Chavs
 

I am now nearing the end of my fifth decade and consequently have lost touch with present day youthspeak and slang. One of the newer words I have heard quite often is "CHAV". Not quite understanding the meaning of this I typed it into Google, one of the sites found was "Chavtowns". I typed Accrington into the Chavtowns search facility and was directed to the following link: http://www.chavtowns.co.uk/modules.p...rticle&sid=907.

Is this an accurate picture of Accrington and Hyndburn in general?

Re: Chavs
 

I'm none the wiser. Who or what are these "Chavs?" Are they some variation on Gypo's/Travellers? Burnley fans? Unemployables?

Re: Chavs
 

The letter on that site is spot on. Me and a colleague have made a pastime out of chav spotting. We used to be avid people watchers, but chav spotting is more fun. Belive me Accy, Blackburn and Darwen have no shortage of them. I think it is an accurate reflection of most towns, even the Ribble Valley has a chav element. It's such a shame that standards such as good manners, looking after your environment by not littering etc and petty violence seem to have somehow been lost over the years. These standards are probably buried amongst the benefit and insurance claims forms that these people believe are their right to have, when they have contributed nothing to the system.:)

Re: Chavs
 

From The "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary"

Chav (BrE, slang) a young person, often without a high level of education, who follows a particular fashion.

For the full definition follow this link:http://www.oup.com/elt/global/produc..._archive/chav/

Re: Chavs
 

I've just read 3 articles there relating to Accrington and they do not sound like the town I live in. It's no wonder outsiders get a bad impression. Surely it can't be as bad as that?

Yes we complain about the abundance of pound shops and lack of imagination re Broadway but it isn't quite the dump depicted there.

As for all the "Chavs" locations - I know someone who works in one of those locations described and she is an honest hard working young woman.

They reckon you can buy a house round here for under £20,000. Is that possible do you think?

I also know people in the FernGore and Scaitcliffe areas who are respectable decent people. I live sort of in between the two here on Willows Lane. Yes there are scruffy houses but I think they are in the minority (annoyingly a couple are too close to me for my liking) but it doesn't mean everyone is the same.

From that site the impression I get of "Chavs" are people on benefits with an "attitude" and think the world owes them a living, young mothers who look barely old enough to have babies with one or more in pushchairs and/or toddling alongside, obligatory jewellery that you'd think they would have been better spending their hard earned dole on more constructive things like proper food and usually spoiling for a fight.

Come to think of it - they also sound a bit like some of the crowds Busman gets on his private hire outings bringing crates of lager onto the coach and spilling it all over the place.

Re: Chavs
 

you can buy houses in accrington for even less than that lol

btw the dictionary was been polite in its defintion of chav as the term chave basicly means scum

i use the name chav1 as a joke as accrington and surrounding areas like burnley and blackburn etc are known over the country as chav towns full of poorly dressed scuffy and unwilling to work youths which if you take a look around accy centre during the week you will see plenty of

spare change guy for instance would be classed as a chav :D

Re: Chavs
 

Don't get me started on this one!!!!!!!!!

Re: Chavs
 

Re: Chavs
 

So I take it that the "Pollard"character featured in the bbc Comedy series "Little Britain" is a chav-ette?

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in general the desription off dress code for a chav would be tracksuit bottoms , trainers thick gold chain ( usualy low quality ), burbery check patterned shirt , baseballcap ( usualy worn backwards) and the manditory staff dog on the thickest chain lead made or rope with makeshift leather handle( probably made from dads belt)

there are many variations of chav but when you see one you cant miss em lol

Re: Chavs
 

The baseball cap is worn the right way round, but at a definite angle.

I was also led to believe that they don't often wear shirts, which is why the baseball caps are Burberry.


I wouldn't worry too much about it, try Hailsham and Tunbridge Wells, both towns that I have lived in. You'd think that they were all down here!

Re: Chavs
 

Re: Chavs
 

I was wondering that too Willow!

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Does this mean anything?

Re: Chavs
 

They have to wear Burberry somewhere, and if it's not the shirt, it has to be the baseball cap