“Oh my god, he is so….GHETTO.” It’s a common expression these days. I hear it all the time from white folks, black folks, even Jay-Z himself. Mr. Beyonce may be using ‘ghetto’ as a self-referential complement, but for most people the word is an unmitigated insult.

                                 West Oakland, California.  1. The word crashes into my left ear like a well-aimed brick. I can’t stand him… he’s so ghetto. I overhear at 15th and Broadway, from a woman talking on her cell louder than her designer heels clicking down the sidewalk. She’s sharing her disgust for an…