# An open letter, to those... wonderful... people in my village. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 18, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513 "2004-12-18T13:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/21 "2004-12-18T17:55:01Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > GivenI’m guessing you never walked down the street meeting the eye of everyone you met and just saying hello wihout judging them to be chavs or otherwise “not us”. These are the sort of people Mummy told you to pretend weren’t there and to walk purposefully past, feeling sorry t’ mill was closed, but hating their presumption for advertising the fact that it wasn’t, right? I admit I’ve never walked down the street meeting everybody’s eye, however I resent the implication I’m upper class, considering I’d be in the same tax bracket as these people, and come from a working class background. I don’t wish to represent that all people who aren’t upper class are chavs, in fact there are plenty of upper class chavs and non-chav lower classes. > [@](#): > > Did you ever meet the eye of a “chav” and say your version of “g’day, how’s it going?” or did you just fear and hate them? I’ve done this, I did it when I first got to secondary school, I did it when I first starting going into my local town, and each time I had the lovely reply of “What the fuck are you looking at?” or just a complete ignorance of my existance, in the end I stopped bothering, can you honestly say you wouldn’t? > [@](#): > > I’m not saying you deserved to be abused on the street. Of course you don’t. But it’s impressive that _even in your own words_ it sounds like you are denigrating them as much as they were denigrating you. I admit to denigrating them, as much as they denigrated me, however as opposed to attempting to start trouble in a public place, and perhaps it was cowardly of me to denigrate them behind their backs, but considering attempting to speak to them would probably result in a fight, I personally consider this a better way of going about it. Now, I admit I made crass generalisations in my post, and that not all chavs are bad people, however I was refering specifically to the chavs who affronted me, I’d like to say some of my best friends are chavs, but that would be a blatant opening for a “but you don’t want them living in your neighbourhood?” response, so I will not make that comment. My post may have been redolent of class hatred, and my subsequent posts no doubt did nothing to contradict that however I maintain that, although I used generalisations relating to the chav class, I do not have a specific vendetta against all chavs, only the ones who bear ills to me. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/22 "2004-12-18T21:07:46Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > **Chimpy** , your whole post is redolent of petty class hatred - yours as much as the people you seek to Pit. > > GivenI’m guessing you never walked down the street meeting the eye of everyone you met and just saying hello wihout judging them to be chavs or otherwise “not us”. These are the sort of people Mummy told you to pretend weren’t there and to walk purposefully past, feeling sorry t’ mill was closed, but hating their presumption for advertising the fact that it wasn’t, right? > > Did you ever meet the eye of a “chav” and say your version of “g’day, how’s it going?” or did you just fear and hate them? > > I’m not saying you deserved to be abused on the street. Of course you don’t. But it’s impressive that _even in your own words_ it sounds like you are denigrating them as much as they were denigrating you. Yeah, **Chimpy** , you should show more respect to people who spew homophobic insults at strangers with no provocation! Bastard! You’re a fuckin’ moron, **hawthorne**. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/23 "2004-12-18T21:40:26Z")
Well, what I want to know is, do you actually have strange hair, or are they just desperately looking for something about you to insult? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/24 "2004-12-18T22:21:01Z")
**hawthorne** , did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? I get sick of this nonjudgemental bullshit when some people clearly dress and act a certain way to intentionally get that judgement. There are thugs (usually young) in every country that try to attract attention by dressing in a certain way and being hostile to outsiders. That is what they do. I am happy for you that you have never seemed to encounter them but I will be the first to laugh when you approach some of them to make polite chat and they blow your brains out. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/25 "2004-12-18T22:37:13Z")
> [@Mirror Image egamI rorriM](#): > > Well, what I want to know is, do you actually have strange hair, or are they just desperately looking for something about you to insult? Well, my hair is longer than most male’s but not excessively long, it was probably sticking up as I had just got out of the shower, so it probably was “fair game.” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/26 "2004-12-18T22:45:08Z")
> [@Chimpy](#): > > A chav is a person who wears imitation leather or imitation tracksuits, or burberry, sits around on streets corners and shouts at people. But they seem like such… happy people… 😕 I got that whole “being called faggot” thing in 6th-8th grade; I never understood why. It seemed to be the pejorative of choice when you don’t actually know a damn thing about the person you want to swear at. Might as well call me an elm tree, or a mastodon. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/27 "2004-12-18T22:59:22Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Might as well call me an elm tree, or a mastodon. You know I may have to add those two to my list of insults… ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/28 "2004-12-18T23:40:04Z")
From the [link](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chav) above; > [@](#): > > 1. chav > Derived from Chatham in Kent… Having grown up near that area it doesn’t surprise me at all that the ‘chav’ (not a term I’ve heard, but I’ve been out of the UK for 3 years now) stereotype is associated with Chatham. It was bad enough in the late 80’s/early 90’s I shudder to think what it’s like now. grey\_ideas ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/29 "2004-12-18T23:45:18Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > It seemed to be the pejorative of choice when you don’t actually know a damn thing about the person you want to swear at. Might as well call me an elm tree, or a mastodon. Hee. What’s even funnier is when I got someone screaming faggot at me because _I was walking down the street holding hands with a hot, shirtless, chaps-wearing leather daddy._ Oh my god, how did you know? It was the hair, wasn’t it? The fucking hair! ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/30 "2004-12-18T23:52:10Z")
The word chav has nowt to do with Chatham. It’s a Romani word, meaning boy, which got adopted into Kentish slang before taking this negative meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/31 "2004-12-18T23:54:44Z")
> [@Chimpy](#): > > A Croydon Facelift is what Chavettes (female chavs) have, it’s where their hair is pulled so tightly back in to a bun their face skin is all stretched, and taught over their skin. A link to a pic of this, please? ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/32 "2004-12-19T00:03:20Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > A link to a pic of this, please? [These](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/4images/details.php?image_id=256&sessionid=37607d891bdc7d941a6ab0be64bed33f) [two](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/4images/details.php?image_id=216&sessionid=37607d891bdc7d941a6ab0be64bed33f) are good examples. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/33 "2004-12-19T00:04:37Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Hee. What’s even funnier is when I got someone screaming faggot at me because _I was walking down the street holding hands with a hot, shirtless, chaps-wearing leather daddy._ > > Oh my god, how did you know? It was the hair, wasn’t it? The fucking hair! When I used to get called gay a lot at school one of my favourite responses was to wrap myself around one of my friends and go “Yes?” or start coming on to the name caller. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/34 "2004-12-19T00:08:02Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > The word chav has nowt to do with Chatham. It’s a Romani word, meaning boy, which got adopted into Kentish slang before taking this negative meaning. Yeah **Kal** I saw there was an older usage for the term as well, it just didn’t surprise me to see Chatham mentioned on that page when I read the ‘chav’ description. grey\_ideas ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/35 "2004-12-19T02:07:42Z")
> [@Chimpy](#): > > A chav is a person who wears imitation leather or imitation tracksuits, or burberry \ This burberry stuff, do they get it from stealing it off geriatric golfers? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/36 "2004-12-19T02:28:32Z")
Seriously. These are the dorkiest “thug gangstas” I’ve ever seen. They’d get their asses kicked in two seconds on this side of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/37 "2004-12-19T02:34:26Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Seriously. These are the dorkiest “thug gangstas” I’ve ever seen. They’d get their asses kicked in two seconds on this side of the pond. That is what I was thinking. Can you imagine a death match between them and some Los Angeles Bloods (or about 1,000 other groups that I can think of)? That would be some serious fun. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/38 "2004-12-19T06:34:03Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > That is what I was thinking. Can you imagine a death match between them and some Los Angeles Bloods (or about 1,000 other groups that I can think of)? That would be some serious fun. I’m thinking the same thing. I’d get stabbed or something so damn fast because I wouldn’t be able to stop myself laughing my butt off at these guys. I mean come on. Burberry hats. PLAID BASEBALL CAPS. I’d pay to watch that throwdown. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/39 "2004-12-19T10:41:11Z")
> [@](#): > > _Shagnasty_ > hawthorne, did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? I get sick of this nonjudgemental bullshit […] But I wasn’t nonjudgemental: > [@](#): > > I’m not saying you deserved to be abused on the street. Of course you don’t. My point was and remains that for a bloke complaining about people spouting abuse at him based on his appearance he was doing rather a lot of judging people based on their appearance. Which he acknowledged in his reply to me. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2004, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513/40 "2004-12-19T11:15:48Z")
> [@Aagramn](#): > > These links should help explain. > > [http://www.chavscum.co.uk/howto.php](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/howto.php) > > [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chav](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chav) > > It’s usage has increased 1000% over the last year in the UK. Thanks. The pictures were helpful. Near as I can tell, chavs are what we used to call “punks”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-those-wonderful-people-in-my-village/280513.md?page=3)