Please know that when I say chav, I’m not saying it in a derogatory way, I mean it in the same way I mean “goth”, “punk”, etc and I come from both the same background and same town as them. The nicest interactions I’ve ever had with strangers all involved people you’d “chavs”. When I was in school one of them defended me from bullies, and after that, whenever we crossed paths in the hallway he’d yell “saaafe man!” while reaching out to fist bump me.

Another one a few years ago involved me having my bike lock quite literally crumble as I tried to turn the key to unlock it, so I had my bike stuck locked to a pole. Two men who you’d likely call chavs approached out of nowhere and tried to free my bike, one of them ran all the way home to get cable cutters. 3ish years ago I was feeling pretty down and I think it showed since two men, again who you’d likely call chavs based on their look and how they talked, asked me if I was alright and told me to follow them if I wanted to chat so I did. They were so kind to me and I walked away feeling a lot better.

But I’m supposed to believe these people are “dangerous”? I don’t buy that. Where’d that idea come from? Anyone have experiences similar to mine?

  • Flax@feddit.ukMEnglish
    2·
    21 hours ago

    Are you sure they are chavs and not just your average working class people?

  • SuperDuperKitten@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    4·
    7 days ago

    In my experience, they are insanely homophobic, transphobic. I feel uncomfortable to go outside because of them yelling slurs when I used to be in a relationship with my boyfriend.

    Then there’s one time which guy call me a something along a line of “cock sucker” late at night on the bus. I felt so uncomfortable that I just get an Uber home if it’s that late.

  • Huffkin@feddit.ukEnglish
    82·
    8 days ago

    I believe it was originally a police acronym for: Council House And Violent

    Much the same way in Scotland with neds ( Non Educated Delinquents)

    • Frenchfryenjoyer (she/her)@lemmings.worldOPEnglish
      11·
      8 days ago

      I’ve heard the opposite, with Council House And Violent being a backronym that came after “chav” was coined, and “chav” came from someone mispronouncing the original word which was charva or charv

      • tetris11@feddit.ukEnglish
        2·
        7 days ago

        https://www.etymonline.com/word/chav

        chav(n.)

        “antisocial youth,” British slang, by 2004, apparently from earlier charver “loutish young person wearing designer-style sportswear,” Northern British slang (1997) of uncertain origin. Earlier it was a verb in homosexual slang for “have sex.” Perhaps ultimately from Romany (Gypsy).

      • fakeman_pretendname@feddit.ukEnglish
        3·
        7 days ago

        Pretty much all the “etymology is an acronym” things are all fabricated bollocks, spread as a joke, accidentally taken to be true. You get exceptions like “twoc(k)” for nicking cars, but all that “fornication under consent of the king” and “prisoner of mother England” and so on is all a load of shit.

        Apparently one of the more likely origins for “chav” is a Romani (“gypsy”) word for “child”.