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Help[Opinions] Re: Zaire
in reply to a message by Lapin
Considering that Zaire is a legitimate name with an actual meaning, I wouldn’t call it ghetto. It’s leagues better than Lashawn and Deandre.
(Also, considering the controversy around the word “ghetto” - I honestly don’t see how everyone’s so mad about it. Sure, “ghetto” might be usually applied to black people, but its actual meaning is “Noting something that is considered to be unrefined, low-class, cheap, or inferior.”
I didn’t see “black” or “African American” written anywhere in that sentence. I think people should stop scrutinizing every word they see)
(Also, considering the controversy around the word “ghetto” - I honestly don’t see how everyone’s so mad about it. Sure, “ghetto” might be usually applied to black people, but its actual meaning is “Noting something that is considered to be unrefined, low-class, cheap, or inferior.”
I didn’t see “black” or “African American” written anywhere in that sentence. I think people should stop scrutinizing every word they see)
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You seem to be aware that there is sometimes a difference between the dictionary definition of a word and what it means when it is said and what it is understood to mean in common parlance. The fact is that in the US the word "ghetto" is often used pejoratively to describe low-income African Americans, or their presumed forms of behavior, dress, and speech. Thus, when "ghetto" is used as an insult, it often sounds like a racial insult. I'm not saying that that applies to every use of the word "ghetto", but in this context, used to describe a name, with the qualifier "too", it does apply.
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