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A review by cynstagraphy
Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class by Owen Jones
2.0
And then you go and spoil it all by doing something stupid like criticising Gordon Brown for calling that bigoted woman 'bigoted'. And by saying that she made 'mild' remarks about immigration. MILD?!
While the book works at telling you the terrifying misdeeds of the conservatives in the UK (specially Thatcher and Cameron), it focuses a bit too much in white, British-born working class people. It's like immigrants or people of colour don't exist to Owen Jones. And when he made the bigoted woman look like a decent working class heroine while patronising her xenophobic remarks, it lost me completely. As a foreign woman of colour with English as a Second Language living in Britain, it was deeply offensive. People with bigoted views about us are evil, regardless of their social class. Thatcher was, Cameron is, and The Bigoted Woman is as well. Her poverty is not going to save her. I refuse to pardon her comments like 'aww poor white English lady, it's because she's broke. I'm so sorry my existence has hurt her feefees'. Life ain't easy for me either!
As soon as I read that paragraph, where Jones says she made 'mild' remarks, I rushed to the library and gave it back right away. Disgusting.
Another thing Jones forgets to mention is that 'chav' was originally intended to describe shallow fashion addicts of any class. Katie Price, Queen of Chavs, has actually always been quite wealthy. The people we see in TOWIE, Desperate Scousewives, Geordie Shore, or whatever, are quite wealthy as well. Working class people don't have enough money to get vajazzles, go on limos, and club every weekend soaked in champagne. I've known more chavs who are middle or lower-middle class than working class. It was the Daily Mail who decided to impose that word on the working class. And it is media in general who sells Jordan/TOWIE/etc. to the masses as what HAS to be achieved to succeed, but when people with lower incomes dare to try it, they consider it tacky and in bad taste. It's all a trap.
Anyway, Owen Jones: there's too much milk on your Sociology coffee.
While the book works at telling you the terrifying misdeeds of the conservatives in the UK (specially Thatcher and Cameron), it focuses a bit too much in white, British-born working class people. It's like immigrants or people of colour don't exist to Owen Jones. And when he made the bigoted woman look like a decent working class heroine while patronising her xenophobic remarks, it lost me completely. As a foreign woman of colour with English as a Second Language living in Britain, it was deeply offensive. People with bigoted views about us are evil, regardless of their social class. Thatcher was, Cameron is, and The Bigoted Woman is as well. Her poverty is not going to save her. I refuse to pardon her comments like 'aww poor white English lady, it's because she's broke. I'm so sorry my existence has hurt her feefees'. Life ain't easy for me either!
As soon as I read that paragraph, where Jones says she made 'mild' remarks, I rushed to the library and gave it back right away. Disgusting.
Another thing Jones forgets to mention is that 'chav' was originally intended to describe shallow fashion addicts of any class. Katie Price, Queen of Chavs, has actually always been quite wealthy. The people we see in TOWIE, Desperate Scousewives, Geordie Shore, or whatever, are quite wealthy as well. Working class people don't have enough money to get vajazzles, go on limos, and club every weekend soaked in champagne. I've known more chavs who are middle or lower-middle class than working class. It was the Daily Mail who decided to impose that word on the working class. And it is media in general who sells Jordan/TOWIE/etc. to the masses as what HAS to be achieved to succeed, but when people with lower incomes dare to try it, they consider it tacky and in bad taste. It's all a trap.
Anyway, Owen Jones: there's too much milk on your Sociology coffee.