to hate the word 'chav' being used to refer to anything people don't like or feel is a bit beneath them?

[Rachmumoftwo]

Honestly, it has to be the most over-used word in the English language (if it is even recognised as a word in the English language). It doesn't mean anything and I am getting really bored of it now. Please everyone that uses this word, stop for the sake of my sanity!

I don't think it's that bad. It's human nature for similar types of people to group together and then names develop to identify these groups. It might be seen as negative and snobby but there are derogatory nicknames for people from all reaches of society.

What about other generalisations like 'Upper class twit' and the old favourite 'middle class' as insults to criticise people who think/behave differently from the speaker.

Don't see too much of a fuss being made on here about that.

I agree with Ronaldinho and Flightit.

I would also not describe an anti-social youth as a Chav more like a 'Little fucker' or 'Thug'. They do not deserve the Chav Medal as they are not good enough.

I agree, usually chavs have jobs and obey enough rules to lead a nice lifestyle of their choosing.

I hate the word as its always used out of context by anyone with a patronising, snobby attitude to describe something they deem to be beneath them.

How would it be done in context?!

It seems kind of funny, and then you're asked to explain it to a foreigner, and you start off, say, 'well, it means lower class people who are funny because they come across as really vulgar.' Given foreigner then stares at you a bit pityingly and at that point you realise what you're saying: it's just old fashioned snobbery given a new word, it's not that funny and it's a bit like the distaste I feel from laughing at the little Britain characters like the mad woman who goes 'eh 'eh' and the disabled guy who isn't really, because what you think you're laughing ironically at is a bit too close to laughing at a stereotype of disabled people.

It's not a class thing - it's an attitude thing.

The thing I find interesting is the dress code.

That's kind of what defines it for me. I see it as the sort of 'everything has to be white' type of dress - white tracksuit, white jeans, white hoody and white trainers. And blonde hair if possible.

What is it with white? And lots of gold jewellery. I wish someone would explain what it's all about. Is it a kind of purity thing? Without wishing to be patronising - just want to understand it. Or maybe it is one of those things you just either get or you don't.

If I dressed in all white I would have yoghurt/puke/jam/paint (delete as appropriate) all down me before I got out of the house

Don't like the word and don't use it

In 10yrs time it will be akin to calling someone a "gyppo" (ie as socially unacceptable)

I hope, anyway

society has to be class ridden to some level as I would hate to be associated on the same level as the characters portrayed in the TV programme Shameless for example...and lets face it people like that do exist and therefore I am better than them..I have better morals and attitudes. I suppose what other word could replace chav in that sense?

The word chav is over used and doesn't really have its own real meaning anymore..having read some peoples comments my association with the word is different.

I associate the word with comments such as Rough as nails...common...slack...and the Shameless characters opitimise the word chav to me...sorry.

AIBU to be BORED of the repeated threads about how much one just hates the word 'chav'.

AIBU to be BORED of the repeated threads about how much one just hates the word 'chav'.

YABU

Hide the thread

My last post was to charitygirl btw, not the op!

Nonsense - that was my comment on the subject. The OP is not necessarily unreasonable, or reasonable.

Charitygirl, what's nonsense? I don't get your last post, sorry!

It's symbolic of our class ridden society. There is an obsession with what's common and vulgar and the search for it so we can judge and smirk.

Do you not think that the increased usage of the word 'chav' is due to a particular kind of resentment that the they don't share the same values as the middle classes? Two types seems to annoy, the 'benefit scrounging chavs' and the 'cash-in-hand, loadsa money chavs' who are footballers or try to emulate their lifestyle. For example, take a man who works a total of four hours a week, gets numerous benefits and has to support a wife and young child. He's constantly bragging about buying this and that, Wii Fit, car, bike, his wide screen Sky telly, £4000 leather sofas demanding that he be housed in a larger council flat, although he's already living in a salubrious area with many professionals and a very low crime rate. At face value, it seems unfair that the professional worker should have to pay high levels of tax and have lower levels of disposable income than the 'chav'. The gap narrowing stings! The professional might be proud of attaining a good degree, rounded knowledge and having a well stocked library & wine cellar whilst the 'chav' not only doesn't understand such values, he actively derides them calling Boris Johnson 'a right ficko' whilst opening another Stella and tuning into Shameless. Except that this isn't a sterotype, this is someone I know of at the pub.

Are the chav-calllers justifiably irked that the oik has aspirations different from their own?
There's a sense of indignation when the loud mouthed, ill educated plumber (or oafish whoever) boasts of his country house hotel weekend and independently educated 'princesses'? There's a sense that he hasn't properly earned it so he's called a chav.
It's no coincidence that easily earned cash and devalued education have increased in line with the usage of the 'c' word. GSCE and A-level grades are now devalued to such an extent that everyone now goes to 'uni innit', without them (chavs) caring much which one as long as they can brag about it. The ease of getting benefits, tax evasion through cash-in-hand work, credit card availability and involuntary insolvency
in additon to internet information about aping the celebrities' every action has meant that a lavish wedding in a castle 20yrs previously reserved for the rich is available to any old Wanye n' Waynetta if they want one.
Is it not a sense that 'chav' is slang for 'Nothing comes so easy in life and the price you pay for that is the title of eternal chavdom'? Be gone, never again darken brighten my door with your white velour, timberlands and shaved head.

I suppose, notnowbernard is that I don't think the OP is being unreasonable to be bored of the word 'chav' - it is everywhere!

But this topic has been done to death on MN, so I'm bored of it! And, often, there is a sort of self-righteousness in the question, implying that those who use the word 'chav' are, in themselves, somewhat beneath the OP (actually, not in the case of this OP I think)! Which is ironic really.

So I suppose that by 'nonsense' I meant that I didn't think I should hide the thread, my comment was my answer to the OP - you're not unreasonable but IMHO this is a bit old hat!

Thanks for explaining

But loads of topics have been "done to death" on MN... SAHM and WOHM, breast and bottle debates, weaning, the endless baby names threads The list could go on and on

MN kind of revolves, doesn't it?

It's inevitable that topics will come up again and again

Which is why I use the 'hide' button. Stops you getting frustrated or irritated by them. IMO, baby names and carpark issues should be sent to Room 101

I hate it too, it is used by boring thick people who are too lazy to think of other, more interesting descriptive words

Can we clarify once and for all that all these words that supposedly stand for something DO NOT and never have.

I mean - 'non educated delinquent'? Please.

Council house and violent? Why would anybody use such a clunky term, never mind abbreviate it?

And can we also move away from 'ned means Scottish chav'. In Edinburgh it's 'schemie' not ned. Ned is a west coast word.

Schemie doesn't stand for anything either - it refers to people from council housing schemes.

I use the word myself sometimes as I haven't got time to say 'these two young people who are just as good as me but happen to have been born into difficult circumstances and therefore cannot help being abusive/ criminal/ threatening were making a total racket on the bus' or whatever.

I'd never dream of calling somebody a schemie just for earning less money than me or for wearing cheaper clothes. But if it acts like a yob it is a yob.

Vinegar, what interesting words do you use to describe young yobs?