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Just feels so outdated now.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?

Today in Mumsnet land - chavs are mythological creatures!

Indeed.

Come stand outside our local "college" from 9-10am and tell me they dont

Instead of referring to them as "chavs", a classist, hateful slur nobody should be using, why not simply call them "scummy fuckers" instead? It gets the point across and doesn't invoke classist hate.

If you want, you can visit my street, it's full of working-class people. One street over is where the chavs live, you can tell by the sofas/fridges in the front gardens and the crowds of people drinking Fosters and Stella and smoking weed in their PJs in their front gardens.

I don't need links to prove my lived experience. I am working class, I am not and never have been a chav.

😂😂😂

I'm sure what you refer to are just normal working class lads in sportswear (again, a very normal fashion style among working class youths, which is why the mythical "chav" is depicted as dressing that way).

Jeez. You're one of those insufferable 'saviour' types, perpetually offended for zero reason?

Of course they exist. 'Cambridge University' can come to my town. Teens, congregating in bunches, wearing (fake) North Face jackets, londsdale/nike trackies, hoods on/balaclavas, acting all tough and hard, innit-ing, fam-ing and peng ting-ing each other and the girls. Girls orange, fake lashes, fake long nails, north face and up your butt leggings or ass-shorts in summer.

Whatchamacallit? Because 'working class' they're ain't. 'Chav' is widely used in my (teen) DD's school. Ditto 'roadmen'. They don't mind it, they use the term themselves to describe themselves.

Chav/roadmen doesn't have to come from a deprived background. There are plenty of these roadmen in 'leafy areas', middle class boys trying to be gangsta, 'hard men', using all that ridiculous slang. There were plenty of threads about it on MN, mums laughing at their Barnabys and Bartholomews donning hoodies and acting all tough.

Yep, still exist. Terminology changes and it’s very unpc to mention it but there’s a certain subset of people (and I don’t think it’s exclusively working class, it straddles) who have certain mannerisms (and often lack of manners) certain look (that’s evolved over time) etc.

By the way those who fall into this category are all lovely in my town, but they do the “alright my love” thing all time which bugs me being a bit feminist, and have a certain look plus will all be found at the local non league football today as most play for the team!)

OP you need to get out more. No one wants or needs a lecture from you about an offhand comment 😫 literally my worst nightmare!

BTW chavs do exist, their kids are called ava-grace, demi-leigh and jayden, kayden and brayden and they say things like "i seen that" and "you don't know nuffing"

Chavs exist. You are being ridiculous and your friend did well to put up with it. This isn’t the same as sexism or racism where someone doesn’t have a choice which race or sex they were born into or the issues that can arise from being black or a women.

chavy dressing and acting is a choice so spare me the violins

You provided random links that didn't have anything to do with what you were saying.

As far as I can see, your friend had been bothered by some people and you were not happy that the language she used to describe them wasn't the derogatory language you use. If she'd said that a bunch of Brexit voting gammon had abused her it wouldn't be a problem.

Makes zero sense so must be a wind up. Not sure why though!

Be careful OP, every time someone says, 'I don't believe in Chavs," there is a chav somewhere that loses their Burberry hat

Chav isn’t class based. And don’t post that sodding article again. I read an article the other day about how spontaneous human combustion was real, just because one person writes something and it gets published it doesn’t make it true.

Why is chav classist? There are plenty of non-working class chavs. It’s an attitude, not a class.

Do you think every article on the internet is correct? How many people on here have told you that chav doesn't mean working class? Yet you persist. You are so sure you are right that you don't listen to a word people say when you are clearly wrong, embarrassing.

I think it's very insulting for you to think the entire working class were ever considered chavs when that's clearly not the case. You are the offensive one. Chav refers to a type of person, NOT the working class.

I have indeed read 'Chavs: the demonisation of the working class' which you recommend. Still on my shelf, not a bad read, reasonable points about othering and laughing at working class people for having their own culture. But chavs still exist, and you've been a poor friend to this woman.

Agree with this 👆 The working class were never labelled chavs! It's a rude word to describe naughty young antisocial teenagers.

So the they do exist then? But only if we call them scummy fuckers and not chavs? Exactly the same people displaying the same behaviour.

It has been replaced as a term by "Reform supporter"

Chavs
Louts
Scrotes
Layabouts
The underclass
The undeserving poor
Have always existed

I live in a working class area, of the 30 houses on my part of the street, there's one family of chavs - and one of the only families who don't work, unless smoking weed and playing loud music all day is classed as working. You have luxury believes and are just dismissing your friend and the "lived experience" of many.

Chav isn’t class based.

Isn't it? Some baby names are referred to on MN as "chavy." I think that attitude is entirely class-based.

Was your friend okay, though? It sounds like she had a frightening experience and you were so busy pontificating about the semantics of 'chav' that you forgot to ask...

Perfect 🤣

OP how about thinking for yourself instead of quoting "sources"? The Guardian and Cambridge University are not going to be experts on this particular subject.