Chav
Chav is a derogatory term in Great Britain for young people of the lower class who stand out because of a certain style of clothing and habitus.
term
The term has been in the Oxford Dictionary since 2005 . The Collins English Dictionary suspects a derivation from the Romani word chavi ("child"). It is also often seen as a backronym for C ouncil h oused a nd v iolent (= living in a social housing and violent).
Stereotypical image
For men, the stereotypical image of a chav includes a baseball cap , ostentatious gold jewelry, always sneakers, sweatpants and imitations of branded clothing, often Burberry or "real" Kappa or Umbro . Chavettes are female chavs, exemplified by the character Vicky Pollard in the British sketch show Little Britain . All of them are said to have a tendency towards forms of behavior and activities that permanently disrupt coexistence in a neighborhood, such as noise pollution, vandalism and violence.
background
Journalist Owen Jones published a 2011 study of the changes that have occurred in the public perception of the English working class since Margaret Thatcher's reign . ( Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class , German: Prolls : The Demonization of the Working Class )
See also
literature
- Owen Jones: Chavs. The Demonization of the Working Class , London 2011 ISBN 978-1-84467-864-8
- German: Prolls. Demonizing the Working Class , 2012 ISBN 978-3-940884-79-4
Web links
- BBC News: 'Asbo' and 'chav' make dictionary , June 8, 2005
- The Daily Telegraph : Don't be a plank. Read this and get really clueful , August 10, 2005
- The Independent : Owen Jones, Why 'chavs' were the riots' scapegoats , May 1, 2012