Nesu Kwaramba brings the latest Word on the Street to help Christian parents understand roadmen, chavs and drill
“Wagwan fam? What you tellin’ me?”
Would you know how to respond if someone said this to you in the street?
Most of us would struggle — that’s because it’s roadman. Yep, that’s a thing. Here’s the translation: “Hey man, what’s up?”
Historically, the term roadman was used to describe men who worked on roads, repairing them. However, among today’s young people, the term is used rather differently. The same can be said of the word chav — a term derived from the Romani words chavo and chavvy, meaning young boy and baby (or child), respectively. Like roadman, this word has also evolved to represent a specific cultural identity among young people in the UK.
The evolution of roadman and chav
The meanings of roadman and chav have changed over the last three decades. Chav used to be a derogatory label referring to the white working-class poor who wore certain clothes and were often engaged in dangerous, criminal, and anti-social behaviour. It became synonymous with a type of “wrong” whiteness. Unsurprisingly, for some members of the public, this word is deemed offensive.
Perhaps just as harmful is the overarching “It’s me and my crew against the world… and I don’t care what others think” rhetoric that is dear to the roadman and the chav
But chav, as a word, lost its lure at the beginning of the 2010s, and the roadman came to the fore as its successor. A roadman is typically a streetwise young man who is engaged in criminal activities — such as selling drugs — and other anti-social behaviour. The roadman is identified by his trademark apparel: North Face puffer jackets, Nike Air Max 97s, a shutter bag, a balaclava, and sagged trousers, as well as his inimitable roadman lingo (an admixture of Cockney English and Jamaican slang).
What’s more, the roadman is also closely linked to a particular musical genre: drill music. Drill music usually valorises gang violence, relational (and sexual) promiscuity, drug use, and profligate spending — sponsored by money from who knows where!
By the early 2020s, chav had made a comeback as the female counterpart of the male roadman, characterised by cheap sweats, patchy fake tan, liberal use of lipstick, and a fixation with designer labels like Gucci and Balenciaga.
Roadman and chav today
While not entirely representative of UK youth, the roadman and the chav have assumed significant prominence among today’s teenagers. Roadman and chav culture is evident in youth music, fashion, language, and behaviour. Unfortunately, at their core, these cultural constructs often champion violence and illegal activities, such as drug sale and consumption, as well as knife crime — themes frequently found in drill lyrics.
Moreover, most drill music is replete with imagery that objectifies women and celebrates sexual promiscuity, while promoting flagrant spending on designer clothing that most young people (or their parents!) can’t afford. Drill suggests that happiness is attained through relational and sexual promiscuity, the acquisition of expensive possessions, and self-glorification.
Perhaps just as harmful is the overarching “It’s me and my crew against the world… and I don’t care what others think” rhetoric that is dear to the roadman and the chav.
Parents can help
Parents can support young people in a world of roadman and chav culture by helping them become conscious consumers, understand the consequences of these behaviours, and redefine what it means to be “cool.”
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Conscious consumers
One thing parents can do — whether their children conform to the customs (Romans 12:2) of roadmen and chavs or not — is to inform them of the history behind these cultural constructs. Of course, curiosity is key! “You’ve got a very distinct dressing style — tell me what inspired it?”
After curiosity, we can reveal that (1) these identities were born out of brokenness — environments marked by gang violence, minimal socio-economic opportunities, poverty, heartbreak, and hopelessness; and (2) our music becomes our musings — what we consistently meditate on, we eventually manifest.
Christ’s cool is not culture’s cool, and that ultimately, Christ’s cool leads to life — and life to the full (John 10:10)
On more than one occasion, when discussing music with a young person, I’ve suggested we read the lyrics together — and then had to ask them why they prefer not to read them out loud.
We can also inform them that the word chav, to some people — especially Gen X and Boomers — is offensive, as it denigrates the (historically) white British working class and suggests their supposed inferiority.
Consequences
Highlighting the consequences of emulating roadman and chav culture can also be extremely helpful in guiding young people’s choices.
Consuming drugs can result in mental and physical ill-health, affecting your ability to work and maintain relationships. A conviction for drug sale or possession can lead to imprisonment. Relational and sexual promiscuity can result in heartbreak and can negatively affect self-esteem, self-worth, and value — as well as leading to teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
Furthermore, spending flagrantly on exorbitantly priced clothing is unsustainable and may prevent young people from affording the things they truly need in life.
Understanding these consequences might help a young person think twice about what they believe is peng (meaning excellent or attractive).
Redefining ‘cool’
Redefining peng — especially from Christ’s perspective rather than culture’s — is often what’s required. Do girls actually think designer clothes, a chic tan, and generous amounts of makeup are what make someone beautiful and valuable? How does this square with God’s advice that external beauty is fleeting, but that a truly valuable and praiseworthy woman is industrious, wise, dignified, and fears God (Proverbs 31)? Does winning in life actually depend on the abundance of one’s possessions? (Luke 12:15)
We might ask a young man: “Does more stuff mean more life — or do we get more out of life when we prioritise others rather than ourselves?” (Acts 20:35) How do we reconcile the roadman’s rapacious behaviour with God’s wisdom that good relationships and integrity are to be prized above riches? (Proverbs 22:1; Proverbs 28:6)
In this way, we can help young people renew their minds — to assure them that Christ’s cool is not culture’s cool, and that ultimately, Christ’s cool leads to life — and life to the full (John 10:10).
