Chav
From Free net encyclopedia
Chav is a slang term which has been in wide use throughout the United Kingdom since 2004. It refers to a subcultural stereotype of a person with fashions such as flashy "bling" jewellery and counterfeit designer clothes or sportswear like cole lily, an uneducated, uncultured, impoverished background, a tendency to congregate around places such as fast-food outlets, bus stops, or other shopping areas, and a culture of antisocial behaviour. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of classism.
The word "Charver" or "Chav" is contestably used to refer to groups of people (usually youths) that employ anti-social behaviour as a means of intimidation for their own entertainment and self-gratification. 'Charvers' are not neccessarily "working class" and to suggest so would be an insult to the 'working classes' of the UK. Working class morals are based on respect, hard work, and pride, and Charvers display none of these. They are not a new manifestation but a product of modern society and their most defining characteristic is their desire to cause trouble, insult, abuse, intimidate, and assault innocent victims. Their association with the working classes as portrayed by the media is an incorrect one that is often misrepresented. The problem is deep-rooted in society, it is complex. The cause is often incorrectly attributed to the fact that these 'youngsters' have 'nowhere to go'. This is a false attribution and is no excuse for their lack of respect, for the majority of society appear capable of entertaining themselves by means other than smashing up bus stops, attacking innocent people, spitting, and hurling abuse.
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Etymology
- For a full discussion of the etymologies of chav and charva, see Wiktionary.
- For a list of synonyms for chav and charva, see WikiSaurus under the headword chav.
Sources disagree on the origin of the word. The Collins English Dictionary suggests that it derives from a distortion of the Anglo-Romany word chavi meaning "child". <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In contrast, the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary suggests that the word derives either from a nickname for "Chatham girls" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or from the Romany word chavo (boy), which is also the source of the Spanish word chaval. It also reports that the word can be used as an adjective e.g. "The bus was full of chav kids." <ref name=WotM>Template:Cite web</ref>.
There are a large number of synonyms and regional variations of "chav", including "scally", "ned", and "charver". <ref name=WotM /> It has been suggested that this latter word predates chav in local dialect in North East England and the Edinburgh region of Scotland, and that chav is a possible derivative of the term; they at least appear to share the same possible etymology in chavi <ref> http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-cha2.htm </ref>
Many folk etymologies have sprung up to explain the origins of the word. These include humorous backronyms such as "Council Housed And Violent" <ref name="webchat">Template:Cite web</ref>. Another commonly cited false etymology derives the word from Cheltenham Ladies' College. Here, it is claimed, the term was coined from the words "Cheltenham Average" (Ch-av), used by the young women of the school to describe less desirable young men of the town <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>.
Usage
Though "chav" has similarities to American terms such as "white trash" <ref name="webchat"/> and "trailer trash" [1], it does not bear the racial overtones of its American counterparts, and, according to the stereotype, many supposed chavs belong to multi-ethnic inner city communities such as London council estates. From its origins as a slang term use of the word spread rapidly so that by 2004 it had become a hugely popular word in national newspapers and common parlance in the UK. In popular usage the word somewhat supplanted the word pikey, (and thus the potential racial slur) which was being increasingly used as a perjorative for people not of Romany origin. Susie Dent's Larpers and Shroomers: The Language Report, published by the Oxford University Press, designated it as the "word of the year" [2] in 2004. <ref name="larpers">Template:Cite web</ref> A survey in 2005 found that in December 2004 alone 114 British newspaper articles used the word. The popularity of the word has led to the creation of sites devoted to cataloguing and mocking the "chav" lifestyle. These include ChavScum and its spin-off ChavTowns.
Stereotype
Image:Chav.jpg The stereotype of the chav is defined by critics of the supposed chav lifestyle. Few people identify themselves as chavs, though some do so as a defensive manoeuvre. Note, that "lotto lout" Michael Carroll has "King of Chavs" emblazoned on the side of his car and a number plate reading "L111 OUT" (i.e. "lout").
The essential stereotype is of someone conspicuously "common" i.e. lower-class, where "class" is defined by taste rather than income.
Elements of the stereotype
The stereotypical chav is someone who:
- wears particular clothing, such as:
- Brand name athletic clothing and shoes. Stereotypically, this might include white trainers and tracksuits.
- Fake designer clothing and accessories, in particular the distinctive tartan of Burberry, similar to (and perhaps derived from) the casuals of football supporters.
- "Bling": that is, gaudy gold or platinum jewellery — in particular conspicuous earrings and trinkets on chains for women, and gold sovereign rings for men.
- Sports caps and hoodies. Often both are worn, the hood pulled up over the baseball cap, thus obscuring the wearer's face.
- Sports or jogging trousers, often tucked into white sports socks. These are also referred to as "tracky Bs", "trackies" or "tracky bottoms".
- if female, wears thickly applied make-up, makes heavy use of fake tan, and has a hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back into a tight bun or ponytail (called a "Croydon facelift" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or "council-house facelift").
- is associated with crass, drunken behaviour and minor criminal activities. This includes unprovoked attacks on members of the public (see happy slapping), vandalism, verbal abuse, and drug abuse - See ASBO. This delinquency may be carried out under the influence of cheap alcohol, often after the pubs have closed.
- lives on housing estates and other low-income neighbourhoods, often supported by the "dole" <ref name="grauniad">Template:Cite news</ref> (unemployment benefit)
- owns a tastelessly modified car, usually with a basic original specification, but decorated in a gaudy style. The Vauxhall Nova is one of the many small hatchbacks associated with this stereotype.<ref name="grauniad" />
- takes part in under-aged drinking and sex (and, consequently, is associated with teen pregnancy).<ref name="grauniad" />
- congregates and loiters in areas such as shopping centres <ref name="grauniad2">Template:Cite news</ref> and fast food restaurants <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>.
- pronounces English in a style that is seen to be unsophisticated and characterised by slack diction — for example, the pronunciation of "thing" as "fing". <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Antecedants of chav lie in UK football hooligan identification (an upwardly-mobile variant on US gang colours), whereby expensive and identifiable clothes brands (the tartan of Burberry, the badge of Stone Island, the Aquascutum logo, and so on, were adopted by football fans/hooligans as examples of both tribal designs and conspicuous consumption in the context of then (early 1990s) expensiveness of travelling football fandom and club obsessiveness.
Commercial impact
The Burberry clothing brand, which quickly became synonymous with "chav" subculture, recently ceased production of its branded baseball cap in an attempt to distance itself from its inherited stereotype. There was also a large scaling back of the use of Burberry's patented chequered/tartan design - so much so that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low key positions of their clothing. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Those sporting Burberry have recently been prevented from entering certain football games and shopping centres due to the link between the brand and hooliganism. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The company has argued that the stereotype is associated with counterfeit versions of the clothing: "They're yesterday's news", stated Stacey Cartwright, the CEO of Burberry. "It was mostly counterfeit, and Britain accounts for less than 10% of our sales anyway."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Additionally, the fall in the sale of thongs has been attributed partially to their association with female "chavs" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>.
Media characterisation and comment
Characterisation
The character Vicky Pollard, as portrayed by Matt Lucas in the BBC comedy series Little Britain, is perhaps the most iconic chav caricature. She is often seen in a pink Kappa tracksuit, and describes — at an almost incoherently fast pace — her activities of under-age drinking and sex, mindless gossip, petty crimes and playing truant. She also has no respect for any form of authority. Matt Lucas himself has admitted that the character was based on the youths he saw in Bristol when he was a student <ref name="dooyoo">DooYoo DVD review. URL accessed 2006-03-26</ref>.
A character similar to Vicky Pollard, "Lauren", played by Catherine Tate in The Catherine Tate Show, another BBC comedy series, is a stereotypical chav female. Her catchphrase is "Am I bothered?" (pronounced "bovvered"). Tate recently performed this sketch at the Royal Variety Show.
The British magazine Viz includes a character called Tasha Slappa, an exaggerated teenage female chav. The strip satirises chav culture. (The character was originally called "Kappa Slappa" until the Kappa company filed a lawsuit against Viz. It is unknown whether the term "Kappa Slappa" predates its adoption by Viz. "Slapper" itself is a more longstanding British slang term for a sexually promiscuous female.)
Lottery millionaire Michael Carroll is the self-proclaimed "King of the Chavs" due to his lifestyle and antics. He is frequently derided in the tabloid press for his anti-social behaviour, and is often referred to as the "Lottery Lout" in the British media.
The Welsh rap group, Goldie Lookin' Chain, have been described as both embodying and satirising the chav aesthetic, though the group themselves deny any such agenda <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>.
Footballer Wayne Rooney <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>, glamour model Jordan <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (AKA Katie Price), actress Danniella Westbrook<ref name=dissertation>Template:Cite news</ref>, and former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> have also been labelled "chavs" by British tabloids.
In the Doctor Who episode New Earth, Rose Tyler is described as a chav and "chavtastic" by Lady Cassandra.
Critique of the stereotype
The widespread use of the chav stereotype has come under criticism from some quarters, many arguing that it amounts simply to classism, and that social problems such as teenage pregnancy, delinquency and alcoholism in low-income areas are no laughing matter. Critics of the term have argued that its proponents are "neo-snobs" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>, and that its increasing popularity raises questions about how British society deals with social mobility and class.<ref name=dissertation/> In a February 2005 article in The Times, Julie Burchill argued that use of the word is a form of "social racism", and that such "sneering" reveals more about the shortcomings of the "chav haters" than those of their supposed victims. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Burchill also produced a Sky One television programme on the topic. The controversy around the term was also the subject of a Channel 4 documentary in July 2005, entitled simply Chavs.
See also
Similar terms
- Scanger (Ireland)
- Spides and Millies (Northern Ireland)
- Bogan (Australia and New Zealand) or Westies (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Dres (Poland)
- Ah beng (men) & Ah Lian (women) (Singapore)
- Pissis (Finland)
- Stril (Bergen, Norway)
- Sjonnie (men) & Anita (women) (Netherlands)
- Beauf (France)
- Ned (Scotland - Glasgow)
- Townie (Scotland - Glasgow)
- Bams (Scotland - Stirling)
References
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