To think the term Schemie is even more reprehensible than Chav?

[ComposHat]

After reading another thread where baby names are being declared Chav or schemie by the op and a few others my blood is boiling a bit.

I live in Scotland and the phrase schemie gets used interchangeably with ned and chav.

I think schemie is by far the worst of the three. Chav and ned are nasty terms of abuse, but refer to a type of behaviour/manner of dress /lifestyle that the (ignorant) speaker is describing.

Schemie goes a step further (a housing scheme is the term used in Scotland for council estate) implies that an undesirable person or behaviour in type of behaviour is exclusive to and representive of people who live in local authority housing. My mother, grandparents and a lot of my friends grew up in council homes and not a single one of them display behaviour which could be described as 'schemie'

We llive (by choice!) on the edge of one of Glasgow's more famous schemes (if you're in the know, then think of the Jeely Piece song!). I also teach adult women from 2 of the other big schemes.

The people I know (where I live, from our church (local), that I meet at weight watchers and at the food bank and furniture bank, and the young mums I teach basic skills to) aren't afraid to be Schemie. Schemie and proud! They'd rather be schemie than ned. My dc see schemie as descriptive, you live on a scheme - they do. Given the sentiments often expressed around here, chav is the worst as it carries connotations of Englishness, which is not normally seen as a positive thing on a Glasgow council scheme.

Categorising people by education level or location is always offensive. I suppose I've taught people who are both scheme and ned! But people will always categorise other people. For education, politics, religion, anything really. I know people local to me think we're dead posh - and I can see that given our jobs/education level, we are. But after living here for a while, being involved in the community - doing the messages, meeting people etc - it's much easier to become part offhand any of the posher places I've lived in. There a sense of identity, togetherness, mutual understanding, that this is home.

I'm in Edinburgh and round here Ned would be used almost affectionately, as in he's a bit of a Ned, said with a wee laugh, but to be honest it's not something I hear often.

Whereas Schemie, would be said more like "he's a fucking Schemie bastard" and I hear that more!

weegie I get it can be used as a term of solidarity amongst the group who are on the end of discrimination, but when it is used as a generalised insult, applied indiscriminately to someone (who may or may or not live on a scheme) based on a stereotype of what a 'typical' scheme resident is like, then it is grossly offensive.

I am prepared to be corrected by someone who lives in England, but there is no English equivalent that links place and negative behaviour so absolutely.

I'm familiar with the term, I think its horrible. I haven't heard it used much here, even though my hometown is the home of The Scheme

In my day folk were bams or bampots and it didn't matter where you lived, you could still qualify as a bam.

I live near to Aberdeen and never hear schemie at all - we don't call them schemes though, they are generally just called after district of city or town (e.g. Mastrick, Tillydrone etc) .. I did hear ned a lot as a teenager but rarely hear it if at all now.

That's not to say we don't have that culture or council housing but it's so chuffing prevalent that it wouldn't work very well as an insult.

I did grow up on a council estate - first street, we were one of only three non working families (two due to disability) and second street, one of only two. Council housing up here seems to go far, far more often to the working poor.

I think - as far as I know them used in Edinburgh - Chav is more of a behaviour (including dress style) description. It's the description generally applied to certain groups but I have known some pretty wealthy people be referred to as chavs whereas Schemie is IMO more about people from certain areas

Waves at mrsPresley - agreed re Ned. I'd say in order of edinburgh insult it's ned, chav, schemie

You do realise that now a lot of people who have never heard of the word "schemie" before will now have been introduced to it?

I believe bampot is still used lingham, along with radge. As in 'Ya wee radge'. I think they're used more affectionately though.

Radge is a great word.

Ooo waves back to statisticallychallenged

That's my very first "wave" after almost 3 years on here .

I spent most of my teenage years north fife/Dundee in the late 80s early 90s and have heard schemie, but to describe generally, not a specific person - e.g. "I wouldn't want to live there, it's a bit schemie".

It's all very well and good being noble about not wanting to 'look down on the working poor' but the really awful 'schemie' bits were not hard working, salt of the earth, poor - they were tinky, not very nice people - addicts and horribly violent people.

The 'hard working poor' were usually the ones who looked down the most at those people ime.

Indeed - in London I have friends who grew up on council estate and still live there who refer to other folk as 'scratchers' meaning people who are no hopers in every aspect of their existence and different to the usual council residents.

Monica funnily enough, I think the people most likely to call someone a schemie were the people who also lived in the same scheme, but considered themselves a cut above. Not necessarily working people, more those who tended to not be involved in trouble. As a rule those who moved away used it the most! I grew up in a couple of not so nice schemes!

MrsP I think there are quite a few Edinbuggers around!

I really, really hate the use of the word chav. Or ned, or schemie or any of them. It's trying to draw a line between the 'deserving and undeserving' poor. The 'salt of the earth' vs 'the scum of the earth.' Before we write off a whole group of human beings as being wasters, perhaps we should look at why they're in the position they're in.

I've heard it, or schemer. Meh. It doesn't really get me not under the collar, and I've HA housing for years and in a notorious estate in Edinburgh, where some people behaved like pure neds.

People still use 'bam', they do.

perhaps we should look at why they're in the position they're in.

Nah - that's what middle class people do

(I agree with you. Although having grown up on a council estate I also think some people are just scumbags)

When i was growing up the word chav didnt refer to where someone lived or the state of their bank account..it was always about the attitude. It was the group of kids on the street corner that made people uncomfortable on purpose. It was the person that spat and threw rubbish on the floor etc.. It's only on MN that I've ever heard it being referred to as offensive..
Don't know about the other words though.

TheRedStarburs

I really, really hate the use of the word chav. Or ned, or schemie or any of them. It's trying to draw a line between the 'deserving and undeserving' poor.

Chav is a state of mind, a behaviour and a way of life. You can be rich and chavvy, or poor and not chavvy.

Oh, please, why 'we' should look into it. Some people will be thug ass and behave as such, the most common Scottish term for this is ned.

bluebell8782

When i was growing up the word chav didnt refer to where someone lived or the state of their bank account..it was always about the attitude.

That's the definition - until some idjits like Owen Jones decided 'chav' meant 'All my working class comrades ground down by the capitalist oppressor'.

I've never heard the words Ned or schemie before - maybe that is because they are largely used in Scotland.

I'm from a rough council estate in edinburgh so I'm a schemie and proud I still use the word bam and radge is probably my most used word

And my older relatives used to call the kids chavvys