Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?
Discuss issues that have a social and cultural impact, including but not limited to issues such as racism, teenage pregnancies, the social impact of religion, and the state of the education system.
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?I agree.(Original post by The Dr Shah)
Procrastinating when I shouldn't be but I like ranting about this subject.
People who are born and raised in environments where they have been given very middle class lifestyles all their life feel like they're missing out on something that working class people have - some supposed reason to be "ghetto" (in their mind)..
It's like having been in an environment they consider "a "boring" background at home, they really want to try and fit in and so erode their own sort of background/personality/upbringing to try and fit in where they feel they've been missing out on.
And don't thumb this comment down or tell me it isn't true, because I am very working class but have gone through middle-class schooling all my life (which honestly I'm grateful for) and I know too many people that act like they are hoodrat or ghetto or just like they come from some rough background when daddy and mummy are some of the most intelligent in their professions. I also have a tonne of people who ahve agreed with me on this point, and a tonne more that will never quite grasp it. It's about some sort of rebellion these lot feel they have to go through, and people try moulding themselves into something they really are not.
And I'm not saying everyone wants to be working class - no - but a lot of middle class people act this way because honestly, they seem to think that's how to fit in.
I'd say people really need to be themselves more, but I kind of believe some people act and do things because they themselves lack truly independent personality - and it really is common-place.
Most of the words the OP mentioned are so outdated its laughable. I mean who still says "chung" , haven't heard that since I was about 15. The vocabulary of the inner-city yout' has since evolved.
Using outdated slang to sound "cool"?! Nah...makes you look like a fool.Last edited by g_star_raw_1989; 15-04-2012 at 18:51. -
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?Ha, 'chong' is so old! I don't really understand the rest of them.
I overheard someone say 'dutty teefing' in a conversation today. What on earth does that mean?!
(Seriously, I will rep if anyone can tell me...I've even tried to google it
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?Dirty thieving I presume. See heroine of hackney on youtube.(Original post by Pandabär)
Ha, 'chong' is so old! I don't really understand the rest of them.
I overheard someone say 'dutty teefing' in a conversation today. What on earth does that mean?!
(Seriously, I will rep if anyone can tell me...I've even tried to google it)
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?Ha, thanks ! That had been annoying me all day. I'll rep when TSR lets me(Original post by Bonged.)
Dirty thieving I presume. See heroine of hackney on youtube.
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?It's just plain embarrassing for anyone to use it frankly. I use slang but slang that's been around for decades if not centuries. This new slang just does not match up, I consider it a corruption of English.
"Hype", "par"....
Please, be quiet.
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?I fit your stereotype for class background/location, etc, but I don't know most of those words, other than "buff" - what on earth does "wasteman" refer to?(Original post by GoingInsane)
I go to quite a prestigious university and many of the people I hang around with are generally privately educated and very middle-class and many live in rural areas.
However, many of them insist of using urban slang, more associated with people from urban, inner-city areas, mainly London. So they're using words like "bare, ,chung, sick, wagwan, buff, endz, cotchin, wasteman" etc..
It really makes me cringe when I have to listen to them talking but at the same time I'm left wondering just why? Are they trying to be "cool"? -
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?Apparently chung is another way of saying a girl is hot(Original post by GottaLovePhysics! :))
Cotch: its like jam, or chill or stay in one place.
Cotchin, the act of.
Chung: no idea
In my area, we use jam, not cotch
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?I am privately educated and some of the people in my year and some of my friends speak like this mockingly... however some of them, I'm not so sure if they are mocking...
Last edited by 08rbut; 15-04-2012 at 17:50. -
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?I've had a think (OK yah) and suggest the following plausible meanings for those very odd terms of what I understand are "street" sayings. How quaint.
Bare - A lack of clothing seems most obvious here, although possibly a crude sexual reference is implied. How dreadful.
Chung - As in Alexa? I think this must refer to a love of endlessly rotating and variable fashions, carried off in a mildly fey, slightly Asian manner.
Sick - Poorly or unwell. Clearly the same word is used at the Roots level as in common discourse amongst educated people in this case.
Wagwan - The state induced by eating regularly at Wagamama's. Can be rectified via the use of designer English or French consomme.
Buff - Clean, polished. How refreshing to see an old word back in popular usage amongst the young people.
Endz - As in "Split Endz" presumably. Hair problems.
Cotchin - A place in China noted for an oil extracted from ants. Marvellous how knowledgeable hoodies are these days.
Wasteman - A council recycling officer. A very socially responsible person. Marvellous! The Big Society message is really reaching down to the ordinary person. -
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?wasteman is a generally an insult to someone who does nothing good with their lives(Original post by zara55)
I fit your stereotype for class background/location, etc, but I don't know most of those words, other than "buff" - what on earth does "wasteman" refer to?
e.g a college dropout/ no job could be called a "wasteman"
or you can use it just as a generally insult
"should we meet up with raheem?"
"nah man allow him he's a wasteman" -
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?(Original post by zara55)
I've had a think (OK yah) and suggest the following plausible meanings for those very odd terms of what I understand are "street" sayings. How quaint.
Bare - A lack of clothing seems most obvious here, although possibly a crude sexual reference is implied. How dreadful.
Chung - As in Alexa? I think this must refer to a love of endlessly rotating and variable fashions, carried off in a mildly fey, slightly Asian manner.
Sick - Poorly or unwell. Clearly the same word is used at the Roots level as in common discourse amongst educated people in this case.
Wagwan - The state induced by eating regularly at Wagamama's. Can be rectified via the use of designer English or French consomme.
Buff - Clean, polished. How refreshing to see an old word back in popular usage amongst the young people.
Endz - As in "Split Endz" presumably. Hair problems.
Cotchin - A place in China noted for an oil extracted from ants. Marvellous how knowledgeable hoodies are these days.
Wasteman - A council recycling officer. A very socially responsible person. Marvellous! The Big Society message is really reaching down to the ordinary person.
This made me smile
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Re: Why are privately educated middle-class using urban slang?Haha lol(Original post by zara55)
I've had a think (OK yah) and suggest the following plausible meanings for those very odd terms of what I understand are "street" sayings. How quaint.
Bare - A lack of clothing seems most obvious here, although possibly a crude sexual reference is implied. How dreadful.
Chung - As in Alexa? I think this must refer to a love of endlessly rotating and variable fashions, carried off in a mildly fey, slightly Asian manner.
Sick - Poorly or unwell. Clearly the same word is used at the Roots level as in common discourse amongst educated people in this case.
Wagwan - The state induced by eating regularly at Wagamama's. Can be rectified via the use of designer English or French consomme.
Buff - Clean, polished. How refreshing to see an old word back in popular usage amongst the young people.
Endz - As in "Split Endz" presumably. Hair problems.
Cotchin - A place in China noted for an oil extracted from ants. Marvellous how knowledgeable hoodies are these days.
Wasteman - A council recycling officer. A very socially responsible person. Marvellous! The Big Society message is really reaching down to the ordinary person.
generally with the slang the words just mean the exact opposite of what they usually mean
e.g bare normally means nothing/not a lot... in slang it means a lot/large
again with sick... sick means cool/amazing
not sure if you were joking as surely you have heard and know what these mean
endz is where you live
wagwarn means whats up/hi a greeting
Buff is meana mean fit but not really used
cotching just like chilling
wasteman is just an insult derived from someone doing nothing constructive with their live e.g raheem just dropped out of college, what a wasteman
Chung- i have never heard of this once
hope i helped
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