Your Shopper
Send your news, photos & videos. Text NEWS SHOPPER and your message to 80360 or click here to email us » »
|
Discuss: Banning the word chav
10:03am Thursday 17th July 2008
HEAR the word chav and what comes into your mind? If a think tank has its way you might not hear the word for much longer.
The word chav has been around for a long time - believed to be a travellers' word for friend or a Romany word for child.
It has become a widely used word in the past five years, usually a derogatory term to refer to the dress or behaviour of a young Vicky Pollard type character.
The common stereotype for a chav is big earrings and pulled-back hair for a woman or bling jewellery and baseball caps for men, usually accompanied by designer sportswear and a brash attitude.
Now the left-wing think tank the Fabian Society wants people to stop using the slang term as it is a form of "class hatred" against the young working class.
The society says the word is a "sneering and patronising" put-down which is offensive to many people.
Dictionaries refer to a chav being a person of "low social status" or "uneducated and ignorant".
What do you think? Should the word chav be outlawed? Is the use of it just light-hearted fun-poking, an example of snobbery or is it more serious and offensive than that? If someone called you a chav would you get upset? The word 'pikey' is now deemed to be a racist offence, so should the same apply to chav? Add your comments below.
Your Say YourShopper
mt, says...
10:43am Thu 17 Jul 08
Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott, The Armchair says...
10:55am Thu 17 Jul 08
Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott
C, Dartford says...
11:25am Thu 17 Jul 08
Roman, Chislehurst says...
12:29pm Thu 17 Jul 08
But, and this is the same with all racist comments words or remarks, they can tell you what you can and cant say and arrest you for it, but they will never stop us thinking and saying what we please in our own homes and minds. Ask the chavs what they think, because for me it doesnt mean any of what they have said, to me it is a young person who wears burberry and bling, to them its a fashion statement and they are quite happy to be called chavs, else why would they dress and act in the manor to which we are acustomed to seeing chavs dress if they considered it to be derogatory, surely even a chav cant really be that dumb ? can they ?
James, Dartford says...
1:06pm Thu 17 Jul 08
The authorities may try to outlaw use of particulalr language but this can never be enforced, other than in official documents which do not use the term anyway.
Freedom of speech is indeed a fine cause to uphold but with freedom comes a certain responsibility to exercise the good grace and kindness of spirit to know when it is prudent to self-moderate and refrain from using needlessly inflamatory language.
C, Dartford says...
1:36pm Thu 17 Jul 08
:)
Upper Class, says...
1:39pm Thu 17 Jul 08
UC
sam, dartford says...
1:59pm Thu 17 Jul 08
chavvie, chatham says...
2:24pm Thu 17 Jul 08
James wrote:From Chatham not Chartham, I am unfortunately an original Chav!!
I am interested to read the etymology of the word put forward here. My understanding was thet it was a much newer word and originated in the Medway towns where "Chav" meant a person from Charham, used as a derogatory term by those from Rochester looking down on their neighbours.
The authorities may try to outlaw use of particulalr language but this can never be enforced, other than in official documents which do not use the term anyway.
Freedom of speech is indeed a fine cause to uphold but with freedom comes a certain responsibility to exercise the good grace and kindness of spirit to know when it is prudent to self-moderate and refrain from using needlessly inflamatory language.
chavvie, chatham says...
2:26pm Thu 17 Jul 08
chav, chav land says...
2:27pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Roman wrote:y dont you do one you mug and get a life
If it becomes outlawed like other racist demeaning words, such as Pi**y, n*gg*R, P*ki, then you will all have no choice but to not use the word or face arrest and a criminal record I\\\'m afraid. But, and this is the same with all racist comments words or remarks, they can tell you what you can and cant say and arrest you for it, but they will never stop us thinking and saying what we please in our own homes and minds. Ask the chavs what they think, because for me it doesnt mean any of what they have said, to me it is a young person who wears burberry and bling, to them its a fashion statement and they are quite happy to be called chavs, else why would they dress and act in the manor to which we are acustomed to seeing chavs dress if they considered it to be derogatory, surely even a chav cant really be that dumb ? can they ?
mememe, does it matter says...
6:46pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Let's Agree To Differ, says...
9:42pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Rhi, says...
10:17pm Thu 17 Jul 08
Geoff, Northfleet says...
5:28am Fri 18 Jul 08
Phil, barnehurst says...
7:26pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Anti-chav, Londonium says...
8:53pm Fri 18 Jul 08
If the chav's can't read this take off your burberry caps!
Mad Earwig, kent says...
1:55pm Sat 19 Jul 08
doc, cool kid says...
5:01pm Sat 19 Jul 08
I am the king of the chavs
I have my berrabriy hat on **** my beer look at all the chaves ,
We are the fasion off this countray. ENGLAND!!! ENGLAND !!!!
DO WE NOT MAKE YOU PROUND TO BE ENGLISH
Gypo, says...
8:30pm Sat 19 Jul 08
Gota go see Doc, and me Chavies dahn the pub cuz, OK .
B Reynolds, Gravesend says...
10:23pm Tue 22 Jul 08
Mike, Petts Wood says...
10:27pm Sun 17 Aug 08
Your sayYourShopper
Add your comment
Register for a FREE News Shopper account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.
Please register now or sign in below to continue.
In this section
- Suspected homophobic murder: Appeal for information
- Take it easy during bad weather
- Collapsed manhole causing problems in New Cross
- On This Day
- Violent jewellery robbery in Catford home
- POLITICSWATCH: Battle of the Blogs
- Bishop Justus School Spanish teacher missing
- DISCUSS: An amnesty for illegal immigrants?
- Haystack fire in Bean
- Update: Woolwich murder may have been homophobic attack
Sponsored Links
Explore News Shopper
Claim your first Kindness Club rewards
Five per cent off package holidays with Tickets Travel in Bexley.
Twenty per cent discount at Bonmarché fashion store in Orpington.
An £8 reduction on the price of MOTs at Sidcup Test Centre.
Dan handed hot and spicy dare
DAREDEVIL Dan Keel successfully completed a half-marathon last month - but for his next challenge he will be going on a different kind of run.
Police Academy to panto star - Steve Guttenberg
Ahead of starring in panto, movie star Steve Guttenberg opens up to Kerry Ann Eustice about everything from John Travolta to philosophy
Panto prizes for mini Cinderella and Buttons
NEWS Shopper today launches a new competition to find the cutest little Cinderella and the cheekiest junior Buttons.
Swap Shopper: Open to offers again for £2,000 party voucher
THE deal has not been done - which means a £2,000 voucher to spend on the party of your dreams is once again up for grabs. What could you swap for it?
Little Britain's David Walliams talks The Boy in the Dress
Little Britain's David Walliams explains how his sister dressing him up as a child inspired his first children's book, The Boy in the Dress
Local Links
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
JAYJAY, HERE says...
10:26am Thu 17 Jul 08
If I want to use the word CHAV then I will and no-one is going to tell me different.
Legions of pram-faced chavs with their offspring claiming benefits to keep them in cheap tatty jewellery and hairbands to perfect their Croydon Facelift hairdos.
Freedom of Speech, isn't that was this country is supposed to be about yet we are constantly told not to say things for fear of upsetting one or another portion of society. Well I will say what I think please or offend.