That's so ghetto.

[raybear]

Shut the fck up. Please don't say such stupid isht around me, ignorant bastards. I don't understand this new phenomenon where a bunch of white middle- and upper- class clueless mthafcker's deem something as "ghetto" because they find something to be 'lower-class', 'cheap', 'classless', 'low-class', 'trashy', 'run-down', or whatever other offensive adjective.

Over the weekend, someone described a hotel room she stayed in near Death Valley as "ghetto" because it was old, dirty, smelly, the bed had 3 legs and there were bats in the room. I loudly informed her that that was far from ghetto because there are no fcking bats in the fcking ghetto. Know why? Because "ghettos" are urban. At least get the terminology correct. I probably wouldn't care as much if they actually got if fcking right. If I showed up drinking a pink slushie that I got to counteract my blue mouth from a blowpop and you call my ass "ghetto", I would probably laugh and not care as much. But it's still problematic. So just don't fcking say it. Think before you speak. Quit co-opting isht that isn't yours and trivializing it.

{rant mode off}

Comments

[jdcatron.livejournal.com]

hear fucking hear!

I am so with you on that.

JD

way to be

[brucebanner.livejournal.com]

I don't know (nor care) what race you are, but as a low-income person of color, I feel that you are doing a VERY good job educating the privileged masses. It is important that we strive to do this (even though this is NOT our job as under-privileged folks) I am glad that you have the strength and time to keep this up. Too often, I just give up, cause some folks will never learn. And, it just gets too deadening to repeat myself all the damn time.

Along the same thread: I also hate rich kids in those $45 t-shirts that say URBAN on the front. I'm like: "you mean SUBurban, asshole!" Like it's somehow cool to act like you've been poor all your life, but live like you're rich. Lowclass-chic? what the fuck!

anyways, thanks for doing the valuable work, BoiWonder!

Joe

In the trenches

[raybear.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the "amen", Dr. Banner. I get so fcking tired sometimes, and become bitter about having to do all the work all the time. But I try and stay positive and say my mantra that I stole from the comedian Wanda Sykes Hall. She does this routine where she talks about her friends who have kids that try and encourage her to have them too. They always say to her "Kids -- they're a lot of work [avert eyes and look down]......but they're worth it." She knows they're lying because they won't look her in the eye. So I started saying: "Educating stupid white people --it's a lot of work [avert eyes]...but they're worth it." One can also substitute the word "straight" for "white", depending on the context. AND you can substitute the word "gay" for "white". As you can see, the possibilities are endless.