To hate chavvy?

[Mrsknackered]

It's such a horrible word. It gets thrown around on here like it's nothing. It's classist, sneery, offensive, I could go on!

Also if something IS chavvy, let's say a name, what exactly does it being chavvy mean? What makes a chav...a chav?

I'm working class and work in a VERY middle / upper middle class profession. I have been trying to reclaim the word chavvy by referring to myself as chavvy. It's worth it just to see the awkward look on my colleagues faces!!
If people try and use it as a pejorative term, then I just ask them what exactly they mean by chavvy. It doesn't take long for them to unravel themselves!

OP, 'knacker' is often used as a pejorative term in Ireland (south of England would say 'kacker' meaning the same thing. Basically the 70s equivalent of chavi)

Yob=boy spelt backwards.

Highalert, it's not bolocks. Baby names are fashionable and common within circles as much as clothing 'looks' are.
There is nothing wrong with identifying Liberty Blossom Lotusflower as a hippy sounding name. Similarly, you can't blame people if they think that Mackenzee-Lexi-Bleu is a 'chavvy' sounding name. A more traditional name like Emily Elizabeth sounds very middle class, even though plenty of people may choose it. Names are chosen and are fashionable, just like the look of themselves that people like to construct and portray.
I have many school friends with kids named more unusual things like Kenzo-Leigh and Keisha-May Paris and yes, they're the ones who dress their boys in expensive head to toe tracksuits and adidias trainers and the girls with baby pink, glittery bows in their hair that are bigger than their head and have their name written on in diamonte crystals. The problem arises when you look down on people and think less of them because they follow that fashion. These 'chavvy' people are some the nicest people I know.

To say you don't recognise that is just being overly PC

BonnieF
Chav is a good word. It is useful shorthand for describing a distinct subset of society, and everyone knows what it means. Snob & rah are similarly useful.

I'm trying to invent another. It will mean 'patronising, politically correct Guardian-reading middle class do-gooder'. How about 'Ros' or 'Jan' because that's what they all seem to be called....

Spot on.

I'll continue to use chav, because some people are just chavs.

I never thought of it previously as a classist term but it seems to have become so.

I just love the mn assumption that everyone who is wc or lives in social housing is tasteless and doesn't care about education etc. It says more about them than the people they refer to. If they came out of their little bubble and met people from all walks of life they would see how ridiculous these stereotypes are.

Well chav is supposed to be an insulting word

To me it doesnt apply to working class- its a term for the underclass

The "underclass" word is unacceptable on every level. You might as well refer to people as mutants.

Christ, how awful it is to call people underclass that's vile

Excellent book by Owen Jones: "Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class".

Title says it all.

www.amazon.co.uk/Chavs-Demonization-Working-Owen-Jones/dp/1844678644?tag=mumsnetforum-21

www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/08/chavs-demonization-owen-jones-review

IIRC, it used to refer to people who wore bright white trainers, sportswear and flashy jewellery along with a confrontational/aggressive manner, binge drinking/casual drug use etc. It seemed to be more about the attitude and the clothing rather than the class.

sociologytwynham.com/2008/07/01/charles-murray-and-the-underclass/

Its not my term

I think the answers on here illustrate that it means different things to different people.

I first heard the word chavs to describe people who had a certain syle of dress; such as branded tracksuits and baseball caps, and were involved in anti-social behaviour. They were actually proud of the label. Kind of reminds me of skinheads in the 70s.

Today 12:51 araiwa

sociologytwynham.com/2008/07/01/charles-murray-and-the-underclass/

Its not my term

I am aware of the existence of such a term but just because it is in a sociology book doesn't make it generally acceptable. If you had quoted the term, you would have disassociated yourself from it.

I hate chavs too, but then, I am a Tory.

Both of these terms seem equally based on bigotry.

...but just because it is in a sociology book, that doesn't make it...

Using chav is twatty of course. On MN, it'll get your post deleted, too. Racist, misogynist, classist and homophobic insults are not tolerated.

@paxillin if you head over to the Baby Names board I'd put a lot of money on you finding the words chavvy/chavtastic within a few words.

*within a few threads. I'm tired