Is this racist?

[bsmcneil]

Ghettos where actually neighborhoods where jewish people were forced to live.

before that, they were just neighborhoods. it because a word to define a specific community (first jews) during WWII - but before that, the word generally meant neighborhood/association of homes.

 

[bsmcneil]

I can kind of see where the OP's person is coming from. I had this conversation yesterday.

Now most of those that have moved in are hispanic, white trash, and blacks. I have beer bottles tossed in my yard, loud music at all times of the day. The side of the roads are covered in trash, beer bottles, and other stuff. The police are taking daily calls to the same homes and same apartments. Just this weekend some fool set the dumpster on fire at the apartment.

These people have no pride in their house, yard or themself. They have no respect toward others at all.

I love my house and really thought I would be here forever. But the thought of selling and moving is growing in me. I can no longer sit on my front porch and enjoy the day.

It's not racist, but the truth as those are the type people who have moved in.

Wow. It IS racist. "Hispanic, white trash, and black" Did you notice that you qualified WHITE with trash? It sounds like, from the description, that all of "these people" are trashy. But to you, it's only "trashy" when White people do it and it's normal (hence the lack of a qualifier) when other racial groups do it.

Themself is not a proper term.

When have you actually talked to "these people" to see what respect they have for you, for their other neighbors, for their family, for anyone else - since you "know" they have no respect for anyone else? It certainly seems with all of the judging you've got going on, that there's a lack of respect in the neighborhood. I'm remembering something about "taking the plank out of your own eye before the speck in your neighbor's." Someone famous said it - look it up.

Finally, "The police are taking daily calls to the same homes and same apartments." Well, it sounds like specific PEOPLE are the problem and not "Hispanics, white trash and blacks." Might we not look into individual action instead of lumping communities together?

 

[bsmcneil]

.




He never mentioned a race. He has a problem with kids dressed as thugs and walking around like gang members from ‘the hood’. Quite frankly, I do too. And I don’t really care what the color of your skin is as you do it.

Right - but the language you use is racially coded, especially in (North) America. "thugs" "gang members" "'the hood'". And, when pressed, the guy (according to OP) did mention race. He also, according to comments from OP, associated "acting right" to "acting White". Just because you don't say a race, doesn't mean you're not referring to one. Just like "Urban", "project", etc are racially coded words.

 

[JennyMominRI]

before that, they were just neighborhoods. it because a word to define a specific community (first jews) during WWII - but before that, the word generally meant neighborhood/association of homes.

That's incorrect ..Ghettos started in Italy in the middle ages and they were the places where Italian Jews were forced to live.. The main ghetto was in Venice

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

They are speaking the vernacular that they were raised in, that their peers and parents speak. The way to change that is to offer a quality education, and even then it's sometimes difficult to learn and practice all the correct grammar rules, especially if it's not reinforced or practiced in the community.

I'm sure that's true in some cases, but many kids speak one way to adults and then an entirely different, moronic, unintelligent way with their peers in some strange effort to be seen as cool and anti-establishment.

I live in an area with excellent schools and a very diverse population (DC area). The kids in my county have no excuse to speak like morons. I've caught my 13 year old speaking like an idiot using ghetto-type vernacular and I put a stop to it very quickly by saying, "Excuse me? Repeat that in English, please."

They know how to speak. If their parents didn't teach them, the schools did.

 

[Robinrs]

Wow. It IS racist. "Hispanic, white trash, and black" Did you notice that you qualified WHITE with trash? It sounds like, from the description, that all of "these people" are trashy. But to you, it's only "trashy" when White people do it and it's normal (hence the lack of a qualifier) when other racial groups do it.

Themself is not a proper term.

When have you actually talked to "these people" to see what respect they have for you, for their other neighbors, for their family, for anyone else - since you "know" they have no respect for anyone else? It certainly seems with all of the judging you've got going on, that there's a lack of respect in the neighborhood. I'm remembering something about "taking the plank out of your own eye before the speck in your neighbor's." Someone famous said it - look it up.

Finally, "The police are taking daily calls to the same homes and same apartments." Well, it sounds like specific PEOPLE are the problem and not "Hispanics, white trash and blacks." Might we not look into individual action instead of lumping communities together?

LOL! I thought the very same thing!!

The sentence itself speaks volumes of your attitude towards certain groups. How about describing the hispanics and blacks in the same way you delineated your own race??? Or does it matter to you? Probably not.

To answer the question the OP started I say it's not a racist term. It's like someone else said, a stereotype. The word "ghetto" has two meanings like so many other words, a connotative and a denotative. The denotative termn has be iterated numerous times in this thread, the connotative term, or the colloquial definition is what it has evolved to today... which is somewhat a slum loaded with undesirable minorities.

 

[Amlee]

Wow. It IS racist. "Hispanic, white trash, and black" Did you notice that you qualified WHITE with trash? It sounds like, from the description, that all of "these people" are trashy. But to you, it's only "trashy" when White people do it and it's normal (hence the lack of a qualifier) when other racial groups do it.

I struggled with the wording on this as I wasn't sure how to say it on here without it sounding racist. I'm still not sure how to word it. As I don't see color in a person. I see a person as a person. The people right next to me are "hispanic", but they are dear sweet people who by no means fall in with the people I'm talking about. The people on the other side of them the wife is white and the husband is african american. Again, they don't fall in with the crowd I was talking about. Would trashy hispanics and blacks been better? What is the proper word term for this? Would those of hispanic and Black hereitage(sp) be offened if I used the word trashy in front of those words? How does one word such a thing without sounding racist or offending someone? Is it even possible?

Themself is not a proper term.

Yeah, I didn't think it was either.

When have you actually talked to "these people" to see what respect they have for you, for their other neighbors, for their family, for anyone else - since you "know" they have no respect for anyone else?

Let's see, they have no respect for me when they toss beer bottles in my yard, play their music to the point that it viberates my windows at all hours. When they scream and cuss at each other loud enough that I can hear them. You don't have to "talk" to anyone to know what kind of respect they have for you. Their actions speak volumes.

It certainly seems with all of the judging you've got going on, that there's a lack of respect in the neighborhood. I'm remembering something about "taking the plank out of your own eye before the speck in your neighbor's." Someone famous said it - look it up.

If my neighbor wants to pile their yards up sky high with crap, let them! But the minute they started tossing it out their windows into MY yard. You bet your butt I started judging and complaining about it!! Do I like the look of their yard? No, but it's their yard. But it's now started affecting my yard!

Finally, "The police are taking daily calls to the same homes and same apartments." Well, it sounds like specific PEOPLE are the problem and not "Hispanics, white trash and blacks." Might we not look into individual action instead of lumping communities together?

I lumped it with this group as it's a mixture of these individuals involved. I see the same homes and same apartments as those homes have a revolving door to them. People might only live in them long enough for the first months rent and then move right back out. Different people, same type move right back in. So no it's not a single individual person involved.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Right - but the language you use is racially coded, especially in (North) America. "thugs" "gang members" "'the hood'". And, when pressed, the guy (according to OP) did mention race. He also, according to comments from OP, associated "acting right" to "acting White". Just because you don't say a race, doesn't mean you're not referring to one. Just like "Urban", "project", etc are racially coded words.

"Urban" is a racially coded word? What else would you like to use?!

 

[schmitty]

before that, they were just neighborhoods. it because a word to define a specific community (first jews) during WWII - but before that, the word generally meant neighborhood/association of homes.

Irish ghettos of New York in the late 19th and early 20th century. Venice, Rome, and Frankfurt. The only way it would of meant neighborhood is if you took the definition of the word ghetto was derived from. Ghetto specifically meant Jewish neighborhoods.

 

[reddixie]

Lest we all forget 6 million Jews died in WWII and 1 million were in the Warsaw Ghetto. Sometimes when we discuss racist we forget that it isn't only blacks, and hispanics that suffer from racism. That is what drives me nutty. Why is it that there are code words. I don't know the code, therefore I am not being racist when I use them. I could just be using English. When did using English become racist? Thanks for clarifying the white trash versus black thing, I have wondered for years why that was racist. Now I do understand and will try to choose my words so that I am not making a racist remark. I, for one, know that racism comes in all kinds, colors and levels.

 

[Amlee]

Lest we all forget 6 million Jews died in WWII and 1 million were in the Warsaw Ghetto. Sometimes when we discuss racist we forget that it isn't only blacks, and hispanics that suffer from racism. That is what drives me nutty. Why is it that there are code words. I don't know the code, therefore I am not being racist when I use them. I could just be using English. When did using English become racist? Thanks for clarifying the white trash versus black thing, I have wondered for years why that was racist. Now I do understand and will try to choose my words so that I am not making a racist remark. I, for one, know that racism comes in all kinds, colors and levels.

Let us not forget the irish and the native americans in this also.

As for the wording, is there away to even talk about such a subject with out offending someone? I didn't want to but the word trashy in front of the words hispanics or black, because I didn't want to offend someone. But I still ended up doing it.

 

[KariC]

I'm sure that's true in some cases, but many kids speak one way to adults and then an entirely different, moronic, unintelligent way with their peers in some strange effort to be seen as cool and anti-establishment.

I live in an area with excellent schools and a very diverse population (DC area). The kids in my county have no excuse to speak like morons. I've caught my 13 year old speaking like an idiot using ghetto-type vernacular and I put a stop to it very quickly by saying, "Excuse me? Repeat that in English, please."

They know how to speak. If their parents didn't teach them, the schools did.

I had to have a chat with a babysitter once. I'd known her since she was a 6th grader, and I know her whole family, was her younger sister's teacher . She was "talking ghetto" with my twins (3 at the time), and having them repeat her. Well, I was a bit irritated, to say the least, when I "discovered" it. I mean, come on, we are total suburbia....if not country....and her family does the horse thing. Listens to country music, etc. I had to give her a "whatever", and tell her to speak "proper" English (as much as an 18 year old can ) when with my family. And, I suggested she do that with other grown ups and at her college and other job, as well!

 

[SydSim]

I can't say that I would consider that to be racist. I do understand his impression that dressing, acting and speaking a certain way is what most white people may do that he knows. Where I live, both white and blacks are equal verbiage offenders. So, I wouldn't say that specific language is more white.

I don't particulary care to see people dress like the rappers from gangsta videos. I don't like to hear people speak improper english in public.

That being said, I can talk smack as good (not as well ) as the best of them. Ain't, don't know nobody, where she at? - all a part of my vocabulary when I'm chillin' with the sistas in private.

I don't want to see your drawers because your pants are so low, but I have no problem seeing DH's in our bedroom.

I also don't tongue my DH on the street - nothing wrong with it, but not everyone would appreciate it, so I keep it under wraps.

I don't think that I'm racist, but I do call it as I see it.

Ya dig?

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

I thought Urban meant closer to the city center? As opposed to suburban or rural?

Anyway, I don't know if it is racist, but it is certainly prejudicial. He would be shocked around here. We live in a rural area. We have a mix of people, farming, very wealthy, and there are a couple of trailer parks out here too. The kids who have the baggy pants, talk the "rap" talk, etc, seem to be the ones whose parents drop them off in Mercedes.

One of these kids who lives around the corner, will be attending Harvard next year.

 

[basas]

I don't know if he's racist or not, but he's definitely discriminatory and shallow. IMHO anytime you "judge a book by it's cover" you just end up looking ignorant. If he's unable to look beyond someone's clothing he's probably going to miss out on knowing some wonderful people. What a shame for him.

Sorry to bring things back to reality but you’re going to be judged (like it or not) on how you present yourself. That means the clothes you wear, the music you listen to, and the way you talk.

Not neccesarily racist but certainly very prejudice.

How?

Agreed. Discriminatory, yes. Racist, no.

Discriminatory to who?!

Right - but the language you use is racially coded, especially in (North) America. "thugs" "gang members" "'the hood'". And, when pressed, the guy (according to OP) did mention race. He also, according to comments from OP, associated "acting right" to "acting White". Just because you don't say a race, doesn't mean you're not referring to one. Just like "Urban", "project", etc are racially coded words.

“Thugs”, “Gang members” or “the hood” don’t apply to one race any more than any other.

And from what I understand (and I believe the OP said this several times), the man never associated “acting right” to “acting White”. There is a proper way to act, yes, but it is not defined by racial lines. Though I do believe some of the current “Black youth culture” is not a good thing and leads to higher crime rates.

I don’t understand why so many on here are so quick to defend a ‘lifestyle’ that promotes gangs, drugs and violence.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Racist? - Perhaps. But only because the word ghetto is usually meant as a reference to African Americans. White people who live in the ghetto or act ghetto are usually referred to as "white trash", which could also be viewed as racist. But I agree with those who said the way your friend is using the word is more stereotyping/prejudiced than racist.

 

[NeverEnufWDW]

So, what do you think? Is it racist?

Even if it wasn't ... you can be rest assured that the liberal loons and their heros "Hymie-town" Jackson and Al Not-So-Sharpton would be on the case to prove that it was.

 

[BabyPiglet]

It's rascist.

 

[Beth76]

He would be shocked around here. We live in a rural area. We have a mix of people, farming, very wealthy, and there are a couple of trailer parks out here too. The kids who have the baggy pants, talk the "rap" talk, etc, seem to be the ones whose parents drop them off in Mercedes.

That's the point this guy was making. He doesn't like this attitude from anyone (white, black, hispanic, rich or poor.)

 

[shelemm]

I personally absolve Amlee of being racist for using the term "white trash." It's a GREAT term. I use it all time. Sometimes I use the term "redneck" as well. Is there a 'black' equivalent? OF COURSE, but white people are not supposed to use that term, a double standard I wholeheartedly endorse.

Just so there is no confusion, I'd like to quote my fave hip hop poet, a person with no need for tanning parlors, who is definitely not ghetto, who wrote this wonderful poem about using clean language to get through to people instead of relying on cheap vulgarisms:

"Despite all the logic in my theory,
I drop in a m-----f----- so the N-----s hear me."

As to the OP's question, your acquaintance may not be a racist, but he is a boor. He should find something more inspiring to talk about.