Chav Tranquilizer

[JoeC]

Jim, a chav is not the entire working classes or anyone who does not live in the suburbs. They are not necessarily poor either. A chav is someone with very bad taste who foists their poor taste on others through loud, drunken, public displays of brassy behaviour. Other targets of the nation's ire are hooray henrys, chinless wonders, chelsea tractor drivers, Bankers & Liverpudlians.

You see we (British) are not prejudiced simply against the working class. One of our most important traits is that, class, creed or religion, our disdain can be truly universal.

[Monocock]

It does appear that there is a misunderstanding of what a chav is. Maybe I don't understand it correctly too.

Why are people (Jim et al) automatically assuming that Chavs have less money than non-Chavs? It has nothing to do with money, it is purely a behavioural description, nothing more, nothing less.

We made a conscious decision to sent our children to school "locally". This wasn't a financially forced decision, it was one that we both felt strongly about as the products of private schools of late have left us wondering where the child and parent gets value for money. As schools go, many of them seem to produce children who have lost touch with reality and who have tickets on themselves. The parents also seem to see modern private schools as a club where they compete with each other over the dinner table as to who is paying the most to educate Lottie and Rory.

My kids share their school with a complete cross section of local society. There are kids there who come from very low income families but they aren't Chavs. There are kids from families with large double incomes and they are full-on Chavs. What's interesting through is the kids seem to naturally migrate towards friendships with similar people to themselves and the fear that exists from parents about whether their little darlings will become chavvy is rather ridiculous really.

I was sent to a rather smart private boarding school and I hated it. I ran away three times and ended up being expelled shortly before my A' Levels. My recollection of nearly every experience at that school is negative and I couldnt have been less happy during my time there. Bullying was rife and there were some god awful kids there. Spoilt, arrogant and lacking drive.

Given the choice, I would rather my children were educated with a full cross section of the kind of people they will need to work with, for and over in their lives. If there are a few Chavs to be dealt with in their education process then I don't see that as a bad thing.

[Jim Jones]

It

Why are people (Jim et al) automatically assuming that Chavs have less money than non-Chavs?

Whoa there! Have you seen how much a good quality track suit, trainers and a set of spinners on a Ranger Rover Sport cost?

Apart from that Jonoh I agree with every word.

[johnm]

Can anybody remember what CHAV actually stood for? I've a vague memory it might be something like Council House with Added Vicousness.

[Monocock]

Council House And Violent.

This in itself is proof that as a label, the word Chav isn't directly linked to wealth as most council house occupiers are considerably better off than private home owners

[Steve D]

I thought 'Chav' was a term used by travellers or gypsies, much as we might use 'mate' or 'buddy'. It seems to have been misappropriated, and I think the acronym idea came later.

[Charles Hunt]

A slight variation.

I had thought it was from doctor's notes or similar, Council House, Anticipate Violence.

[Flintstone]

Back on topic.

My only beef with the ad is that they used a single shot weapon. Something firing many-rounds-a-minute would be much more efficient.

[Jim Jones]

Back on topic.

My only beef with the ad is that they used a single shot weapon. Something firing many-rounds-a-minute would be much more efficient.

Only a chav would think that.

[Monocock]

One for Flintstone...

[Monocock]

I think I might have just broken the simple rules....

Sorry....

[Flintstone]

Back on topic.

My only beef with the ad is that they used a single shot weapon. Something firing many-rounds-a-minute would be much more efficient.

Only a chav would think that.

Only a troll would write that


Besides. Why would a chav wish a more efficient killing system on his kin? Didn't think that one through, did you?

[kanga]

I thought 'Chav' was a term used by travellers or gypsies, much as we might use 'mate' or 'buddy'. It seems to have been misappropriated, and I think the acronym idea came later.

Romany (in usual Latin translitteration):

chal - person (generic or male)
chai (or chi) - female person

I have no idea whether this is any part of the etymology of 'chav'. Possibly (but I have no evidence) also relevant:

ch - Middle English and recorded as SW England dialect English for 'I' (cf Ger 'ich', presumably); whence in same dialect
cham - 'I am'
chave - (pron 'chav') 'I have'
chill - 'I will'

[BlackheathBloke]

First time I ever heard it when I was young, the local gypsy kids were all known as 'chavvies' (their parents called them that, before any of you hand-wringing liberals get on your high horses)

So I'd assume it's grown from there?

[Gerard Clarke]

OK, Jim and V6g have converted me. We must march for Justice for our Chavs.

Just in case anyone else is being surprisingly serious, that was, er, a joke.

Being serious for half a second, the protection of real minorities from unfair treatment by the majority is very important, but the currency of minority protection is devalued by people being over sensitive about jokes about voluntary behaviour, where the joke is not also associated with, for example, ethnicity, or some other attribute which cannot be chosen. If you make a crack about all Jews being mean or all black Africans being crooks, then you are being racist. If you make a crack about chavs wearing fake Burberry hats, you are laughing at someone's chosen lifestyle. Calling someone a Paki is offensive. Calling someone a Chav, or a Sloane, or hick, or a Bridge and Tunnel person may be offensive to that person, but the nature of the mockery is entirely different from that involved in using a racial slur.