Culture: "Urban Doesn't Mean Ghetto" By Alx.O

What does urban mean to you?

Webster’s dictionary defines Urban as being of, relating to, having characteristics of, or constituting a city; or relating to cities and the people who live in them.

So according to Webster, Urban doesn’t mean ghetto. So why does urban mean ghetto to so many?

I want to blame the media and its spotlight focus on negative things that occur in urban areas but that would be too easy an answer and, quite honestly, only scratching the surface of a larger conversation. You see, urban means ghetto because there are people who want you to think it does. There are people who have benefited from the negative connotation of urban culture. And who are these people you may ask? Well simply put, they are the oppressors. Now wait, before you get all worked up, let me say this. I’m not necessarily talking about racial oppression, although that is a manifestation of it, no. I’m talking about the culture of oppression and the need to have a “less than” person counterpart in society. The Brazilian author and educator Paulo Freire wrote in his book, “The Pedagogy Of The Oppressed” (paraphrasing) “the world of the oppressed and their sense of reality is created by the oppressor.” He said so because without first having the existence of an oppressor, there can not exist an oppressed person. So then what is an oppressor? And why do they have so much power, a power to create realities? One word, dehumanization.

Webster’s dictionary defines Dehumanization as to deprive of human qualities, personality, or spirit; to treat (someone) as though he or she is not a human being or less than human.

So it is dehumanization that is the root of the oppressor's reality. It is the understanding and acceptance that some people are less than human and should, therefore, be dominated. They are dehumanizers. A synonym used to characterize dehumanization is animalization. The oppressor animalizes the oppressed by viewing them as wild savages unfit for society. Now, if you connect that ideology to that of racial, class, sexual orientation or any other modern issue regarding inequality; what you find is the real beginning of a very deep rabbit hole. A rabbit hole that hole runs the length of how far back dehumanization has been a part of human existence.

Webster’s dictionary defines ghetto as a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure.

So understand, urban meaning ghetto, to some, is just another manifestation of that oppressive culture. A manifestation that if taken under the microscope quickly loses its merit and logically debunks itself. For example, urban cities are epicenters for both great poverty and great economic power. There are two sides of urban culture and that culture is not defined by the, in fact, ghetto aspects of urban life. Yet, even if it were, that is not a symbol of inferiority, quite the opposite. If you take into account the billion dollar industries that have emerged from ghetto communities, the countless individuals that have overcome adversities associated with living in an urban ghetto and are now the leaders in their fields, or even the fact that a ghetto life is not a choice but rather the consequence of an oppressive culture. What you find is that urban ghettos can be powerful and the urban culture, in which they reside in, even more so.

I read this book last year by New York Times best-selling author Steven Johnson titled “Where Good Ideas Comes From: The Natural History Of Innovation”. And in it, he says (paraphrasing) “Urban areas have the perfect conditions for innovation because of there diversity and fluidity of exchanging ideas.” I couldn’t agree more. My life is an example of both the good and the bad of urban culture and I'm not ashamed. I am educated, civil, ambitious, humble, and I rebuke the self-hate that was intended to be imbued into me by that oppressive culture. Because when I think of urban, I think of innovation, of greatness, of overcoming obstacles, of humility, of family, community but more importantly of pride because I think of myself and others just like me.

So the next time you hear someone make the inference or connotation that urban means ghetto, understand that he or she, possibly unknowingly, is doing so because of the existence of that oppressive culture. Because the fact is, urban doesn’t mean ghetto.

So I ask you one more time, what does urban mean to you?


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