Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class

Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class

by Owen Jones
Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class

Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class

by Owen Jones

Paperback

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Overview

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 word: chavs.

In this acclaimed investigation, Owen Jones explores how the working class has gone from “salt of the earth” to “scum of the earth.” Exposing the ignorance and prejudice at the heart of the chav caricature, he portrays a far more complex reality. The chav stereotype, he argues, is used by governments as a convenient figleaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems and to justify widening inequality. Based on a wealth of original research, Chavs is a damning indictment of the media and political establishment and an illuminating, disturbing portrait of inequality and class hatred in modern Britain. This updated edition includes a new chapter exploring the causes and consequences of the UK riots in the summer of 2011.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781839760921
Publisher: Verso Books
Publication date: 10/27/2020
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Owen Jones is a writer, commentator and activist. He writes frequently for the Guardian, Independent and New Statesman, and has worked in Parliament as a trade union lobbyist and parliamentary researcher, helping Labour plan backbench rebellions on issues ranging from civil liberties to workers’ rights. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Strange Case of Shannon Matthews 13

2 Class Warriors 39

3 Politicians vs Chavs 73

4 A Class in the Stocks 109

5 'We're all middle class now' 139

6 A Rigged Society 169

7 Broken Britain 185

8 Backlash 221

Conclusion: A New Class Politics? 247

Notes 271

Acknowledgements 283

Index 285

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