What is Ghetto?

 

                Walking down the halls of my high school. I started noticing several things about my peers. Normally I am not the person who notices things. I’ll get to that in a second. Let me just say something. I come from typical suburban high school with the clean cut all American kids. Even the Town is nice; almost too nice if you ask me.  There are Wealthy folks here and there but most people that live here are the hardworking upper middle class. I have to say even the minorities around here live quite nicely. Pretty well off considering the fact that minorities are usually branded with the typical stereo type of living in urban slums and such.  I’m not trying to tell you that my town is so nice and picture perfect. Even though it may sound like that. I’m just trying to show you how this analyzation of mine came to be.

Going back to the halls of my high school, I think its funny how certain words are tossed around like they are nothing. Various times I have come across certain situations and conversations where people have used the term “Ghetto”. I am no one to judge anyone here because I have used that word myself but do half of these kids know what it is? Or maybe even realize what it is to be? Now I know most people know what the words means but, do they know that this word “ghetto” has evolved for many years, centuries even. Now days it seems to be that this word has incorporated itself into American pop-culture. This word has been taken to a whole other level. So I ask you, friend, “What is Ghetto?”

                Webster’s dictionary would describe the word Ghetto as follows: “A section of a city occupied by a minority group who live there especially because of social, economic or legal pressure.” Also “An often walled quarter in a European city to which Jews were restricted beginning in the Middle Ages. Both of these definitions would be politically correct. Historically though, the word ghetto was originally used to refer to a part of a city to which Jews were restricted. The first ghetto ever created was in Venice, Italy in 1516, and from then on the use of this word has spread to denote similar characteristics in other cities. Not only just for Jews but for other minorities as well. The word has gone through many changes and is now most commonly used to isolate a slum area.

                Ghetto was also used to describe poor living situations for minorities but mostly to describe the living conditions of blacks. There are two new terminologies for the word “ghetto”. There are negative connotations and positive connotations. The negative connotation for the word ghetto would be something that is lame, cheap or distasteful. An example would be something along the lines of: “Jane hid her head in embarrassment as her mom shamelessly committed the ghetto act of stuffing the restaurant’s bread rolls, sugar packets, and silverware in her purse.” Clearly in this quote the girl is embarrassed because her mom is being cheap and taking the food home. Implying that she is being “Ghetto”.  There is also the positive connotation which would be something that is “Ghetto” is good. Something you may hear walking down the hall is “John looks good with his Do-Rag and Bling-Bling necklace. I love that Ghetto style.” This is a simple example of what some people connect the word with. If you look at it from the positive connotation ghetto is a sort of style. This would consist of baggy jeans, Nike sneakers and just flashy urban dress. When you think of it this word has a lot to do with race and class in this day and age. I believe that this word points out a socio-economic status but, it specifically would relate to an “African American” in the United States.

Ghetto used to be a way we could classify the living quarters for minorities. Now we use it in the same way but we use it to describe certain actions, the way we dress and even the way we speak. So next time you hear the word “ghetto” in a conversation listen and see how it is used. You’ll see my point was proven.