Original Meaning of Ghetto
A ghetto is a Latin word for a factory that makes weapons The whole area where the factory was located came to be known as the ghetto. This just happened to be the area chosen to put the Jews.
Calling it a ghetto had nothing to do with the Jews being Jews. Neither was it called a ghetto because they were low-class, poor, criminals or the area was rundown.
Basic Meaning of Ghetto Today
Based on the original meaning of the word ghetto, if you currently live in a place where there's a factory that makes weapons, then you live in a ghetto.
For us today, a usable definition of ghetto is:
A defined geographical area where people who share a similar characteristic are separated. This separation can be either forced or by choice.Do I Live In A Ghetto?
Probably. Can you identify any common characteristic you share with the people where you live? If so, you live in a ghetto.
Many of the poor, middle class and rich live in ghettos. College towns have a ghetto component. Some gays live in ghettos. Martha's Vineyard is a ghetto. The Jews today live in ghettos by choice. Many church goers and parishioners live in ghettos. The Kennedy complex is a ghetto. The Quakers and Mormons live in ghettos. Gated communities are ghettos. Beverly Hills is a ghetto. Monks live in ghettos for three different reasons: ethnicity, religion and gender. People who perform similar work and live in the same area are in a ghetto. Some people live in intellectual ghettos. When Americans go to other countries and work, they often live in a common area – ghetto. This list can go on and on.
To say, “That's ghetto!” is not saying much unless you identify what characteristic makes it so. Even at that, how useful is the word ghetto anyway. It only tells us people in an area are similar. Why not let the characteristic speak for itself and ghettover the word ghetto?
References:
http://www.answers.com/topic/ghetto
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005059
as we know today the term Ghetto is used in reference to the minority community, i.e. poor african americans. when i hear the reference i usually resopond with a "yeah thats trailer park" ya know? ha, ha. in real terms the creative ability of people who have limited financial means should not be overlooked, their ability to overcome common obstacles is a demonstration of perserverance and inventivness. Ghetto equals determined survivors.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming you use trailer park as in "poor white trash," as the term is most commonly used. I believe you're trying to get someone using the word ghetto in the black sense to realize it can apply to whites as well. If that's your intent, then using another extreme could cause the person to rethink how they use the word. I doubt it though unless you make it clear, since many are convinced ghetto applies to one group only; therefore they will not sense your subtlety.
ReplyDeletePeople all over the world are creative when they must rely on their intuitions and who do not place all fulfillment in modern inconveniences. This is how the greatness of humans evolved to magnificent levels tens of thousands of years before the Industrial Age and long before guns. The people who can't handle limited finances are those who have no depth of overcoming in their ancestry except through deceit and war.
So yes, people who are able to lift themselves above succumbing live in intellectual ghettos formed of necessity and determination that transcend the barriers of men.
BTW: Heaven and Hell are both ghetto.