Essex is indeed an odd place, but on paper just to same as the other home counties apart from the accents and more traditional Londoners moving there from the East End.
The whole Towie thing made Essex a laughing stock. I lived in Buckhurst Hill/Chigwell where they began filming it and it was pretty true to form. A bunch if little rich kids with no education running riot, but you get that everywhere.
What gets on my tits is people taking the piss out of the Essex/east end accent. Seems like the media/UK in general scorns upon an accent nowadays, with everyone trying to speak in this bland Hampshire droll. I remember in the 90s people tried to talk a bit Essex with the whole Mockney/New Lad/Laddete thing. You used to hear regional accents a lot more on TV. Nowadays everyone tries to talk like Wills and Kate when they come from Colchester. Its like the Essex accent is being ethnically cleansed out of the UK………..
