THE GHETTO VALUES RANT

The values that built this nation and turned it into the single greatest country God ever gave mankind are overwhelmingly Judeo-Christian. The Ten Commandments – perhaps you’ve heard of them – have constituted this nation’s playbook since its inception. Emphasis on qualities like hard work, the rule of law, and rugged individualism are key to having built and maintained our magnificent experiment. Civility, equality, and justice are all hall- marks of American civilization and the concept of limited government has been but one foundation underlying the creation of the single greatest economic engine in world history. Anyone lucky enough to have been born here or emigrate from abroad has been blessed like no other people on the planet.

Sadly, however, most great nations or civilizations have a lifespan of approximately two hundred and fifty or so years before they peak, fade, and finally crap out. Just think Roman Republic or ancient Athens. America is in its two hundred and thirty third year and it appears that the rot has set in and turned gangrenous. The telltale rancid stench is unmistakable and to be ignored at not just our peril but at our very destruction. As with ancient Rome, the barbarians are not merely at the gates but have successfully stormed them. They live amongst us and have slowly but thoroughly sabotaged and eroded our magnificent American value system and civilization and have substituted for it instead what might be termed their Ghetto Value System and Culture. I’m afraid that the only light to be seen down those tracks at the end of the tunnel is the one signaling that apocalyptic civilizational train wreck that is headed for us with amazing speed and absolute certainty!

Ghetto values are the complete antithesis of normal civilizational values and ghetto culture is overwhelmingly crude, crass, rude, vulgar and, unfortunately, infectious. Just as the parasite eventually destroys its host by draining the essential life forces, the ghetto scum among us will undoubtedly destroy their host, America, unless exorcised and excoriated. A ghetto can be defined as “part of a city occupied by a minority group,” or perhaps more succinctly put, “a slum.” Within the ghetto normally reside society’s subcultures which are unified groups, “or movements within a culture from which it is in some way distinguished.” Perhaps even more germane a definition would be “a cultural group within a larger culture having beliefs or interests that are different from those of the larger culture.” All well and good as far as it goes, but the ghetto culture in question here does not only have beliefs or interests that are merely different but absolutely antithetical to the continued existence of the dominant culture.

There exist a number of common traits shared by those who have truly internalized and embraced their “ghettohood.” They absolutely despise the majority culture and value system and their animosity toward anything Caucasian is all pervasive and thoroughly boundless. Additionally, they view America, this land of unbridled opportunity where the only limits to individual achievement and success are self imposed, as despicably evil. The United States, they are convinced, is the root cause of all the world’s ills and especially their own lack of success on any and all levels.

The high school in which I teach is populated largely by ghetto dwellers. They reside in places like Bushwick and East New York where life is all too often nasty, brutish, and tragically short. Death by gun shot or stab wound is so commonplace that they are macabrely referred to as “natural causes.” Yeah, it really is that bad. The young people that come to school and regularly attend classes, it must be noted, are absolutely not the subject of this rant nor are they in any way to be grouped with those types referred to above. While they live in some of the worst neighborhoods in New York City and must daily contend with conditions that no one their age, or any other for that matter, should be forced to endure they have not embraced, internalized, or romanticized “ghettohood.” They are inner-city kids and most are tough as nails. They have to be. Virtually all of them have suffered the untimely loss or severe injury of loved ones and all know family and friends who have been the victims of violence and crime. They want out and this explains their academic endeavors. All of them have post-graduation plans that include legitimate, honest employment, trade and or technical training to learn a marketable skill, and perhaps even college. I applaud and admire them and wish them every success. They know that the deck is grotesquely stacked against them but they do their best to fight on, persevere, and succeed.

Now, before those unthinking boobies out there mindlessly haul out the “R” charge and label me a racist, bigot, cracker, Neanderthal, or something really original like “white mother fucker,” go back and read the last paragraph – every word. The subjects referred to here have been thoroughly and totally “ghettoized” and have surrendered to the streets. They lead lives with virtually no positive options and not a chance or a shred of hope. They have completely twisted and perverted what most folks perceive as normal. They mock and ridicule pretty much every standard Americans have come to cherish over the past few hundred years. It’s not unlike what Alice must have experienced as she stepped through that looking glass. Now please and by all means remember the above mentioned admonition. This in no way reflects on all those good, decent folks trying to rise out of the ghetto and provide better lives for themselves and their loved ones.

Most of us, for instance, try to live up to in some manner or fashion the old Golden Rule of do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s a good rule to live by because it sounds and feels right. The ghetto creatures we speak of here, however, preach a modified version which goes something like “Do Unto Others Before They Do It Unto You!” This is an example of a typical ghetto value and you’d better believe that they practice what they preach. They have taken what the dominant culture values as healthy behavior and turned it into something bizarrely surreal.

The concept of hard work is another cherished standard appreciated by most Americans. We do it, of course, for the money but also for its own sake. Hard work and working hard have other than monetary rewards. It is satisfying, fulfilling, and instills both a sense of pride and virtue. True ghettomeisters, however, assiduously eschew not just the concept of hard work but rather the entire work ethic philosophy itself. Some years ago when the idea of workfare instead of welfare came into vogue one female freeloader complained on camera that forcing her to work in exchange for taxpayer largesse was literally cruel and inhumane treatment. She explained that no one should be forced to work “cause there ain’t no more slavery no more.” She felt that the three to four hours it took to fill out all the forms and waiting on long lines was enough to justify her “entitlement.” Any more than that was just too over the top and she just wasn’t having it! This attitude is not the exception but rather the rule in far too many of our inner-cities in contemporary America. There is no shame in the concept of receiving someone else’s money in return for no services rendered and a society without shame is a society without a soul.

Some years ago, however, two of my so-called students (so-called because while in the building during cold or inclement weather they had long ago stopped attending classes) approached me seeking work related advice. I remember thinking that this is unusual and even somewhat refreshing. The dilemma, it turned out, was that these two young fellows had been doing really well and came to the notice of their boss. Their employer was so impressed that he offered them both substantial raises, a change of location, and more responsibility. It seemed to me that these two kids were on their way and I wondered what their problem was. They explained with straight faces and serious expressions that they were look outs for a local neighborhood drug dealer. They carried walkie-talkies and immediately reported any and all suspicious or unusual behavior to their employer. It could be police activity, undercover cops, rival gang members, you name it. Now they were being offered an opportunity to get off the street, work inside, and handle the product – in this case heroin.

They explained their quandary thusly. As look outs they never came into contact with or in any way handled the heroin. If the police ever raided the premises those working inside got arrested and sent to jail while the cops wouldn’t touch the two “students” of mine. They wanted my opinion as to whether or not the increased rewards justified the accelerated risks! I immediately advised them to drop the fuck out of school, move indoors, take the raise, and get busted so they’d have to learn to deal with Bubba and the Boys in the Big House! I was incredulous, shocked, and younger then. My tone and expression told them that I was less than pleased. They responded with a somewhat confused, “What the fuck’s wrong with you, Doc?” I never saw them again.

The fact that these ghetto denizens simply had nary a clue as to why our bizarre conversation struck me as absolutely horrific speaks volumes about attitudes in current inner-city America. These felons in waiting viewed me as the abnormal part of their life’s equation. I was the one who didn’t get it. The same can be said of the welfare bum referenced earlier. If they view the rest of us as “off”, wrong-headed, and misdirected then I’m betting that there are millions of like minded mother fuckers out there who with puzzled demeanor scratch their collective heads and wonder what’s wrong with us. The fact that they have completely perverted the entire concept of honest, gainful employment and all its rewards, the idea that they have turned the noble into the ignoble is absolutely accepted in the ghetto subculture of which they are a part. They view themselves as normal because in their world they are. I fear their normalcy and distorted values are rapidly growing while those of us in the so-called dominant culture retreat virtually without a fight.

Perhaps I’m just being paranoid here and it’s time for me to get a grip. Maybe a sharp slap in the face would end my hysteria. Really? Have you never heard of the concept of multi-culturalism? Of course you have because it’s championed all over this country in the media, in our schools, and in any other outlet you can possibly fathom. It is yet another example of the subculture dictating to the dominant culture which continues its headlong retreat into oblivion. Multi-culturalism is completely antithetical to our American culture and Western Civilization that built this nation. There is no doubt that the multi-culturalists are winning this battle handily while those of us who know the crucial importance of instilling our American culture in future generations are too afraid of being branded racist to even defend our way of life. Diversity is yet another phony concept being bandied about ad nausea in our inner-city neighborhoods nationwide. Let’s celebrate our differences instead of those characteristics that bind us together as a nation and a people. That’s nothing more than a giant load of Happy Crappy and is but one more tactic used by those who would destroy what is left of the American culture! Any intelligent ten year-old realizes that emphasizing diversity leads to further differences that can only widen the gap already existing between and among our nation’s disparate groups. If this trend continues, what occurred in the Balkans some years back will seem like a Sunday go to meeting picnic when it explodes in this country!!

Both diversity and multi-culturalism are but two examples of inner-city ghetto values that have wormed their way into the so-called mainstream. Still another would be our old friend Affirmative Action. Sure, it’s been around for a long time but that only makes it more not less insidious. Only the ass backwards culture of the inner-city ghetto could elevate something so heinous to such lofty and haughty heights! Anyone who argues that the destruction of our meritocracy is the solution to appeasing our minority subcultures is not just merely out of his fucking mind but wants to see this nation completely ruined and reduced to the status of some third world shit hole! When quotas supercede quality, when pigmentation replaces proven performance it is time to reevaluate the direction in which America is heading. Merit should be the only standard when deciding who gets hired or fired, accepted or rejected. Skin color, race, ethnicity, and perceived injustices have no place in deciding this nation’s future. Unless we quickly restore those values upon which America was founded the end of the United States as we know it is not a matter of if but merely of when. It is an absolute certainty.

Yet another glaring example of ghetto values is the phenomenon of making no long range future plans. Those who have become truly ghettoized live strictly in the moment and think only in the short rather than the far term. Long range plans seem unrealistic since they are thoroughly convinced that a racist America denies them the opportunity to succeed and that they will end up in jail or die very hard and very young. This attitude or “ghettitude”, if you will, is obviously not merely self-defeating but overwhelmingly self-destructive. It destroys such values as patience, perseverance, and persistence. It leads to the glorification if not the worship of the concept of instant gratification. What is the point, for example, of investing time and effort in education if one believes that he or she is preordained to fail? Why bother to waste one’s energy in fruitless pursuits like high school or college when the endeavor seems completely pointless?

By the time they are in their early to mid-teens, true ghettoites know they are failures at least in terms of the dominant cultural values and mores that have nurtured America over the centuries. If they can’t succeed in the mainstream culture then they’ll succeed in their sub-cultural groups by adopting and acting on those ghetto attributes deemed worthy of respect by their peers. Education then is obviously out and could even lead to a charge of “acting white,” something to be shunned at all costs. Getting arrested and doing time, however, is something perfectly accepted and respected in this topsy-turvey perversion of an American value system and culture that is rapidly spinning out of control. Doing time is considered a badge of honor, a ghetto right of passage. Upon release, the convict has instant street credibility and is treated with increased respect and admiration. This newfound status precludes any and all possibility of conforming to mainstream norms and values and has created yet one more enemy of American beliefs and traditions. No, enemy is not too strong a word for the true ghettoites for they have indeed declared war on us and want this nation destroyed as it presently exists. They desire nothing less than the transformation of America into their own perverted image and unless the rest of us wake the fuck up pretty damn quick they’re going to win the culture war before most of us even realize that such a conflict even exists!

Gang membership is yet another ghetto honor to be bestowed only upon those deemed worthy enough. One simply can’t ask to join one of our many “social clubs” but instead must be invited and sponsored by an existing gang-banger. It’s really heart warming in a twisted, perverse fashion. The prospective “applicant” must endure a brutally painful initiation process before being considered a “made” man. For aspiring male members it may consist of sustained and vicious beatings by his soon to be brothers or it may involve committing a vicious violent crime against an unsuspecting citizen. For females the initiation is often repeatedly being gang raped by every male member of the organization for a week or more. The new gang member can now proudly wear the colors and use the hand signs that announce to the world that he or she has finally arrived. Just think of it as a debutant ball, a coming out party of sorts, only ghettoized. It’s really quite touching isn’t it?

Lest we think that gangs are but a passing ghetto fad please be aware that some outfits like the Latin Kings have existed literally for generations and show no sign of going anywhere soon. I’ve had students who were members and whose fathers and grandfathers are still currently active. A family that plays together…? Years ago King Tone, a Latin King chieftain, was actually a student of mine for a time. He’s now serving a life sentence without, I believe, any possibility of parole. Yup, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside: one of my guys reaching such exalted heights! As more and more ghetto dwellers member-up, so to speak, these communities become increasingly tribal in nature. A tribe is defined as a “group of people united by common ancestry and customs, forming a community under a chief or elders.” Another definition aptly describes a tribe as “a social group in a traditional society consisting of linked families or communities sharing customs and beliefs.” Each inner-city tribe has its own territory or turf not unlike an old medieval fiefdom. Territory is jealously guarded and violently defended when necessary and each gang specializes in certain activities. One may have the market on protection rackets while another deals only in certain types of illegal drugs. Others control prostitution and yet another may be solely involved in car theft or blackmail. They are literally self-sustaining, self-perpetuating, and self-governing entities and have no use for and completely disdain the norms, mores, and standards that most Americans hold dear. Whitey, not surprisingly, is always the enemy.

Still another ghetto perversion of one of our most cherished and essential institutions is the concept of the stable, two-parent family. For thousands of years it has been society’s most important foundation and without it nations do not long survive. The nuclear family is completely over in Ghetto America and it is never coming back – no way, no how. As the family goes so too goes the nation. The family, complete with two married parents and children, has been the single most important societal building block not just for this country but for all of Western Civilization. The family is where habits are taught, values instilled, and where patriotism is handed down to the next generation. Neither governments nor schools can accomplish these essential tasks unless they are first learned at the family level.

Virtually none of the men who are so adept at making babies hang around long enough to make strong, effective families. The out of wedlock teen pregnancy rate in your typical inner-city ghetto is now approaching 75-80%! We see fourteen and fifteen year-old mothers and sixty year-old great, great grandmothers running around. It is so commonplace that not even the proverbial eyebrow is raised. There is absolutely no one around to teach the “kinder” any values save those of the ghetto. It relates back to that mindset referenced earlier where doing things like long range planning for the future have become thoroughly irrelevant. If one thinks of oneself as strictly temporary why bother to think or plan ahead? A day to day lifestyle makes perfect sense in the fabled “hood.”

The problem here is one of containment for I believe we have reached the point of no return in so far as rectifying the situation. The patient is terminal and the prognosis is hopeless. We have allowed this to happen and therefore probably deserve it. Oh, I don’t know – something about reaping what you sew? We have sewn a total fucking whirlwind and it’s come back to bite us squarely in our soft, weak willed, pathetic collective ass! Have you been out to the suburbs of any major metropolis lately? Go for it. You’ll see gang-banger wannabes galore. Go to any mall and you’ll see what can only be termed as pure “white bread” trying to imitate ghetto scum. They dress the part and copy the hip hop lifestyle to a tee. You’ll hear the same language and see the same hand gestures. You’ll go deaf from the level of so called rap music and you’ll notice the same tattoos. Not one of these lily white suburban “thugs” - whose parents are usually hard working professionals or folks in the trades – would last ten fucking minutes where I work. They’d absolutely be devoured!

You see, the ghettitude is metasticising and spreading its evil influences all over this nation: slowly at first to be sure. Adding to the danger is the fact that more and more ghetto dwellers are actually relocating to suburbia. As they and their ilk move into neighborhoods do they try and emulate their neighbors’ essentially middle class values? Nope, they mainly bring their ghetto values and habits with them and just as in the city they have helped turn what were once pleasant, livable communities into total shit holes! What’s that ancient piece of wisdom? Oh yeah, you can take the person out of the ghetto but you can’t take the ghetto out of the person! It’s absolutely true and if allowed to continue it augers the death of this great country and all that it has stood for over the centuries. If this were being perpetrated upon us by a foreign power we’d be at war within twenty-four hours. But alas, in the words of that great philosopher Pogo, “we have seen the enemy and he is us!” We have literally Frenchified ourselves and have raised the white flag without even putting up a fight and now we’re really gonna fucking pay for it!!


Much Luv Y’all and Have A Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman