![]() ![]() ![]() Honest answers from real people on my #ListeningTour across the country. Since then, the 90s were filled with numerous songs, scenes in black-centric television and film and much more describing something as “ghetto” - in some cases meaning to be either distasteful, or in some instances good, like “ghetto fabulous.” It was now used to describe urban slums after white flight left ghettos in cities like New York, Chicago and Detroit. Later, “ghetto” took on a new but similar meaning (Jews were forced by the Nazis into ghettos, blacks were systematically forced). After disappearing for years, ghettos returned as Nazi Germany created them again, housing them with Jews before they were taken to concentration camps. NPR says that the term was first used to describe a quarter in a city, particularly Italy, to describe where Jews were restricted in the 16th and 17th century. If these words aren’t the exact same as the n-word, how do they relate to blackness you might ask?Īccording to Merriam-Webster dictionary, ghetto is defined as a part of a city in which members of a particular group or race live usually in poor conditions. While this debate has been going on for years on end, we as millennials have seen a surge in other terms such as “ghetto,” and more recently, “ratchet.” There is no doubt that the historical meaning and context behind the n-word is deep in nature and of course cannot be compared or contrasted to anything else of its kind, but we should certainly not be quick to assume that these new age microaggressions lack negative historical implications and are not associated with blackness. ![]() The debate on whether or not we can use “the word” - yes, the N-word. It’s the most draining discussion of our time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |