I am so sick of hearing people use the word "ghetto" for every thing. Why is that?

Question

I wonder if people really know what it means. Or do people just assume? And how come most times, its used in reference to minorities?

--also I hear mostly lots of people that aren't minorities use this word....

Answer 1

Hey I know the real answer!

OK the word ghetto means a like place where a group of people live. For example they placed the Jews in ghettos in Nazi Germany and there are Italian ghettos in New York. It was also used to described where blacks lived, i.e. black ghettos.

As the word became more accustomed to the black tongue, blacks use to say 'I live in the ghetto for short'. Thus when things that are stereotypically only found and done in black ghettos or the people who live in them (black, white, Latino, etc) it was labeled as ghetto.

OK, so lalala as black culture became more mainstream (the Harlem ressiance to now) A lot of blacks who lived in poor neighborhoods who misunderstood the word ghetto used it to desribe their way of life.

So now in today's world the word 'ghetto' is used freely to describe ideally black stereotypes, or things blacks do and all that stuff.

Answer 2

The ghetto has been used to describe certain places, that were historically inhabited by minorites, for decades. Jews lived in ghettos when they were being persecuted.

I can't tell you what people assume. However, meanings change with time. So maybe you just need to learn what the meaning is now.

Answer 3

Honestly, because the ghetto is mostly comprised of minorities. And to be quite honest, blacks use the term "ghetto" more than anyone else. We're not all innocent, you know. Some of us actually perpetuate the problems we so despise.

Answer 4

to me it is not used against minorities, its used for the run down areas of the city/country and places where crime runs the area.

Answer 5

Sorry, I've only heard it to imply that something is run down.