Is the concept of "Chav" racist?

[jamesy boy]

Why is it currently popular to label young, white, (mainly) working-class people who wear sportswear, "bling" jewellery and baseball caps,etc as "Chav scum" and so on, when it would pass unmentioned for a young working-class black person to affect this look?

Is it possible to be a black "Chav"? Or is it an easy way for the media to demonise/mock all non-middle class people without appearing racist?

[Ducati]

A couple of weeks ago, me and a few friends met up in a pub in the town centre where I live for a few pints one Friday night.

 

We met at 8pm.

 

When we walked in to the pub, there were a group of chavs, three bloke chavs and two chavettes, and with them they had two kids, in pushchairs, aproximately 18 months of age (being chavs, I'm surprised they had just the two.........but I digress).

 

The pub was smoky, the chavs were loud, and their kids were screaming. As the parent of an 18 month old myself, my little one had been tucked up in bed for an hour by this time. At one point, Alpha Chav, fag in mouth, picked up one of the poor little sods, and told her to (this is verbatim), fu341ng shut up and go and see your muvver.

 

This is not an isolated incident, I see many many acts of anti-social behaviour by this truly horrible underclass.

 

And yes, I'm not afraid to say it................I am better than these people, my friends are better than these people, the people I work with are better than these people.

 

These people are scum. Period.

[BigDogsWang]

Contraversial Ducati, but if anyone doubts your story, I would suggest they get out a bit more.

[BigDogsWang]

# Controversial

[ICEMANSAV]

Well said Ducati. It is mostly their children that I feel sorry for, to spend a life condemned to insignificance and poverty, maybe this is why we have the " chavs" afterall. A rebellion against a society that will forever keep them down, from us, the public through to government at the top. I bet it is not easy being a Chav as media seems to suggest, but its how you deal with life's problems that makes you or breaks you.

[snoteater]

Its snobbish not racist.

[jamesy boy]

You've met all of "them", then I take it, Ducati?

Is poor parenting exclusive to the "underclass"?

No.Full Stop.

[Resolve]

For what its worth, my opinion is that calling somebody a chav is neither a derogatory or discriminatory term, from my experience "Chav's" are proud of being known by that label. It is indeed true that "Some" Chavs are scum, id even go as far as to say the Majority of them are. But labelling every chav as scum is (In my opinion) both wrong, and wholly inaccurate. Would you label all "Well to do" people as Snobs?...and totally disregard the notion that some people that fall into a category in our eyes, dont always deserve the labels we give them? We are all guilty of giving individual people and groups of people labels, some of them deserved...some of them less so.

Finally, what about the Baby Chavs as described in the story from the pub in an earlier post?...what reasonable choice do they have in future life of not being forced by an over opinionated society to follow in the footsteps of their parents? If we are honest...labels serve no purpose and have no use, other than to divide society and people, that in other circumstances could be Equal.

[Aschenbach]

I think Chav like Punk is not race specific rather. It is hard to conceive of a racist term applying to white Britains because it would have to be used by racial minorities. I've heard of honkie in America but don't think there's an equivalent here.

[Ducati]

Nope, but every one I've met or seen is enough to form an opinion on them as a whole that they are scum bags.

[jamesy boy]

I suggest, Ducati, you only remember the people/incidents which make for good anecdotes.What about the "Chavs" you see whose behaviour isn't bad enough for you to remember? Are they "scum" too?Or what about the "non-Chavs" who are guilty of anti-social behaviour (drunken students, inebriated City Boys, minor Royals,etc)?