Why is hatred/dehumanization of the working class so prominent in the UK, when about 60% of the UK population is working class?

Submitted ⁨⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨TinyLittlePuni@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

I keep wondering why class prejudice is treated as so normal in the UK, especially when most people are working class themselves. The slur “chav” shows this clearly. It gets used so casually, almost like it’s harmless, even though it’s aimed at an entire social group. What I can’t figure out is why so few people call it out for the classism it is. Media and politics seem to reinforce the idea that mocking the working class is acceptable, but it still feels strange that so many people go along with it without questioning it. It makes me wonder how something so openly dismissive became such an ordinary part of everyday language.

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serpineslair@lemmy.world ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Not this again… Chav isn’t a fucking slur, if you think it is, then you aren’t using it right.

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- BlackArtist@lemmy.world ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  I’d argue you aren’t using it right, Chav is definitely a slur & Owen Jones would agree it’s a slur. So if you ‘used it right’ what would it be?
  
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  - serpineslair@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Modern day wannabe-gangster tracksuit wearer. Causing trouble, giving other people a hard time cus it makes em feel bigger. Who the fuck is Owen Jones anyway?
    
    Where are you from anyway?
    
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Varyk@sh.itjust.works ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Chav does not mean “working class people” and is not a “slur”.

You’ve got to be the same person with the chav fetish looking for a “polite” chav synonym for your romantic interests and then attacking people.

If you don’t like that word, don’t use it so much.
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Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Gonna need a source.

Also chav /= working class, no matter how much you make this claim and continue to post it.

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Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Quit posting this nonsense under different accounts.

Chav is NOT a derogatory term for working class folks.

This is what I’m going to reply every time you post this garbage.

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines chav as “an insulting word for someone, usually a young person, whose way of dressing, speaking, and behaving is thought to show their lack of education and low social class.”

dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/…/chav

It’s based on behaviour.

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my_hat_stinks@programming.dev ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Most people think they’re middle class and it’s easy to punch down, that’s really all there is to it.

When I was young I remember asking my parents “are we rich or poor?” and I was told we were middle class, it stands out because at the time I didn’t know what that meant. Looking back we were absolutely working class. We were in one of the worst parts of the city and literally just the corner was a street well known for gang violence and crime. The one time I called the cops after being attacked there when they arrived they made sure they were parked in view of security cameras and even called to have sure the cameras were on then and working. Also the only “help” they have was telling me to do it because it wasn’t worth the effort.
We were only slightly better off than everyone else living there, we actually owned our home when many of them were in council housing.

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JASN_DE@feddit.org ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Easy (and absolutely not limited to the UK): they don’t see themselves as being part of that social “group”, they see themselves as someone better/above them. An age-old human trait, really.

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birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Divide and rule. A tale as old as capitalism.

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- TinyLittlePuni@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Why would it be especially bad in the UK, though? What is happening in the UK to cause such widespread class-hate?
  
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  - Apepollo11@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    “Chav” doesn’t mean “working class” in the same way that “penguin” doesn’t mean “bird”.
    
    Heck, some of the chavs I know wouldn’t know work if it hit them.
    
    Chavs are a tiny subset of working class people, in the same way that penguins are a tiny subset of birds.
    
    I live in a northern mill town. Most of my very large extended family are working class (it’d probably be a bit disingenuous for me to claim that I still am, though). They would look at you like you were an idiot if you tried to convince them that chav means them.
    
    Chavs are the kids who hang around with expensive trainers and caps, who have absolutely no qualms about being a nuisance to other people.
    
    They represent a tiny proportion of the working class, and any criticism of them is specifically targeted at them.
    
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