Ghetto, not a death sentence
published: Tuesday | July 22, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN REPLY to Mr. Canute White's article entitled 'Defining the term ghetto', in The Gleaner of July 9, 2003, I would really like to make my contribution to this issue. He had some salient points.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary defines ghetto as (1) A part of a city occupied by a minority group (2) Jewish quarter in a city (3) Segregated group or area. I feel ghetto can be a place or it can be the people within the place depending on your perception of the situation. The place can be a ghetto due to people living in quagmire, or people can be ghetto people because of the place they chose to live that is devoid of proper infrastructure. The poverty level of individuals cannot deem them ghetto people. The behaviour of the poverty stricken can isolate him from the wider society and establish him/her as victims of criticism hence the ghetto philosophy evolve.
You can capture yourself in a ghetto state of mind. You can place yourself in mental slavery. Still, with this you can have an aura around you through the environment. With a ghetto state of mind, you are inclined to do wrong and you will not impart from living squalid and nocuous conditions. You can be very intelligent and still display compromising ghetto standards. One must note it is not a death sentence, it is not irretrievable. Ghetto can be inside of you as well as it can be outside of you. In other words you can be a ghetto!
