot. Does this look chavvy? Etc.

Whilst it became a big thing in the 00s, in the area I grew up in the term was being used in the 80s. It was used by and to describe people from a traveller heritage along with pikey and charver. I’m not excusing it but it was widely used in my community.

Underclass

Sounds like you live in a chavvy area

Underclass

So class-based.

But that’s what a chav is! You have just described them perfectly. 👏

We are not the only country to use similar descriptive language for people who behave in an anti-social way or seem unsophisticated/uneducated.

Australia - Bogan, Westie
Germany - Assi
Poland - Dresy
USA - Redneck

etc, etc, etc.

Are you offended for yourself or on behalf of others?

Owen Jones never met my mum... Proudly scum and she'd knock you out if you told her otherwise 😂.

You've been corrected at least 20 times now, but you obviously have difficulty absorbing basic information. "Chavs" are not working class. They are the scourge of working class areas and the respectable, hard working people that live in them. You are in fact doing working class people a terrible disservice by repeating this falsity. Rest assured, you would soon be put right in a working class area by suggesting that "chavs" are in any way representative of their class. As for "badly behaved". Jesus Christ. You really haven't got a clue have you. Are you Kate Middleton or the Duchess of Westminster secretly doing a survey or something?

So your friend was harassed and instead of being there for her, you lectured her. Great friend

Pompous know it alls that lecture their friends still exist then. Good to know.

Are we supposed to be defending chavs on here? I won’t defend anti-social behaviour and will call them a lot worse than chavs.

No one is calling a decent person who happens to be working class and lives on a council estate a chav. It is only really used to describe uncivilised behaviour by ‘yoofs’.