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Is Gloucester a 'chav town'?
Vicky Pollard
Vicky Pollard: chav style icon?
Last updated: 09 March 2005 1122 GMT
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Gloucester has been listed on a website dedicated to 'chav towns'. But what exactly is a 'chav', anyway?

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Gloucester has been featured on a popular website dedicated to 'chav towns'.

For the uninitiated, 'chav' is a (often derogatory) term for those young people who typically dress in tracksuit trousers, hooded tops, and checked baseball caps.

'Chavdom' also extends beyond fashion into lifestyle choices and accessories. Stereotypical chav lads commonly own heavily modified hatchback cars (often featuring large rear spoilers and 'big bore' exhaust pipes) and a muscular/aggressive bull terrier-type dog.

Bull terrier
A chav's best friend?

Also frequently described as 'chavvish' are thick gold-plated chains, large hoop earrings on girls and the smoking of certain budget cigarette brands. Popular Little Britain character Vicky Pollard could reasonably be described as a female chav style icon.

Buzz

The term chav has emerged from street parlance to be recognised as a buzzword in a new reference book published by the Oxford University Press. Susie Dent's book Larpers and Shroomers: The Language Report lists popular new words for every year since 1904.

Speaking to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ News Online, Dent said that the term's current negative connotations could change: "I think we may find that because a lot of people have been quite outraged by it, it starts to transform itself into something quite positive.

"Chav fashion may become something quite cool."

Cap ban poster
Some businesses have banned caps

This process may already have begun, with Welsh rappers and exponents of chav fashion Goldie Lookin' Chain currently riding high in the charts.

Despite this, at the time of writing there are few people would be very pleased about being described as being 'chavvy', much less have their home city described as a 'chav town'.

Is it fair for Gloucester, a city which is at once historic and multi-cultural, with a world class rugby team, to be labelled as such?

Is the increasingly popular pastime of poking fun at the chav culture harmless fun, or thinly-veiled class prejudice?

Is it cool to wear tracksuit trousers tucked into white socks?

Let the debate begin!

Click here to post a comment on this page or click here to see what's already been said...

(And don't forget to take part in our special "chav" vote on our ...)


Your comments:
Newest messages appear at the top of this thread...

Raid
i was shocked to read in a magazine that "Chav" is "in fashion" i agree totally with Matt when he says that it's not what they wear, it's what they do. I live 35 miles north of Newcastle, and my town is full of Chavs. They take every oppertunity to make you feel about two inches high when you walk past-they are the sort of people who you'd be frightened to walk past at night.

ria
chavs obviously hav lots of problems in their lives so they decide to take them out on other peoplle. how sad.

Chav h8r
the term chav hav decended from the word charver which is a term commonly used in newcastle, and is also where it arrived from.

Charles Danniel ' Del' Bromby
I am a chav i love being a chav i hope to convert the world to my religion the chavs will one day inherit this planet chavs rule.

e
chavs represent one of the lowest social classes. the members are uneducated and convictionists

danny
i agree with hannah chavs are basically your towns lowlife and unfortuanetley for the rest of us we cant do much to stop them!!! I H8 CHAVS

Hannah
You cant put a name on one town like saying that gloucester is when all towns are!!! Im from manchester and the chavs are the most annoying group of people i have ever met they threaten people, abuse, bully should i go on? But there are parts of manchester where normal people hang out and to be honest its alot better there because you dont have to be scared thats ome chav is going to come and knock you out with there crapppy, cheap, fake gold and if anyone likes chavs then really get over them because ther not good, clever or cool. there just heading for a bad life and to be a ganag of hobos!! I say new laws should be put it to control these abusive people!! xxxx

im3asab1rd
Hey ppl! Just got a few things to say, in herating the name chav fr your town is nothing to be ashamed of! Im from east-anlgia and yes we've been labelled a chav town too! Every town has them and honestly i'm quite ashamed to live in a chav town. But i also appreciate that not all of them are bad for example there are ones who shout abuse, and the there's the ones that shout abuse and jack ya..... i can sorta see a difference! All im sayin is give your chavs a chance n if all else fails, tough! love love xXx

Anthony, george and bjorn
nottingham is chav central. we breed them for experiments but they are often released by the chav liberation front. sorry

Squidward
Chavs are a ghastly breed of human being which George Orwell referred to as "The Proles". They lead a life of ignonimy, in bad housing, have bad skin, bad tastes, a lousy diet, low self-esteem and tend to be very licentious. Despite all this, they live in seeming bliss. Ignorance and drug-induced bliss. The Chav or Prole feels comfortable in its own stupidity, it feels no reason to change. There is a vested interested in keeping this festering morass the way it is. After all, it is the underclass which swims in high personal debt, consumerism, alcohol, nicotine and other substance abus, petrol, car-parts and petty crime. They keep lots of people in jobs and feed the economy by spending every last penny on nonsense. Chavs only become problematic when given too much licence, too much freedom to roam into the lives of the sane citizen; when their dogs rampage around local parks and greens terrorising others and soiling the ground.

jenny
chavs are ok! lots of people think they are horrid and mean but most of them are nice and friendly! you cant just judge them on aperence and name!!! 'chav'

kerry
Really James? Cheltenham has no chavs? Then why do certain clubs have a no burbery policy?? In fairness though chavs do seem to infect every town everywhere!!

Paul (Cheltenham)
He He, so many people trying to claim the word Chav as though it is some sort of prize. If fact the word 'Chav' is a shortening of the word 'Chavvy' a Romany (Gypsy) word meaning Man or Bloke the word its self was introduced to the Romany language from Scottish Gypsy's and has now been shortened to 'Chav' by general people to describe people who dressed in a gypsy way - a Chav . Now every town in Britain wants to claim it as their own, get a grip. Why would you want the word? It isnt a Cheltenham, Gloucester, Kent or Manchester word its a gypsy word, saying it belongs to your town is like saying that your town invented the word Hoover to describe a vacum cleaner.

Pot
In me burberry, in me burberry, I'm gonna look well cool in me burberry... To my knowledge the reason we all now call them 'Chavs' is because that's what they call each other (Ratly for the female of the species), we've (I'm ashamed to say this), taken the phrase off them!... As for it going out of fashion, I don't think it'll ever happen, there's always going to be chavs, no matter what you do...

Abbie
Gloucester is definately full of chavs and its getting worse every day! And Raqueal what you said about stereotypes "Raquel how can people stereotype that all the crime is coming from the chavs? thats disgraceful, and i think this entire debate is prejudice towards 'chavs'. just because they dress differently does not mean they have to be catagorised. what difference does it make anyway??" If you had been to gloucester as a "non-chav" you would realise exactly why they are blamed for it, because all they do is cause trouble! Whenever i'm in gloucester i always get constant abuse from chavs just because i dress differently! its pathetic!

Name:
roseanna
Gloucester is full of allsorts of people they are a great majority of goths,greebos,skaters,chavs! watever u wanna call them but i dont think their are as many chavs as their used to be!

Bobby G
We u aint seen nuffin until you've seen me decked out in ma fake burberry and kappa trackies. If ya wanna chill wit me and ma massiv let me no.... Bobby G... Peace Out

Hippyboi
You think Glos is bad? You guys ever bin to Hull? Major problem here! 'Chavism' actually came from manchester, and in my oppinion- Soaps like Coronation street *lol*. I hate chavs.. But livin in Hull, I would.. You'd know too if you lived here... You got it good.. Trust me

Oooh Mate!
Chavs are sad people who wear fake burbery caps they find... People usually become chavs to seek protection and coz dey aint got nuttin else to do... ooh well. mate!!

jim
I visited Gloucester the other month and was amazed how the whole town exuded Chav. The people, shops everything was so chav I thought I was visiting a theme park. Kushty Chavworld

Saza
chavs are sooooo stupid they think that they are so hard. i hate what they wear and the way they act. all they do is go round pushing people and giving people larys and stuff.

Chavhunter general
You want chavs come to Evesham!!! More nova driving, hip hop listening,burberry clad, nike wearing scum than essex!!!

lesley
If only they new how really stupid they look and sound. Part of growing up I guess. Oh well....

JoeJ
Gloucester is def chav but at least it isnt full of metal loving, skating numpties like it used to be!

damien
the way we've got things at the moment in newcastle, is that we've got the townies who dont cause trouble, and the chavs who are normally only looking for "ten pense how" and talk like they're trying to swallow the brick they're about to throw through your window. but theres good and bad in all denominations of human. people should. there should be some sort of social skills exam to determine kerfews on people - to quote that great god henry rollins, you want your freedom, you cant handle freedom, your freedom has driven you mad" and my god, the little tracksuit gangster wannabe-s are living proof. their parents need to learn how to raise children. there is so much wrong with the human race at the moment and chavs are the main symptom.

Mairi
Yeh Glos is full of chavs, there everywhere! chavs are really just uninformed people that like attension, they have been around since the beginning of time dude. XXX

Skater360
chavs come into my street everyday and pick on people years younger than them, im 14 (nearly 15) and could easily take them on, but i wont stoop to their level. oh by the way i live in Middlesbrough

Ibs
I dont think Glos is a Chav town, it depends who u r, and wot u do! Do you expect teens to wear shirt and trousers all day?this is casual wear,when peeps wanna go out n about, so go ruin ur own town,coz i luv glosta n im proud!

Josh
Me and my friends are terrorised by Chavs, its getting out of hand. If anyone knows any chav free areas of london please say!!

Taz
Oh come on, Cheltenham has MORE than its fair share of chavs! Just look round Whaddon and Hester's Way, two areas arguably worse than anywhere else in the county! I don't what town in Kent starts with Chav but I'm going for the 'Cheltenham Average' meaning.

Bob
Chavs are stupid and have no place in society.

Derek
the horrible little blighters are everywhere: so I don't think Gloucester is special in any way. On the origins of the work: I read Charv was a Northern term before the Southerners dropped the "r" (as usual!)

Ray
chavism is age specific its an epedemic which effect most teenagers at some point. any place which does nothing to help young people and does not provide the opportunities for young people to grow will be vunerable to chavism. Gloucester being prime suspects

Suzzzie
NOT Cheltenham. There are elements of supposed Chavdom in every town. To try to pin it one place is ludicous. There may well be an average type of youth, but there is nothing average about Cheltenham.

Kerry
Yes Gloucester is a chav town, as is Cheltenham, and if uv heard of it - Tewkesbury. Despite chavs being rather insulting to me I can't help but feel sorry for them. After all... they think they look good... *laughs hysterically*

stringbean
i h8 some chavs. bein a chav is goin out of fashion nt in fashion

chav
wat u all all on?im a chav en im proud 2 like gemz! u got nothing better 2 do then talk bout skals? i have 4 As and 3 Bs at school and oh my god im wearin some trackies and gold chains!

J.
I was once a chav living in Gloucester, now I'm a blagger living in Dursley.

Marc
Having lived in Chelt and now Glos. I can assure you that Cheltenham has alot more chavs.

dave wyburn
Lets get smart! Suits guitar music and clean living mods! Glos is a chav town i looked around today

S
Gloucester is Chav Kingdom. Full Stop!

Ali
Why is this suddenly new? The term 'chav' was being used to describe exactly the same group of people when I was at school 15 years ago! I thought Chatham, Kent was the original birthplace of the 'chav'?

vicky pollard
yeh...but, no, but yeah, but no but...oooh my god i so cant believe you just said that! being a chav is well gurt lash and anyway you don tknow nuffin or nuffin cos me and destiny was meant to go down the chippy but darren done this thing what i dont even known nuffin about so SHUTUP!!! (sorry couldnt resist!)Chavs are funny and although its awful to be labelled one i laugh every time i see one. do they just go round in their own little worlds thinking they sound and look good?! I cant beleive there are acyually people like them that exist! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!! love vicky.x

Sara
I don't know about a chav town... but after reading the comments posted above I see we Gloucesterites clearly have a severe problem with spelling! Pehaps the backward caps have an effect on the brain???

F
Being a chav isn't fashionable! Most people hate chavs!

Lisa
There always had and always will be low-lifes who dress, act and swear the same. Just because someone put a name to it now, it becomes cool. They all need to grow up and get a job instead of sponging off the state and breeding their ugly children who also grow up with the same dreadful opinions.

H
Some parts of Gloucester are very 'chavvy', its determined by the school you go to and its the same in Cheltenham. You can tell what type of school a person goes to by the way they look.

swindon_mate_ennit
lol this is brilliant who'd of thought piece of c*** little townies could cause mass discussion, i love and hate swindon purely because its chav. its hilarious walkin thru town they all look n sound the same, its brilliant, come n check it out..

martin
I REALLY THINK GLOS HAS BEEN CHAV FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS U THINK THEY WOULD OF GROWN UP BY NOW

Jim, the Glaws fan
Unfortunately Gloucester is in the top ten of Chav towns easily. Simply due to it's large chav population. The problem is though that living off benefits and having the next generation of chavs every 15-17 years is a much quicker way of procreating than to work hard, meet the right person and settle down to raise a family. Simple maths, Chavs multiply quicker and they're taking over. It's time to get the pro hunt brigade chasing the new urban pest. Hunt the Chav!

Raquel
how can people stereotype that all the crime is coming from the chavs? thats disgraceful, and i think this entire debate is prejudice towards 'chavs'. just because they dress differently does not mean they have to be catagorised. what difference does it make anyway??

Abs
Never mind the chavs, what about the epidemic of fatties in Gloster with their guts hanging over their waistbands? And that's just the girls...... Eastgate Street on a Saturday nite should have a health warning!Do they all live here or is someone bussing them in?!

Ratly
I was a "ratly" (girl chav) over 10 years ago. Big gold everything!! It's nuttin new, thought it would have gone out of fash by now!!!

Mark
Ever been to cheltenham at night? If you haven't, don't! Its full of rich wanna-be chavs cruising around in their cars with crap music being played at full blast.

Generic Comment #1
Gloucester is fast becoming a cess-pool of Chavism. Cheltenham has caught the plague, too. Where the hell have the normal people gone?

James
I live in Tuffley, one of Gloucester's extensive suburbs. I have lived in and around Gloucester all my life. I don't put myself into any group. I am hard working, t-shirt and jeans on the weekend type of bloke. From my view i can clearly see these types of people. I would say most teenagers are chavs. Alot of Gloucester is made up of deprived council estates. You will find them full of them. You get these people in every town and city across the country. some more than others. having lived in glos all my life and worked here, i would say Gloucester is the most chav infested place in the county. For those who say it comes from the name 'Cheltenham Average'. Your wrong. It actually comes from a place in Kent. People of Cheltenham are always trying to make things up to be popular when it isn't!. Also chelt barely has any chavs at all, infact its rare that you see them. You will find most of Gloucester's chavs in the suburbs hanging around bus stops and terrorising anyone who walks past them. The more deprived and crime ridden areas in gloucester, tend to have different types of people and not so many chavs. Probably because they are surrounded by real criminals and not wannabe ghetto chavs doing petty crimes.

Spongebob Squarepants
Mt mate Patrick says Gloucester isnt a Chav place and neither is Swindon.... Bristol is the centre of the Chav Universe

gemz
us chavs are the best, who cares if we like to wear ALOT of gold, thats what we like aint it! i'm a chav and i'm proud 2 be one xx

Matt the Chav
Chavs exist in every city in Britain, we are a product of social neglect, we rob and pillage to buy ourselves nice clothes cus our single mothers cant afford to buy them for us. Safe

Martin
At least you don't have to sit opposite one every day at work!!! Please somebody save me!

tom
yeh goerge cant spell, hes probs a chav im from cheltenham an usd to be a chav lol. good fun but going out of fashion.

teiq
Whats wrong wid chavs every place in the country has got chavs here and there why cant people get on with there lives gloster is more a greebo town and they are ruinin glosters image nt CHAVS!

jake
just moved to Gloucester and this place is plagued by them. Teddy boys, mods,rockers, they had a bit of class, but now pop hip hip and fake american rounders peaked caps...uurgh

Alex
Chav fashion may already becoming cool because Goldie Looking Chain are doing well in the charts?! Have you listened to their records? One word - irony!

Shayla
Gloucester is a little chavvie but not too bad. God look at Cheltenaham the majority of the population town is split between wannabees who wish they were rich and posh but are neither (and pretend very badly - pathetic) and chavs. There's more Burberry in that town than there is in Essex!

Exiled
If you think Gloucesters Chavdom you haven't been to the Forest. Lydney, Coleford, Cinderford all chav hell!

Tom Moore
I've just spotted a CHAV dating site. Should we really be encouraging them to mate too !!???

gntz
No way! Gloucester is fast becoming the best city to live, work and relax! Keep a eye on this city!!

cherise
yeh init it is wel bangin to be a chav!!

LPM
Chav does not come from the words Cheltenham Average. It didn't originate in Cheltenham, they've just declared it as their invention. It does deserve it's place in Chavdom though, boy racing on a Sun night - how many lights can you get under one car?

Me
They used to be called townies!

vern
Chav comes from the Gypsy word Chavi which means child.Maybe these chav's need to grow up

joe
some of the clothes i wear are associated with chavs but im not a chav, i dont wear any jewellery or own a dog

T Pfaff
Oi!! Someone nicked me clown! Chav rules!

Luke
The cars. They actually spend money on the picnic tables on the back of them, and yes, they do think it looks good. Generally speaking, the ones that wear caps AND tracksuit bottoms have single figure IQ's. They also think playing rap music loud out of their cars makes them hard.

jimmy
CHAV comes from the words : CHeltenham AVerage a description of a type of youth in that town

lisa
surely you mean cheltenham is the chav town..."cheltenham average"!

george
yeh damn roight, gloucester is full of chavvies, im from london myself and know exactly how one looks/acts and believe me gloucester well deserves its space in chav heaven! ahaha

ACW
Yes! Gloucester is a chav town. However that's just the image that prevails in the shopping part of the town. Clearly Gloucester also culturally counters this with its stunning Catherdral, historic docks and with other excellent features such as the Cherry and Whites.

AD
YEH CHAVS IN CHELTENHAM ARE AROUND IN THERE CHAVY CARE SOMEONE SHOULD SO SOMTHING ABOUT THEM ANY COMMENT PLEASE LET ME NO

Wazz of Australia
How on earth did so much fun, so much cool be crammed into one little corner of the world. Hats backwards for chavdom, spread the word like a venerial rash.

Rifles
Would a chav being reading this? Yeah but no but right, no way!

Sean Pearce
I think that all cities in the country have an aspect of chavdom, but it is unfair to label Gloucester as chav central.

Matt
being a chav isn't just how they look, but what they do. Chavs are the kids who go out mugging people and beating them up. They detest punk and metal, and any heavy music, and will take every opportunity they get to harm the people who are into, and the same can be said for skateboarding. It must be said that a lot of them grow up and get more sensitive as they get older, but it is my belief that the vast majority of teenage crime such as vandalism, muggings, and violent behaviour (including knife attacks) are committed by Chavs.

Spongo
HELLO - being a Chav is going out of fashion - not coming in. I don't think Gloucester is a Chav town - thats Swindon

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waheed
biggest chav town in my opinion is cannock, staffordshire. birmingham is bad too

craig
i am a greebo who lives in gloucester chav central to me there is only two types of chavs the ones who like the fashion and music and the ones who like the fashion music and have an attitude problemhowever we shouldnt stereotype someone if they dress like a thug because i got a lot greebo m8,s and some of them are 10x worse than ure normal chav my opinion of a chav is a lowlife who has nothing to do but make everyone elses life in the world a living hell just like my sceince teacher lol

Some kid
Right, i guarentee every single person who has said they dislike chavs bla bla is a greebo/emo.. w.eYou think chavs are trying to make a statement? Ill tell you what trying to get attention is.. Dien your hair and trying to have everyone notice how odd you look from everyday life. Boys growing there hair past there knees.. Girls dien there hair all colours and wearing more make up then a clown.. Id rather see a reasonably dressed chav ran city then a city full of depressed kids who think theres nothing worth living for when there lives have just begun and they have years ahead of them.. I think people should stop looking for bad points because all it does is lead to debates which will of course lead onto more debates.. and at the end of the day no newspaper article or tv report will change how people dress and act for goodness sake.

kevt
im from whaddon in cheltenham and its full of young chavs, dont get me wrong they all have attitude but dont blame them for the crime because its down to there parents my little brother is a chav my mum just lets get away with it, for example my mum lets him smoke weed and drink alcohol. when he was at school my mum would let him sive just so he could hang with his little chav friends, i do have chav friends and dated chavettes there not all bad just a minority. i agree its a romany term. blame the parents im a dad of 3 and have been married for 4 years and work like a b**ch to pay for all there ofsping but blame the goverment on this. give them a chance in this world otherwise they will turn even more nastier

ellen
o my gosh!! i cant blieve how mean and ignorant people r on here!! how do u label people like this?? from what people r writing if you wear sports wear and own a staffbullterrier ur gonna go round killing everyone and battering grannies!! and how is a chav even classed as one doesnt it stand for council house something..........loads of people who r classed as chavvy dont even live on council estates. i no loads of people who would be classed as 'chavvy' just cos of wat they wear/where they live and they're amazing nice people the whole thing's sad it flippin SUCKS all this labeling rubbish and the whole chav/emo war i dont wanna sound judgemental but a lot(not all!!!!!) just totally judge chavs and yes they do the same but the emos etc do seem to make more of a fuss and be nastier.....and they get called whingey attention seekers. oh and i would eat home brand beans and shock horror have 1 pair of nike trainers(for walkin the dog springerx not staffbull terrier) chavvy or what!!!! (im not a chav..well i dont think so) i think people chavs/emos/rockers etc......... can all be great nice people all this hate is awful i dont even label myself as anything people just love someone to hate!!!!!

jason
im sick of chavs , I cant believe they still dress the same as they did in the late 80s when I first saw them in manchester, and what is with the silly voice they put on to make them sound hard ,also the dog laws in this country should be a bit stricter. I see 13 year olds walking round with what is basically a status symbol on a lead with no concept of training or respect for other dog owners , If there was a tv show ridiculing the whole "culture" that was on right after big brother or whatever these idiots call entertainment maybe they would see what a disgrace to the uk they are. I visit eastern europe quite a lot and I am always pleasantly surprised at how polite and well behaved the teenagers are, I was in a park in the czech republic once and a kid asked me politley if he could have some of my tobbaco, he wanted it to smoke his skunk, i gave him some , he thanked me and offered me some of his skunk in return for the favour, still a rebellious teenager , but such a polite one , in the uk , it would have been " eeaaah give us a cig " and a refusal would result in a stabbing or a kicing. I think its all down to respect , the kids in this country have no fear of authority , in the 70s when i as a kid if you messed about the police could give you a proper crack round the head and drag back home to your dad who would give you another slap ,im not saying bring back corporal punishment , im saying give the police more power to stop search , and disperse large groups of kids, when teenagers have respect for there elders and authority figures this ugly problem of chavs will slowly die off

sam
chavs are always going to be in every place we live some places have more than others

Polly
"Chav" stands for Council House Average Vermin actually. It comes from Cheltenham and it means Cheltenham average...

Matt
ChAv has been a Cheltenham ladies college term of abuse for the population of Cheltenham for over 20 years and is an abreviation of Cheltenham Average. Clearly, the people of Gloucester are very similar to the people who live in the worst parts of Cheltenham (those nearest Gloucester) and are therefor very much chavs.

Smithy.
I agree with lots of you people, Chavs are scum. Lol, they are the lowlife's of the local town, the one's who are on the social, and say they have no money.. but they can still afford, alcohol, fags and drugs. And all there new 'hip' clothes..But whilst complaining about money issues they still wont get off the backsides and go look for a job! So, how does that work then? they all think they are the best of the best, when really they just have nothing better to do with there lives. Grrrrrrrrrr.Thankyou.

Lillie
I Live in gloucester. and i hate chavs. but you cant say its all that bad. i walk through town and dread it but i put up with it. cos alot of them are my friends really.and just because of what they are wearing deos not make them HORRIBLE chavs! some of them are absolutly vile, how they drink, smoke, shout but they arent all like that so back off gloucester. i no worse places. BIRMINGHAM for example.!!!!

suze
It dawned on me a while back that chavs do not realize that how stupid they are.........I actually feel embarressed on their behalf. But then it is just a in built desire to belong..........

aussie
Just get rid of that stupid text speak I cant stand it and someone just slap those rude chavettes in the face and tell them to get a life and aim for something apart from the benefits office

ellie
if people whant to were burberry caps and tracksuit bottoms then i dont think it is up 2 anybody else 2 comment on i live in gloucestershire and not all chavs are steriotipical i go to school with many people clased as a chav and i have no problems with them we are all diffrent and that should be respected

Zep
Gloucester is defenetley a chav town, I have been here for 3 months, the first day I saw a drunk chav in the morning stealing the purse from an old lady in a sp** charriet, then punched another, all the little boys think they are gangster rappers and the girls, well the gorls, they can only be accepted in the area if they prove that they have had a child before the age of 15 and need to have constant love bites on there neck or there kicked out of town...yeah!!!!! its great...move to the forest if you are going to live in gloucestershire.

Jonno for Becci
Well i'm not chav but my girlfriend is.She likes all that rap stuff. When I only wear black clothes and listen to stuff like Trivium and Dragonforce.Most teens these days have moved onto rap.But not me, I'm like nearly 16 soon and I have liked Heavy Metal and rock music my entire life.But what I have noticed though is that radio stations have been playing more rock music than rap music.Soon Rap music is going to be dead soon proberly.

G-City
i'm actually quite disgusted by some of the comments posted on here about 'chavs'. Ive Lived in gloucester all my life and i choose to dress in tracksuit bottoms and a hoody, this by no means should label me a Thug, the council estate i live in is a deprived area full of 'chavs'. Personally i hate the term chav and never use it. I feel the issue here is too many people being uninformed to what is actually going on in our communitys.. Every day is a struggle

Metal!
Chavs are scum! And no-ones doing anything to stop them breeding into the mainstream!!!

Vickie
Pfft, 'chavs'. I think they decide to be that kind of person because they are afraid to be themselfs. They often terrorise me, I almost got stabbed once by one of them. I guess I shouldn't have shouted back to them cos their expecting a reaction. It's ashame there has to be steriotyping, everyone should just be themselfs.. not follow the crowd. And if you have something against eachother, don't show it in public. xox

Chingpong
I thought that the word "CHAV" came from the acronym Council House And Violent.

Blue
O.K I am going to clear this one up once and for all My grand parants were Romani Gypsies from kent and they always used the word. it means kid it comes from chavo which means son and chey means daughter Kent has always had a high level of Romani and it is like so many words in kent which have come from Romani. kids in kent heard it and they would call each other chav or chavi like saying "alright boy" you would say "alright chav/chavi" (where as the correct term for a non romani boy is a raklo) and because the Romani started mixing more with gorgers and being forced into houses this word became more and more common amongst the gorgers .now the second part of this comes from fashion the gypsy kids always looked very smart we would wear smart clothes and jewellry what you gorgers call chav fashion as in lots of gold and brand name clothes is just a reflection of younge romani kids (chavis)wearing smart clothes and lots of gold and gorgers trying to copy it. So when people in the north east claim to have made this word up or anywhere else it is rubbish because it never meant to mean what you think chav means now, it means a young romani child and later became a term which young kids used to address each other and then later was used to describe any teenager of a working class background who ever said it was scottish is wrong and who ever said it is northern is also wrong My great grandparants travelled all over britain in there traveling days and this word would of been heard all over the u.k but I would be sure it was picked up first in the south east when the kids heard the Romani use it and started calling each other chav this is the best answer you will get because it comes from the grys mui, also when people in the north east say charva comes from the romani for prostitute this is also incorrect because the poggerdi chib (english romani) word for prostitute as i always remember it was loovni.I could tell you more engliush romani words if you want as i still remember alot of them

Jema
What can you define as a chav? You cant say just because someone wears a hoody and has some tracksuit bottoms on they are a chav? It's not what you wear its what you do. It's just snobbery from people who can afford to wear designer clothes and afford to partake in activities with their high disposable income from their mammy's and daddy's. Does anyone stop to think that Chav's are people to? They may have been born into a low income family and all they can affor d is the cheap immatations of 'designer' wear? Or maybe they do have high income and they decide to dress like that. Who are we to decide?

pricey
up in scotland were i com from we call em neds =]

Paul
Chavs are the inevitable " new living spawn" of our shallow, things driven, no belief, no investment in the future, society.Give them a little credit, at least they have understood,resistance to materialism is futile.

sarah r
neds or chavs are normal pple !*

bored
Oh Neil, you were doing so well. I think you have really hit the nail on the head. However, if you are going to have a go at people for their poor standard of wriiten English, you should at least make sure that your own comment is perfect... "coountry"!! Also a qusetion mark and a capital letter missing. Schools are trying to sort out the problem. Lessons in citizenship are now compulsory. Unfortunately, the vast majority of pupils don't seem to take the subject seriously. Personally, I blame the parents. Some parents just can't be bothered to take responsibility for their children. They do nothing but swear at their children and can't wait to see the back of them within 5 minutes of them returning from school. Is it so surprising that an increasing number of children are becoming obnoxious teenagers?I must confess, I don't know where the word 'Chav' originates from. Maybe it stands for Council House And Violent. Does anyone know any chavs who don't come from poor families?

NotoriousJP
No chavs in New York I never met one and don't want to. Chavs are more proof that Britain is hitting the bottom.

Anya
"teiqWhats wrong wid chavs every place in the country has got chavs here and there why cant people get on with there lives gloster is more a greebo town and they are ruinin glosters image nt CHAVS!"People can't get on with their lives because the chavs won't let them!!! If the chavs weren't so obnoxious and kept to themselves, there wouldn't be a problem! We have grebs and chavs (and anything else you can think of) in our city, but it's only the chavs who cause problems for everyone!

Leah !!
Im from bognor regis and there isnt many chavs, but the ones we have are stuck up, tramps, and think smashing stuff up is cool!I dont think that people should be stereotyped a chav because of there dress sence but when you can see them being chavs with there horrible attuitde thats when my back goes up!!!makes me feel sick!

anti-chav
Chav's always hang around in my village all my friends are scared of them because of what they do. Chav's also always seem to play rave full blast on the bus it does my head in. They should really start listening to some decent music and start getting a better reputation.

Neil
Has the country stopped teaching English in schools or do all students just write text messages instead of essays? My goodness!! What is the country coming to. People will always complain about youth culture, it's what they do. People will always complain that their environment influences their life, that's true. However who creates the environments we live in? We do! But only a few people are willing to take responsibility for it. Therefore, areas with low unemployment are not helped by rich or better off areas as they think it's not their problem. Sort out the education problem , teach people to respect others and their opinions, teach people to speak English. Force companies to open in poor areas. How did the country survive after WW2? wasn't the coountry so much poorer then?



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