A chav is a hippy, a hippy is a chav!

I grew up being bullied by what we now call ''chavs''. They effectively made the majority of my child hood a living hell! So, as a result, I left school early in order to live my life free of daily abuse. From the age 10 - 18 I hated chavs to the core. If they ever came up in converstation I would become heated and passionately express my feelings about them. I felt like I wanted the whole world to know just how low a scum they are. When I was 19 I moved to Totnes, Devon. Totnes being famously known for its hippy vibe and alternative culture. I was surrounded by chav haters... I felt like I had entered heaven! It wasn't long before I began working with the ultimate chav! From the start we were at eachothers throats at any given chance. Untill one day she made a joke, I laughed, made a joke back and she laughed... strangely, from that moment on, we became friends! She also became the first person I told my deepest darkest secerets to, and so did she in return. We had built a peculiar bond. We couldnt have been more different and opposite to eachother, yet we would confide in eachother and make obscene jokes. She would look out for me if I got any unwanted male attention, she cooked me meals and I looked after her son. We got high together and laughed our heads off untill we were blue in the face. We went to parties and met a whole variety of intersting people. For a while we were pretty inseprable! I had my ''hippy'' friends, and through her I met more chavvy type people, who, alot of them, believe it or not, were just as nice as my soft and squidgy slightly dippy hippy buddies. Although, again, complete oposites!
Because of her, and the people I met through her, my gaurds had come down when it came to chav like people. I learned not to judge them and I also learned a whole lot about them and why they come across, and often are, such terrors in our society. When you look at many of their backgrounds, its actually not that surprising. The amount of mothers I met who were careless and couldnt string two sentences together without using the word 'FUCK' at least 5 times, it opened my eyes and made me realise these kids had just been dragged up as aposed to being bought up! No wonder they're so pissed off! The whole town couldnt believe I was running around with these new found friends. People would approach me and ask why I was hanging around with them ''your so different'' they would say ''you deserve better friends than that, it doesn't make any sence'' and I couldnt help but feel completely offended. I new this girl inside out, I knew all her troubles in life and experiences that were so horrific they had shaped her into who she is today, a pretty loud mouthed, unaproachable angry person who doesnt know where to turn for help, and probably isn't even aware she might need help! My heart sank when I would hear her troubled stories and for some one to instantly knock her down would really put a dent in me.
A few years on we parted as friends, went our seperate ways and lost touch. What amazed me even more than all the above was the amount of times people would say to me ''thank god your not friends with her anymore, it didnt suit you, you can do much better'' these people being supposed hippies...hippies being defined as loving natured people, who stand for a open mind and positive changes in society. Well it quickly came to my attention that chavs are a nightmare for society and individuals who can get caught up in them in the wrong way, and the modern day hippy is just a image for people who have probably, at some point in life, been bullied themselves, only through life they carry with them a anger towards certain types of people and certainly dont have a open mind beyond anything alternative! They find sanctury in the modern hippy culture but with it create a very closed minded approach to anything out side of their circle! I am forever hearing ''hippies'' putting down chavs, chavs put down hippies too...so your equals, get over it, move on, and start accepting people as individuals and stop defining every one by the outer image they choose to create for them selves!
I have been bought up by very alternative parents and in a real hippy like enviroment, I went to ferstivals almost every year throughout my childhood and got to hang out with alot of crazy hippies in my life. So some could say I'm a hippy, but I personally dont think that highly the modern day hippy as i find most of them to be just as judge mental as chavs. The 60s got it right when it came to the alternative scene! I am most certainly not a chav and probably couldn't be further from it. I dont talk like one, dress like one, live like one or act like one. But this little experience sums it up for me...
When I first hung out with my friend and got introduced to alot of other 'chavs' they would instantly blow up in my face and say things like ''err you fucking hippy'' etc and I just wouldn't take it, Id laugh at them and say ''yeh, whats wrong with that?'' usually, they wouldn't have much of a responce to come back at me with, so i figured their little comment was really quite meaningless and they don't actually know what they are talking about, so we would go on to talk about some thing else. Others would answer my question with ''well you don't wash, hippies don't wash'' and I would reply ''well I can assure you I have a bath every single night, and if i dont its just because iv been too busy partying! I don't think you actually know what a hippy is do you?'' They would think about it for a second, quickly forget it and move onto some thing else. Either way, most of them would say a comment to start with but quickly move on from it, I would force conversation upon them and they would realise pretty quickly we could get along. We would have a laugh and quite often have some pretty intense conversations about their view on things. Either way, if you gave them a chance, they would quickly forget what you look like and just get on with things! Then one day, I approached a 'hippy' for a lighter, I was dressed in heels (I fancied tarting myself up for the day) had a vintage mini dress on and lots of 60s make up...now back in the 60s I probably would have made a instant friend with this hippy, but with the modern day version thats not quite the way it goes, he looked me up and down rolled his eyes and gave me a lighter! The friends he was sat with were throwing me funny looks, I felt so awkward, I tried to make conversation about their dog (as my pup was attempting to play with it but getting the same shut off reaction as me!!) and they just ignored everything I was saying. So I politely thanked them and walked off! A few weeks later I saw the same group of people, this time i was in my much more hippy festival get up...I thought they would remember me from before so as I walked past I said hello, they all waved or said hello back, my dog started sniffing their dog and I got stuck again 'shit' I thought 'here comes the awkward conversation attempt' only I didnt have to, they were all bombarding me with conversation ''what breed is your dog? she's gorgeous'' weird i thought, I had told them about my dog before! They offered me some of their whiskey, ''are you on holiday'' they asked... again 'weird' I started thinking, surely they would know Im not on holiday as they saw me a few weeks ago, if they don't remember me they would remember my insanely cute puppy! So i said ''no, dont you remember I met you before, asked for a lighter'' they all looked at me confused, The guy suddenly sparked up ''oh shit, that was you?!! god you look so different!''...what a odd responce! I learned from that experience, If i looked like a hippy i was warmly welcomed into their circle, If I looked like a tart they couldnt give me the time of day! Chavs however...just seem to hate everyone! They hate eachother, they often fuck eachother over, and they hate hippies, business men, teachers, grannies, their parents...everyone! Usually because, when you look a little beyond the surface, its because they have a pretty good reason for ending up like they have!
Now I choose my friends wisely. I tend to not have a group of friends so much as lots of individual gorgeous big hearted friends. When I had a group of chav friends, there was too much chaos and back stabbing, when I had a group of hippy friends, there was too much ego going on, which led me to think no one was really being themselves and people were quietly backstabbing eachother also, just over time and not quite so obviously as with chavs! Its all part of growing up and learning. I dont judge people instantly by their cover anymore, unless the moment i meet them they are being a complete asshole of course! I like getting to know people individually, and for that I have some of the most individual, special and amazing friends I can trust wholly and completely!