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What is Ghetto and why do we fear being called Ghetto? How can we change something if we fear it or deny its existance within us? More important, how can we reach out to the Ghetto part of our "Black in America" family when we look down on them? Set me straight!
Posted By: Dr. Ahmad Glover
Thursday, July 31st 2008 at 3:00PM
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for starters, let us stop desegregating ourselves from those who we feel are "Ghetto", what the hell is ghetto anyways, other than another derogatory word to describe, primarily poor, low income, disenfranchised, and poorly educated blacks.
Ignorance, only creates more ignorance. Most folks that are ignorant do not know it. So as we all start as a small ball of clay, mold and socialize folks. Speak to them on their level and meet them were they are. Why are WE so against helping one another, yet all for tearing another man down, because of how he speaks, dresses or his living environment. I do not know the solution to the problems, other than not being part of the problem myself and helping others who cannot help themselves. Helping those with kind words or organizing folks around certain issues. Some people do not know how to change their situation so they either get comfortable or angry. The angry ones, do something...the comfortable or should I say, "ghetto minded" individuals, what can we as black professionals pull our ghetto brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers to our waist side. Fear of each other stops us from coming together. Non blacks do not have that issues, they look out for their own. We are taught to hate and tear down one another, including ourselves. In order to change a problem, you have the change the mindset of the people.
You cannot change a problem with the same mind that created it...
Thursday, July 31st 2008 at 3:17PM
Fareeda Mabry
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Ghetto is a physical place where people dwell. Being ghetto is the mental state of being incapable of rationize thought (basically ignorance). I don't think people deny it exists but some people deny needing therapy or just have been denied a quality education or denied having parents that truly are concern about the mental health of their children. You can live in the ghetto and not be ghetto.
We can reach out to the ghetto by not being scare to enter it. Some people left and never came back to improve the situation (except for the fortunate suburban blacks, who were raised there). And now their too good to lift someone up. That person MIGHT not have fell in the first place if there was someone who cared enough to keep him/her in check. All these black people with BA's, BS's, Master's, there PHD degrees left the community. They took with them the intelluctual thought, the examples, the know-how and the love and preparation of the ghetto which provided them the experiences (good & bad) to succeed. They did not past it down to the next cohort of the ghetto.
"Reach out" is a poor choice of words. I would suggest "going all in" and making a difference. Get involve in anyway you can. Example: if you are a lawyer come to a school or afterschool program and do some mock trials. Show the youth how that system works, I mean the verbiage, attire, presentations, everything. I'll make it a 2 month pilot. Where you build up to the mock trial. Or if your interest is basketball, volunteer with the school or afterschool program and start a team. But only allow the youth to play if they attend workshops or the 2 month lawyer pilot. Just a thought!
Thursday, July 31st 2008 at 3:41PM
Kenneth X
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people also call other people Ghetto...
Ghetto can be a person, place, thing or an action. And just to piggy back on an earlier comment, people are no more fortunate living in the suburbs than living in the so called Ghetto...They may be exposed to more resources, support systems, etc...Look at Columbine, Virginia Tech and all other massacres that happens in these so called fortunate suburbia neighborhoods.
Many people do not come back and those that do, who are from the community and for the community, understand the concept, it takes a village to raise a child. And they are the Harriet Tubams, Barack Obama's, Martin Luther Kings and Ghandi's of our time.
From my perspectives, those that do not come back to lift those as they have been lifted, are the arrogant and selfish ones who are to full of themselves to know, that no matter how many degrees you have or letters you have behind their name, they are still viewed as a negro.
Blacks love and hate who they are. Insecurities, crab in the barrel, self degradation etc, everyone wants to be a n*gga yet no one wants to be a n*gga.
And as for the "American Dream" tah! it depends on what side of the American lens you are looking through. For me, the American Dream only exist for some, not all. Affirmative action, laws, politics and the struggle of the civil rights era speak more to me than the American Dream, more like an American Nightmare
Ghettos are developed and systematically built. We as people have the power to tear these barrier down. Only we can help ourselves. We are such a blessed and powerful race of Queens and Kings, why do we not see it. Because we are systematically, and institutionally beat down and disenfranchised.
The media brainwashes the public and creates vicious intimidating images of black men on television and we only perpetuate this way of thinking in our behaviors and actions towards each other. Did the system fail us or did we fail the system. More men in jail than a college degree...Some say, nature versus nurture...Other say, we are the creators of our destiny...what do you say?
Thursday, July 31st 2008 at 7:47PM
Fareeda Mabry
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Thanks Tamiko! I could not have asked a better question...I do not have the answer, yet I am so intrigued to know myself :-)
thanks Sis, be blessed
Friday, August 1st 2008 at 1:50PM
Fareeda Mabry
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First of all.. "ghetto" was a term for where Jews lived in Germany, and before the Nazis stripped them of their rights and their money, they were nice places to iive.
Second.. for osme reason a segment of our community likes to define themselves as being "ghetto" complete with clothing ines, language and attitude. Why? I don't know
Third, unfortunately in order to be suvessful we all have learned, the hard way that we must accociate with people with like mindsets and goals. This is not a popular thing to recognize and deal with. You can't get to college if all your homies are cracking on you while you're studying your a** off. You're not going to champion abstinece if all your homies are questioning your s*xuality cause you're not aggressively getting any play from anybody. Now we have to change from within, and support those with dreams, and not hate on them, een if that dream is to move around the corner.
Fourth, we have to stop hating on those that have dreams... dreaming can be good. Just make sure those dreams are of positives and not trying to emulae the local ganstas'! Lastly but not least we need to have a common definition of what sucess is, and it has to be beyond materialism Sucess should be about improving the community around us rather than emulalating "Scarface"!
Friday, August 1st 2008 at 1:51PM
r.e jones
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We have all been victims of the redefinition game, through out miseducation. How can we (them) take a word and turn into something that will cause chaos and division? I don't care if someone calls me Ghetto. Nor do I care, if someone says I live in the Ghetto. Before the fear factor was implied on this word, Ghetto, it only referred to a neighborhood.
We have to reeducate ourselves and other. This is what I care about and am striving to do within the 'Ghettoisms'. To slowly do my part to redefine and take the fear out of the chaos.
Wednesday, August 6th 2008 at 12:22AM
Shanise B.
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