Gammon (insult)
Pejorative term in British political culture
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In British political culture, gammon is a pejorative term typically used to describe a specific demographic of older white men who express reactionary or right-wing views, particularly in support of Brexit.[1]
The term was coined in this context in 2017. Visually, it compares the complexion of the subject's face to gammon (a type of cured pork), implying a flushed or pink appearance resulting from anger or raised blood pressure.[2] While cutaneous flushing is a physiological response that occurs in all humans, the insult relies on the specific visibility of this reaction on lighter skin tones, using the meat metaphor as a caricature of the "angry white man" archetype.
Archetype and usage
Proponents of the term use gammon as not merely a physical descriptor but in reference to a state of mind or political disposition.[3] Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn who is credited with popularising the term's modern political usage, has described the gammon as a person characterised by a refusal to listen to opposing arguments and a tendency to become visibly angry when their political views are challenged.[2]
The term has sparked debate in the UK regarding whether it constitutes a racial slur. Critics have argued that it targets individuals based on their skin colour and age.[4] Defenders of the term, such as commentator Owen Jones, argue that it is a critique of choice and political attitude rather than an attack on innate racial characteristics.[5]
History
Early use
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The association between the face and cured meat appears in historical literature. In 1604, John Marston wrote "Your devilship's ring has no virtue, the buff-captain, the sallow-westphalian gammon-faced zaza cries" in The Malcontent. In 1838, Charles Dickens used the word gammon in Nicholas Nickleby to mean "nonsense"[6] (a usage that persists in Australian Aboriginal English[7]), but also made comparisons between men and meat in other works.[citation needed]
Modern usage
The term has been used to describe people's complexion without any political connotation. In 2004, a sports feature in The Observer described Rupert Lowe as the "gammon-cheeked Southampton chairman".[8] In 2010, Caitlin Moran wrote in The Times that Prime Minister David Cameron resembled "a slightly camp gammon robot".[9] In 2015, Ruby Tandoh called Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood a "walking gammon joint".[10]
The term's viral political usage began in 2017 when children's author Ben Davis tweeted a picture of nine members of a BBC Question Time audience, referring to them as "the Great Wall of Gammon".[11] The term became popular in this context, particularly on social media.[10][12][13][14][15]