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Do Non-Black Folk YOU Know Attribute Anything Negative and Tacky to being "Ghetto"? (1745 hits)

I had an interesting conversation with a white friend.. She was talking about her cousin's wedding, and how people were waiting in line to get their food because their weren't enough barbecue pits to cook on (another family member didn't bring hers).

Then, she gigled and said, "It was SO GHETTO." And I kinda chuckled and said, "Don't you mean TRAILER PARK?" She laughed and agreed and said she doesn't know why she almost NEVER hears anyone call the tacky things that white people do 'trailer park' and that EVERYTHING she's ever heard has been called 'ghetto' instead?

Do any of you find that this is true? She's not the first one I've heard do it, but it kinda perplexed me.

Posted By: Dee Gray
Friday, August 22nd 2008 at 8:36PM
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From the standpoint of white America, when we are at our best, it is when we are trying to emulate their speech, dress, politics, religion ect...

So they applaud those of us who make that effort to be more like white folk.

When we try to "keep it hood" which is usually most of us who have come to the conclusion that we have no way out of our condition, they attribute that to black America's "true nature".

Whereas black's who are of foreign decent get afforded the respect of having the culture of a nation behind them, black Americans claim America, which of course was created by the white man so we fall into categories:

Those who want to be like white folks

and those who are ghetto.
Friday, August 22nd 2008 at 11:29PM
Curly Morris

I just don't think ghetto is attributed with only Black people. I think it's more of a general term with something is kind of cheap-o. To me something is trailer park when it's backwards, ignorant, etc. I don't know. I just don't take the word 'gheyyo' as being referential to being Black. Maybe it's just me.
Friday, August 22nd 2008 at 11:47PM
alicia harris

Alicia, I grew up in the projects...aka ghetto. I'm 35 years old and so maybe it's a generaltional thing for me. Perhaps there's something to your point of view because the young lady making the comment was 22. I'll have think about that. Thanks for posting.
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 1:12AM
Dee Gray

Do people even know the definition of a ghetto, here it is:
A ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure.
A Ghetto is formed in three ways:

As ports of entry for racial minorities, and immigrant racial minorities.
When the majority uses compulsion (typically violence, hostility, or legal barriers) to force minorities into particular areas.
When economic conditions make it difficult for minority members to live in non-minority areas.

I grew up in a project also, but under no circumstance would have referred to it as a ghetto, because that was not the mental of the people living there.

Some people don't no how to separate the area from the mental of the people living in said area.

It just appears that all things ignorant and rude and god forbid a person of color is now defined as ghetto.

Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 11:19AM
Marquerite Burgess

Marguerite, thanks for posting. And like you, my mother and my grandmother made sure that we didn't think of ourselves as ghetto-- or project people for that matter. However, ghetto was the word most commonly used when I was growing to describe WHERE we lived, not HOW we lived.

The trailer park was a geographical neighborhood that most poor white people I knew growing up lived in, so I would think that when a negative correlation is formed in their culture, they would use 'trailer park' instead of 'ghetto' if they HAD to use something.

Let me put it this way-- I never heard white people growing up describing a trifling circumstance as ghetto-- ever. Plus, I hear more black people use the word ghetto as an adjective to describe a trifling action. Most commonly, the way some of us talk, especially the wildin' out younger generations...ghetto. A manner of dress that is not, arguably, appealing to the eye...or that is overkill...ghetto. A weave so far out that there's no doubt that not only is it not hers, it's the absolute wrong color for her skin tone...ghetto. Being loud, obnoxious, and unbecoming all while dropping the "f" bomb every other word...ghetto. Being quick to want to publicly engage in loud, profane arguments that usually result in a fight...ghetto.

These are not things that I SAY...these are things I HEAR, especially among our young people.

So it's definitely used by us. I just wondered when it segwayed to what white people use to describe their circumstances. And I'm still scratchin my head.
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 12:14PM
Dee Gray

Dee, I have noticed that every and anything be it positive or negative, white folks tend to adapt to and use to define whatever circumstance it maybe be. It seems as if white folks just want to be us and yet don't want us around all at the same time.

Mister, once anyone can see the forest for the trees they will see that everything about the logic pertaining to this country is twisted and that is exactly the way alot of folks prefer for it to be.
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 7:47PM
Marquerite Burgess

MJ, thanks for chiming in here. I agree with you. This is off topic and I'm furthering your point to Curly. It's aggravating that a correlation can be made about the intelligence, the education, the accomplishments of black people and white people. ...as if they have the market cornered on anything good. ...as if being any positive equates to either being a sellout or wanting the BE white. Why can't succeeding at something just mean that you worked hard and persevered? Why can't it just be as simple as your accomplishments being tied to how adequately you applied yourself? WHY does it have to mean that you're trying to be white? Why? I heard that growing up after myself worked her behind off to get us out of the projecgts. "You just tryin to be white." "You think you're white." I would've hoped that someone up in age...an adult who had a chance to live and accomplish some things of his own...would know better by now.

That actually begs a question, Curly: you're not UNSUCCESSFUL, right? Are YOU trying to be white? Hmmm...
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 9:27PM
Dee Gray

Actually, MJ, I was furthering YOUR POINT *TO* CURLY. ;-)
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 9:29PM
Dee Gray

Marguerite and MJ...I agree. The more I think about it, maybe it IS just that simple. Maybe it IS them assimilating, sotospeak.
Saturday, August 23rd 2008 at 9:32PM
Dee Gray

I was agreeing with your point Mister, but taking it a step further. When you yave people that see things from the ideological viewpoint as Curley's, one has a tendency to consign to the "acting white" nonsense.Curley appears to be blinded by the forest.

For the record, I am highly educated, because I worked my *** off in school to learn, not because I was acting or even trying to be white, but because I wanted to arm myself with the best power one can have, Knowledge.
Sunday, August 24th 2008 at 2:07AM
Marquerite Burgess

This is simple.....it is used by non-blacks when they want to describe anything they consider to be less than them or their status.
Monday, August 25th 2008 at 8:50PM
Ebone Evans

Ms. Ebone Evans - hit the NAIL right on the head!
Ms. Kim
Wednesday, August 27th 2008 at 9:44AM
Kim Greenwell

I don't have to say much, I can say that MJ, Marquerite, and Ebone has spoken the words I collected in my mind to say while I was reading the blogs.
I do feel most of the time the words "ghetto" and "trailer park (trash)" are used in the negative context.
We as African Americans use it to describe as what Ebone has stated. Unfortunately, I have heard teens use it towards each other. Why, do we (I say we because they get it from us, parents) teach our children to put each other down?
Monday, September 15th 2008 at 6:10PM
Cheryl Hendrix

Thanks everyone for chiming in here. :-)
Wednesday, September 17th 2008 at 5:30PM
Dee Gray