Ghetto, Black, White (But No Grill at the End of the Rainbow)

Ghetto is culture, not color.

People in the United States confuses these things.

We think black, when we really mean "ghetto." There are ghetto white kids, Hispanic (or "brown") kids, and pretty much anyone of any color can be "ghetto."

A lot of minorities end up being "ghetto" (and most whites "wannabe ghetto") because they have been "gehttoized" by handouts from the government. This ease with handing out taxpayer to help the "poor, oppressed huddled masses" breeds a culture of entitlement and dependence, an arrogant laxity which disdainfully disrespects authority and crystallizes a sense of victimhood in recipients. People with this mindset see no value in saving for the future (for the state is covering all their expenses), they see no point or reason to cooperate with a diligent course of study, and feel no shame in failing in school of failing to demonstrate self-control (hence the rise of illegitimacy among certain minority populations in certain cities).

The controversy on these issues develops on the confusion of dysfunctional culture with race. No one is born "ghetto", and living in a physical, city-bound "ghetto" does not make one "ghetto" either. It's a matter of values, of culture. Anyone can break out of this cycle of "ghettoization."

An education is supposed to do that, or at least assist in helping others break free. Often, though, because curricula insist on making culture a matter of color, and not upbringing a choice, many school districts and personnel condescendingly assume that many poor and minority kids by nature operate according to a culture of disrespect and disdain for effort and excellence. Yet these pathologies of a poor mindset have nothing to do with the innate, individual diversity of every student, nor should teachers and site administrators enable such foolish thinking.

Kids are not "white", "black", or "brown." Students are fully permitted to respect the national and cultural legacies which inform their language and family life. Traditions following from state dependency, however, must be neither curried nor favored, as they degenerate the capacity of individuals students to command respect as individuals with their peers, parents, and other professionals.