Britons and Yanks tend not to share the same tastes in sports, but one game we never get tired of is flinging trite and only slightly accurate ethnic slurs back and forth across the Atlantic. Over and over, it’s fat, stupid us versus you guys with the bad teeth and worse cooking. High time a new stereotype was thrown into the pot, I say, and “chav” would seem to fit the bill nicely. (Those unfamiliar with the term can learn more by scanning this scholarly article. If you’re ambitious and a real glutton for punishment’ll also want to watch this video.)

Chavs are the UK’s most rapidly growing subgroup, and theyir numbers include several of this blog’s favorite celebrity trainwrecks. So it’s unfortunate that the nanny state and its minions have decided to put an end to the fun. Tom Hampson of the Fabian Society, strong advocates of telling everyone else what to do for the past century, is calling for the term to be banned:

Some uses of some words fall below the threshold of acceptability and some are definitely above it. “Chav” is way above that threshold. It is deeply offensive to a largely voiceless group and — especially when used in normal middle-class conversation or on national TV — it betrays a deep and revealing level of class hatred.

Maybe. Others noted that the term refers to behavior, not economic achievement. Plenty of lower-income people don’t steal from their neighbors and barf on the sidewalk; conversely, Amy Winehouse and that Fielder-Civil thing she’s married to haven’t let their considerable income get in the way of an absolutely chav-tastic lifestyle. As for us, we’re likely to continue using the word regardless of what the Fabians think. It’ll be time to retire the term when these people stop acting like such bloody chavs.