Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class
In modern Britain, the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule. From Little Britain ’s Vicky Pollard to the demonization of Jade Goody, media and politicians alike dismiss as feckless, criminalized and ignorant a vast, underprivileged swathe of society whose members have become stereotyped by one, hate-filled chavs.
In this groundbreaking investigation, Owen Jones explores how the working class has gone from “salt of the earth” to “scum of the earth.” Despite constant media portrayals of the working class as lazy, antisocial, or opportunistic, Jones reveals in this incredible book the reality of the working class. Specifically, that they have been left behind by decades of policies which have served to benefit upper and middle-class communities at the expense of industries which previously provided employment in working-class areas and of schemes which provided relief to those in poverty. In this groundbreaking exploration of socioeconomic status in today’s Britain, Jones exposes how the ‘chav’ stereotype has become a convenient scapegoat for politicians to justify their disengagement with economic and societal problems faced by so many in Britain today.