Where the fck you get heart from?

[raybear]

Let's review.

According to Webster's:

ghet·to
n. pl. ghet·tos or ghet·toes

1.A section of a city occupied by a minority group who live there especially because of social, economic, or legal pressure.
2.An often walled quarter in a European city to which Jews were restricted beginning in the Middle Ages.
3.Something that resembles the restriction or isolation of a city ghetto: “trapped in ethnic or pink-collar managerial job ghettoes” (Diane Weathers).

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And now I go to a staff meeting. How terribly exciting. Though I do believe we're going to draw names for the holiday gift-giving.

Comments

[stuey.livejournal.com]

that's so great. because last night, at the supermarket, yv said *this is the ghetto fry's.* and i was like, *huh?* and i remembered your post on it from way back. so i made a comment to her about how it's a little more okay for her to say that, and how it'd probably not be a good thing for my privileged white-girl ass to walk around calling things *ghetto.* yet - because she's, well, not white. and because she's not *privileged,* it's okay??? i mean, it wasn't a *ghetto* grocery store, aligning itself with any of the true definitions of ghetto. maybe i should set her straight, eh?

i'm not sure if i'm kidding or not. though i do agree with everything you had said on the issue, and am super-careful not to err in that way, i think the rules sometimes get a little confusing. hence this confusing comment. mah bad.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's weird and hard. I generally try not to lecture folks, which is pretty ineffective. I tend to almost play dumb. Soemtimes I say "maybe your definition is different than my definition -- last time I checked ______________ wasn't in a ghetto" or whatever. So I genuinely act like I don't understand why they're calling something "ghetto". Yes, in reality, I understand it's just a slang term for "cheap", but I'm not quite ready to relinquish it and have it lose it's meaning.

I used to get really really angry, but that's pretty ineffective too. Then I get chalked up as being too sensitive or too politically correct or some other such isht.

To be honest, in general if someone says something I find awkward, offensive, or perhaps just culturally inaccurate, but I don't feel like launching into a lesson, I just say "well, I wouldn't say THAT" and move on.