The Word "Ghetto"- What Does it Mean to You?

[Junket]

Nooo no no no no honey thats incorrect.

I dont make alot of money at ALL and I still dress nicely and pair things up appropriately. I stays on the 5 dollar rack ok LOL. There are alot of good looking clothes that you wouldnt know was cheap unless you were told the price.

And on that note, (excuse the double post), if I saw a person dressed respectably I wouldn't assume they were from the ghetto. In fact I'm sure there's plenty of working class folks who unfortunately reside in those areas, that I couldn't pick out of a line up.

A person's attitude will either confirm or deny any assumptions I make about a person based off their dress.

[Doc Durian]

I'm having a Facebook spat with someone about this.

What does the word mean to you? Is it classist? Is it racist?

Discuss...

It has the same relevance in this modern world to "freedom, equality, civil liberty, fairness, sale, and going out of business sale"

There are supposed "ghettos" all around the world.

In reality, a ghetto is any place where others stand over you and you're virtually powerless to stop it.

Mental ghettos, spiritual ghettos, financial ghettos, emotional ghettos, etc etc etc.

It's any place which pop culture doesn't care to point at or call home... unless a blockbuster Bollywood makes some money and drama.

And why I love and respect ghettos.

The people are real.

[Junket]

And why I love and respect ghettos.

The people are real.

Real doesn't always equate to good.

[Doc Durian]

Real doesn't always equate to good.

True, if you're only considering one side of the equation.

Personally, I'd rather instantly see what a person if about instead of having to gauge someone done up in clandestine sociological makeup.

You win some, you lose some in this aspect. But as you go on, you generally come out the winner with a profound respect for the real reality, as few know it. And along the way, you connect, with life.

[ecojeanne]

Personally, I'd rather instantly see what a person if about instead of having to gauge someone done up in clandestine sociological makeup.

.

personally i like trying to figure people out. i get bored if they show their cards straight away...good or bad

[vashti]

It's any place which pop culture doesn't care to point at or call home...

Isn't rap music a part of pop culture nowadays?

[Rollerderby]

new orleans is one of the most unequal areas in the US. the reason black folk believe that they are 'kept down' is because it's partly a mentality that affects their abilities. but also if they come from a poor background which majority do it will be more difficult for them to do better. i'm reading an interesting book about this and there have been studies done where people were asked to do something and compete against each other and then the testers asked them do the test again but before they did it to call out their name, age, race and gender. the black and female among the group did worse the second time around which indicated that having annouced this info to the group somehow affected their psyc and insecurity to do as well and therefore sterotypes etc keep people 'down' by their own doing.

this is also played up by the media in history and race related films. black folk and women in general also create that insecurity among themselves as groups too. it's a real issue that affects millions of people unbeknownst to themselves.

I agree with this. I think a person's ability depends on their mindset.

And on that note, (excuse the double post), if I saw a person dressed respectably I wouldn't assume they were from the ghetto. In fact I'm sure there's plenty of working class folks who unfortunately reside in those areas, that I couldn't pick out of a line up.

A person's attitude will either confirm or deny any assumptions I make about a person based off their dress.

I saw a guy wearing black make-up, mesh gloves and black platform boots the other day, and I had to ride the elevator with him. It was hard not to stare.

He got off at the aids clinic level. I definitely made assumptions.

[tooxshort]

Isn't rap music a part of pop culture nowadays?

Rap isn't always ghetto. Will Smith?

[Doc Durian]

Isn't rap music a part of pop culture nowadays?

Rap is subterfuge, on the definition of "music" and our mentalities, rap culture or other otherwise raised environment.

But so is Pop Culture... they go hand in hand.

[Petit Papillon]

That`s ghetto! Stupid pussies...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVmwqFdz1Zc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVmwqFdz1Zc[/ame]

[Yggdrasil]

Ghetto to me means a place where you stuff people you rather forget about as integrate them in society.

[ecojeanne]

^^sadly true

[DoesntMatter]

I always considered ghetto to be the poor black areas of any city.... Detroit and Flint having the 2 highest ghetto-averages of any city I've been to

[DoesntMatter]

^^sadly true

No, not true at all. This is the very thinking that is ruining this country. Society doesn't tell those people where to go- THEY do. IT'S NOT SOCIETIES FAULT, IT'S THEIRS, don't shift the blame! That's bullshit, and that kind of attitude is ruining the "do it yourself" mentality that made this country successful

When my dad and his family came to this country they had next to nothing. Now, EVERYONE on his side of the family is at least middle class. They grew up in a part of Buffalo with a lot of poor immigrants that is just as poor as the ghetto areas today, but the people living there had the resolve to WORK and DO WELL IN SCHOOL to become successful

[Gribble]

As I recall from high school ghetto and red neck were synonymous, save geography.

A red neck fills the bed of his pickup with water and calls it a jacuzzi. Someone who is ghetto buys rims that are more expensive than his car.

While in general a red neck is thought of to be white and something ghetto is thought to be the product of someone black, truth is the terms no longer have color boundaries.

No, not true at all. This is the very thinking that is ruining this country. Society doesn't tell those people where to go- THEY do. IT'S NOT SOCIETIES FAULT, IT'S THEIRS, don't shift the blame! That's bullshit, and that kind of attitude is ruining the "do it yourself" mentality that made this country successful

When my dad and his family came to this country they had next to nothing. Now, EVERYONE on his side of the family is at least middle class. They grew up in a part of Buffalo with a lot of poor immigrants that is just as poor as the ghetto areas today, but the people living there had the resolve to WORK and DO WELL IN SCHOOL to become successful

I'm very happy that when my dad came to this country with nothing he busted his ass instead of getting a job at Wal-mart or sitting outside a 7-11 waiting for someone to pick him up to build a deck. Thanks to his efforts, his blood, his tears, I get to drag my feet and bitch about how hard I have it while I sit in an air conditioned apartment in a nice part of town. I get to gripe about money not because I can't afford to pay the bills or put food on the table, but because I can't afford to buy the motorcycle I want until next month.