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Perhaps Jim Stewart should look up the definition of the word “ghetto” before he confronts someone for making an offensive remark (“‘Ghetto’ remark offends/CU’s Brown riles only black member of higher-ed board,” Oct. 20).

Here is definition 3b from Merriam-Webster Online: “a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity (the pink-collar ghetto).”

Sounds like University of Colorado President Hank Brown used the term accurately. Attacking people for the innocent and correct usage of a term does nothing to improve race relations. Perhaps Stewart should focus his anger on people who are actually limiting opportunities for minority groups and using terms that are, in fact, meant to be derogatory toward those groups.

By the way, the original usage of the term “ghetto” was the section of the city in which Jews were forced to live. Why does Stewart assume that the term is intended to insult African-Americans? And what does that assumption say about the state of race relations in this country?

Kathy Gould, Centennial

READER COMMENTS

Well,somebody SHOULD be insulted....maybe the people who invented the term.Certainly the misfortunes of those who now use the term don't quite measure up to the misfortunes of those who invented it.Current usage of the term"ghetto" is much more in line with the ethical standards of the folks Simon Wiesenthal tracked for decades.

I don't know whether to despise Keith or feel sorry for him; Keith is so limited in his vocabulary; it is a vocabulary I have been active in dissuading from being used so as never to compel the moderator to cancel this blog out of disgust.

and his momma cried

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