Is "ghetto" a firable word?

[Cindy B]

Per Dictionary.com -

ghet-to
1. a section of a city, esp. a thickly populated slum area, inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minority group, often as a result of social or economic restrictions, pressures, or hardships.
2. (formerly, in most European countries) a section of a city in which all Jews were required to live.
3. a section predominantly inhabited by Jews.
4. any mode of living, working, etc., that results from stereotyping or biased treatment: job ghettos for women; ghettos for the elderly.

Origin:
1605–15; < It, orig. the name of an island near Venice where Jews were forced to reside in the 16th century < Venetian, lit., foundry for artillery (giving the island its name), n. deriv. of ghettare to throw < VL *jectāre; see JET 1

But you didn't use urbandictionary.com... you would get a different definition.

 

[Christopher Robin]

But you didn't use urbandictionary.com... you would get a different definition.

Nope, opted to use a real one.

 

[Cindy B]

Nope, opted to use a real one.

Well you never said credible source

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Exactly, since when does the fact that something might be known as teenaged slang make it acceptable in a professional work setting.

I am pretty sure that if most people started going around using negative slang words to describe their boss, their company, their field of work, etc... they wouldn't have that job for long.

Actually, the lawyer didn't call the judge or court "ghetto" directly. She made the comment to another court employee and that employee repeated it to the judge. I'm guessing, and it is only my guess, that the lawyer made the comment in the context of yet another case or record being mishandled by the court. In Cook County, lawyers prefer the term "Circus Court," playing off the actual name "Circuit Court."

As far as the term "ghetto" is concerned, I've seen the term "Pink Ghetto" raised to refer to departments or jobs that receive inferior treatment by the parent entity and that are predominantly staffed by women. The term is pejorative, to be sure, but accurate. It paints a very vivid picture, but it is not vulgar.

I wouldn't classify "ghetto" as solely a slang or forbidden term.

 

[OK!]

I'd like to think I've been around the block a time or two, and I've never the "very common slang" meaning for that term of "backward or messed up." Perhaps if her explanation hadn't been quite so disingenuous, there would have been a different outcome?

Jane

I've heard it used in that manner for easily 10 years now.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I wouldn't classify "ghetto" as solely a slang or forbidden term.

Neither would I....

But, clearly, the people in the examples did use this in a negative and inappropriate way in their professional work environment.

It doesn't matter that it was not said directly to the judge...
Heck, people have faced repercussions for making insubordinate or inappropriate comments online....

Like I said, the word 'ghetto' is of zero consequence here.... It was the nature of what was said/written.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Based on what has been said about the lawyer, I think it was an overreaction. However, she wasn't fired, she was demoted. What we don't know is what form that took and how serious it actually was and if she had had any kind of other behaviors that had been problematic.

As for the other two examples: absolutely. Teachers are expected to maintain a high moral standard and our public behavior is often under scrutiny. Posting something like that on a publicly accessible page while identifying your school violates many standards of professionalism.

As for the officer, it was not the word ghetto specifically but the entire context of the pamphlet which was made to demean an entire population and most likely had some serious racial overtones.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that when it is used as a noun it is fine in just about any context, because as a noun it essentially means "segregated area". Like putting the contractors all in one area of the building, or putting minorities in one area of a city -- it's just a statement of fact that that place has become segregated in some way.

It is when you use it as a adjective that you are skating on thin ice. That usage tends to make a statement about the lack of taste and/or education of persons who live in poverty, and it's never a positive statement. While I don't know that I would fire someone over a first offense, I would definitely let the person know that such stereotyping is neither professional nor appreciated.

 

[Christopher Robin]

Are we to quibble about a niggling difference in terminology?

There have been other words, when used absolutely correctly and appropriately, have gotten the dander up on some who take offense without actually knowing what a word means.

 

[KristaTX]

Am I the only person with "In the Ghetto" by Elvis stuck in my head now? Just curious.

And his mama cries. . . .

 

[Geoff_M]

Am I the only person with "In the Ghetto" by Elvis stuck in my head now? Just curious.

And his mama cries. . . .

Great, now I have the Eric Cartman version running through my head!

 

[KristaTX]

Yeah, as long as this thread survives, I'll have it in my head . I just can't separate the word from the song. Not that it's a bad song. . .

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Am I the only person with "In the Ghetto" by Elvis stuck in my head now? Just curious.

And his mama cries. . . .

Um... no

Nothing like an ear worm to go with your word worm.

BTW- Bonus points to Christopher Robin for using both "quibble" and "niggling." As for your question, CR, we're talking about lawyers and we're discussing things on the DIS. Quibble on!

More seriously, this is a really interesting discussion, let's keep it going.

 

[Christopher Robin]

 

[KristaTX]

Great, now I have the Eric Cartman version running through my head!

Thanks a lot for the link. Now you've REALLY gone and made it annoying .

 

[ilovejack02]

Great, now I have the Eric Cartman version running through my head!

Kill. Me. Now.

 

[twenty3curls]

As someone who has to frequent the 36th district court for work, the employee's assessment wasn't too far off...

They treat everyone that comes into that building as some ignorant, degenerate and it's damn near impossible to get anything accomplished there in a timely fashion because they're too busy assuming you don't know anything to process your request. IMO.

Also, they don't allow Red Bull cans because they are potential weapons and that drives me nuts..

 

[MM27]

Per Dictionary.com -

ghet-to
1. a section of a city, esp. a thickly populated slum area, inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minority group, often as a result of social or economic restrictions, pressures, or hardships.
2. (formerly, in most European countries) a section of a city in which all Jews were required to live.
3. a section predominantly inhabited by Jews.
4. any mode of living, working, etc., that results from stereotyping or biased treatment: job ghettos for women; ghettos for the elderly.

Origin:
1605–15; < It, orig. the name of an island near Venice where Jews were forced to reside in the 16th century < Venetian, lit., foundry for artillery (giving the island its name), n. deriv. of ghettare to throw < VL *jectāre; see JET 1

none of those definitions fit the word as it is currently being used though. I teach in an urban area where I hear this on a daily basis. You can look ghetto, talk ghetto, act ghetto, etc. My students use it all the time in so many different ways. For example: "This school's so ghetto." (said when asked why we don't have air conditioning)

 

[Shelton123]

I use it. Usually in proper sense (as in "She lives in the ghetto of Bronx") but sometimes I use it to describe a personality ("Oh Shaya you're so ghetto!"). That second one was from ANTM, but you get the point anyways.

 

[Hedy]

Like everything else, context matters. Even in its broadest modern usage (where to kids it sometimes just means "cheap") it's no compliment. Seems like if you're referring to your own employer or workplace in that fashion they would have reason to object, particularly a courthouse or school that might serve a community that would be reasonably offended by being referred to that way.

If somebody took a casual comment about hanging out in the "smoker's ghetto" (another term I've heard for those forced to gather in tiny little areas and restricted from going elsewhere to smoke) and tried to turn THAT into a fireable offense, that would be going overboard, in my opinion.

Referring to your own workplace that way, presumably because of the people you're supposed to be working with? Seems reasonable that there might be repercussions. I don't know if they rise to the level of firing somebody, but it's so hard to fire somebody nowadays that I would suspect there was a history of some sort there and that this was the final straw.

I agree.