Chavs: Cultural Amusement or Bold-faced Classism?
When I was visiting my friends in England last year, all the talk was about "chavs." I was confused and curious about this phenomenon, so my friends were kind (?) enough to point out chavs and pikeys as we walked around their towns.
As I'm procrastinating this morning, I was randomly reminded of this term and wanted to find out more about it. I share the fascinating results with you here.
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What is a chav?
The most well-known site about chavs is ChavScum, which provides decent explanation from an emphatically anti-chav perspective (as is obvious from the name of the site!) and more links about chavs than you ever knew existed (see especially the "Celebrity Chavs" link in the left-hand sidebar).
Find out if you're a chav! I'm apparently 33% chav.
Other "Reference" sources about Chavs:
The Wikipedia entry on chavs provides a bit more objective information. I'm particularly intrigued by the "Media Characterisation and Comment" section, as I am both amused and a bit horrified by the whole chav phenomenon.
UrbanDictionary.com has some interesting (read: highly elitist and negative) user-provided definitions of "chav" for your perusal.
And, finally, a slightly more academic take on the subject at WorldWideWords.org.
4 comments:
I saw lots of "neds" when I was in Scotland. I think that's another term for Chav.
I'm more on the posh side, according to the tests. I think it's the "being able to ride a horse." God, the UK is weird.
I'm 19% chav and 70% posh. I wonder what the other 11% is?
I'm 30% Chav.
I was surprised to learn that Burberry plaid is associated with Chavs. I've never owned any myself, but when I was in band camp...I mean Japan...it was very popular. I didn't know at first that the pattern was associated with a particular brand, and it seemed weird to me that I was always seeing the same plaid because I don't think I ever saw any non-Burberry plaid clothes except for some school uniforms. It was creepy.
Why so creepy? Well, imagine you're riding on a crowded train. You see a man with a plaid-lined jacket. Then a woman with a plaid scarf. A girl in a plaid miniskirt. A man with a plaid tie...and it's all IDENTICAL BURBERRY PLAID!
What could it mean? Are they all members of some Scottish-based crime syndicate? Unusually fashion-conscious pod people? The Burberry, is it spreading? Will I be next? Will I be seized by the Japanese police and forced me to wear a Burberry plaid flannel shirt? Oh no, here comes a woman with a large Burberry plaid shoulder bag...AAAAAAAAAAAH!
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