About book Chavs: The Demonization Of The Working Class (2011)
An engaging book that analyses the class war being undertaken by the powerful against the British working class.This is not so much a book about Chav culture, more about the demonization and portrayal of working class people in Britain and their treatment in the media and by politicians, in that respect it is a failing of the book in that the positives and richness of working class culture is never really explored (although I do share the authors assertion over middle class culture's current dominance.)(A note about middle class culture - in my opinion all the great music and popular movements have come from working class culture. To be frank, most middle class music etc. is just BORING. It's interesting that in popular music dull as dishwater bands like Coldplay dominate the scene of 'value' which hasn't always been the case. If one thinks of all the great popular music over the last 50 years or so, most of it has come from the working class).Digression over, the book cites the neo-liberal policies of the Thatcher government as the tipping point for the working class, and it's hard not to argue with this. The destruction of the unions and dismantling of industry put millions of people on the scrapheap and turned generations of skilled workers into unskilled manual workers in temporary employment (if they were lucky) or unwell and dependent on state support (if they weren't). The mantra of the right wing press and successive Labour and Conservative governments is to promote a culture of worklessness in the poor and continually and consistently blame the poor for their situation. Jones' key question of 'where are all the jobs for the poor to apply for' cannot be answered because they simply are not there.Jones' makes his points throughout the book with statistical evidence (I suppose there is an argument that you can justify anything with statistics) but it's hard to disagree with him. Any working class person can identify with his key points and they are made with passion.One of the interesting things in the book is the Left's abandonment of class as an issue and how this has created a vacuum where discrimination and prejudice against working class people occurs daily. Quite rightly sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia are challenged by the Left at every opportunity. However, there is massive silence and tacit acceptance of bullying and discrimination against working class people. It isn't even hidden. This is something that has ALWAYS made me very, very angry and shows no sign of change. A working class person has to work much, much harder to catch the breaks in the world of work.There is much in the book related to the treatment of working class people in the media and the caricatures (made by privately educated middle class comedians) in comedy. Poor person baiting is highlighted in programmes like 'Wife Swap' and the 'Jeremey Kyle show' (a show so insidious the host and those working on it should be ashamed off. A show that paints an entire underclass of teenage mothers with multiple partners where everyone is on drugs, steals and doesn't work. Watch this shit for a couple of weeks - the same guests crop up. Clearly Kyle's 'scum' pool isn't as deep as one would think and his 'team' of psychologists are doing a cracking job of support).I did think the opening argument comparing media coverage of the Shannon Matthews case with the Maddie McCann case was a little clumsy. I totally get his point that a middle class child is worth more than a working class one in the eyes of the media (look at the treatment of murdered middle class children compared to working class ones). However, I think any detractors of Jones' book could use his opening chapter to demonstrate 'actually, we're right, she was scum'. I agree totally (and felt at the time) that when Matthews was caught the media frenzy about the poor and 'degenerate' completely ignored the community spirit and goodness of the Dewsbury public. Still, this is where I think Jones struggles a little - he's not working class and although he acknowledges anti-social crime and racism within the working class he does come across as an apologist for it, highlighting the social reasons for this. It is important to highlight how deprivation, lack of employment and other resources impinges on a community but as a working class man I'm not going to make excuses for someone burgling their neighbour or carrying out a race attack. Jones does make the point that the working class are the fiercest opponents of anti-social crime, particularly as they are the victims (which I guess is the point I am making).There's a strong chapter on racism and immigration which could do with expanding on. He scarily predicts the rise of UKIP amongst working class voters (I get that Labour has abandoned the working class and I won't vote for them but any working class person who votes UKIP for 'change' is deluded!). He does pick up on the idea of the 'white working class' being it's own ethnic group (and I think there is a sense of white working class people feeling totally shit on in this country) but he also acknowledges that working class communities are more likely to be diverse and we're more likely to work and live with / have families with people not of our race than middle class people (who of course make the most noise about 'racism' and 'opportunity' and denigrating the working class - action speak louder than words...)There are some great stats in the book, the obvious being that tax evasion costs the country 70 times more than benefit fraud, that most single parents work (and I agree with the idea that teenage single parents may as well start parenthood as a focus for life if there is nothing else to look forward to), that immigration has had no effect on lowering wages (and that this is a process that started long ago).He passionately debunks the myth of 'we're all Middle Class now' and what exactly 'Middle England' is (always makes my blood boil when Labour and the right wing press court a tiny section of the upper Middle Class for votes whilst ignoring millions of ordinary people). He passionately laments the loss of British industry and the strength of the unions. I think the media chapters could be expanded on and explored. Jones' presents a sad but true state of the working class today - disenfranchised, ignored, hated and ridiculed in equal measure, yet working hard every day in low income, unskilled jobs with no opportunity or security. The blame is firmly at the feet of Thatcher's government with successive governments carrying on the work.The stats may date the book quite quickly, I hope that the issues presented are dated too but sadly I doubt it.There wasn't tons in here I learnt as Jones' arguments are quite close to mine but I suspect this book would be explosive in the hands of people first exploring class politics. I am not an economist. My knowledge of economics and politics weren't spectacular and pretty mediocre, however reading this superb, excellently written book really was an eye opener. Not only does Owen Jones write eloquently and fluently, he links ideas perfectly in a way almost anyone can understand. His balanced, consistent and thorough use of statistics as well as expanding ideologies and digging into them, unearthing the roots provides brilliant reading as well as inciting attitude change, you'll find it challenging to argue with his structure and logic.There were points where i didn't understand what was being said, so I had to consult those who were more experienced to explain various things, for example parts to do with fluctuations in the value of currency and it's effect on trade as well as some aspects on housing and taxes. Possibly these parts could've been explained to someone who did have very little knowledge like me, but this would be my only criticism. Owen Jones writes angrily and passionately and I found myself feeling equally infuriated and sensing strong injustice that is going on towards a group in society that is marginalised so badly, there were moments where I thought, "Wow, that is so true, yet I've never actually realised as my own prejudices and ignorance had clouded my perceptions".This is a must buy book for EVERYONE, because we are all viciously affected. It is a book you will not want to put down and is guaranteed to change you as a person.
Do You like book Chavs: The Demonization Of The Working Class (2011)?
Fascinating and intelligent account of the inequalities of modern British society.
—supriya16
Provocative and brilliant. Never has this book been more relevant.
—ftengarrinha
