The Chav Buzzword Backlash

The backlash against the sudden rise to popularity of the term 'Chav' as an insultory term seems to have well and truly started. The term itself has been around for ages - it was bandied about tons during my years at a sixth form in Essex three years ago - but seemed to be everywhere around Christmas time. There were atleast two cash-in books published: The Little Book of Chav Speak and Chav! A User's Guide to Britain's New Ruling Class, and the term was referenced everywhere. UCL Union held a 'Chav Night' themed party, and I'm sure it wasn't the only one.

However, I've recently started to see several people suggesting that the term might not actually be that funny, as it's really just deriding the lower classes. Rare FM posted a sarcastic comment a while back. This week, Julie Burchill defended Chavs on a Sky One programme, as reported by the Grumpies. UCL rag Pi Magazine also featured a decent commentary on the issue on the back page.

No doubt use of the term will continue, but perhaps people will start to think before they use it?