Essex Man

[Clanad]

While watching a news program here in the U.S., this evening, a nice looking older, obviously British woman was one of several being interviwed. It seemed she was most likely a U.S. citizen since she was astute about U.S. politics.
The subject of the interview is not important except that when the source of some quotes which the interviewees had found enlightneing was revealed to be a Right Wing conservative, most were astonished they had agreed with the quotes. This particular lady said "... I suppose the worst thing one could say about him (the source of the quotes) is that he's an Essex Man... yes... an Essex Man..."

She had such a lovely accent (which advertisers find compelling here in the U.S. for what ever reason.)

But, the question is... what's so derogatory about that appelation? I would suppose it has something to do with soccer, which still isn't a major sporting event here...

Thanks, in advance!

[paraffin]

It has long been a derogatory description, slightly sarcastic, of someone from that particular English county, Essex.

Usually attributed to the female gender, the "Essex girl" has become synonymous with a rather common, good time young lady.

[BertiWooster]

''Essex man'' is a somewhat , derrogatory / stereotypical term used to describe a man ( from the County of Essex , here in the UK ) who can be described has having , vulgar tastes .

I think you americans are familiar with the term '' yuppie''
Essex man could be described as a poor man's yuppie

[Quizmonster]

Click here, C for a stack of Essex Girl jokes...some of them rather strong, it has to be said...which should give you some idea of the female version of the sort of person your news-lady was talking about.

[sp1814]

Clanad

An American equivalent to an Essex Girl, is 'Valley Girl' (from Los Angeles).

(Big generalisation coming) - Londoners kinda view Essex in the same way that New Yorkers view those from New Jersey.

That's the nearest equivalent I can think of.

[Gromit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_man

[rov1200]

Or Cor blimey! Good game innit! Sort of utterings from uneducated East Londoners who have moved out to the sticks (Essex countryside) to become staunch New Labour clones.

[ChuckFickens]

I don't see whats wrong with being an Essex man!

Chuck
Essex

:)

[Davethedog]

Essex man is the sterotypical person who put the Tories in power at the end of the 70's.

As such they are associated with right wing politics and the me. me. me generation.

The appelation in terms of quotes would be typical Exssex man if related to Xenophobia - Colour - religion.

This as Rov1200 states is because many people from the East End of London moved into Essex when they beacame affluent but were not percived to have left a certain ignorance and prejudice behind.

[Gromit]

The poet Morrisey once wrote...

Head in the clouds, and a mouthful of pie
Head in a blouse, everybody loves him
I see why

"I love Karen, I love Sharon" on the windowscreen
With never the need to fight or to question a single thing

He'd love to touch, he's afraid that he might self-combust
I could say more, but you get the general idea

Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave

[jno]

sp1814's comparison with NJ sounds good to me. The connotations of the term suggest (not necessarily correctly) someone from eastern London, possibly a voluble street market trader with a sideline in handling not entirely legal goods, who has made money (conceivably by buying his own home cheaply from the local council who one provided it for him under public housing programmes - the right to buy was enacted under Thatcher) and has moved out into the countryside, or at any rate smaller towns, further north and east of London. As nouveaux riches they are thought to have no taste and to name their daughters Sharon and Tracey or (more recently) Chardonnay; and they are disliked by the old rich and the never-rich, because that is the English way.

[Clanad]

Thanks, one and all... very enlightening... (still wiping up spilled coffee from the keyboard in response to Q's splendiferous list...)