In modern Britain the working class has become an object of fear & ridicule. From Little Britain's Vicky Pollard to the demonization of Jade Goody media & politicians alike dismiss as feckless criminalized & 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 & 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 & economic problems & to justify widening inequality. Based on a wealth of original research Chavs is a damning indictment of the media & political establishment & an illuminating disturbing portrait of inequality & class hatred in modern Britain. This updated edition
Includes:: a new chapter exploring the causes & consequences of the UK riots in the summer of 2010."