[Cadre-politics] So why is Lowell so "Ghetto"

[m carino]

So in my urban planning studies, I learned that the term "ghetto"
originally came from  defining homogeneous neighborhoods.  Thus, a
neighborhood made up of all white, rich people was known as a "ghetto." 
Interesting, huh?  Similarly to Lowell present day, perhaps as a Southeast
Asian, Brazilian, etc immigrant destination, Lowell can be defined as a
"ghetto" because of its ethnic enclave status.

Anyway, I know we're talking about "ghetto" in a different sense.  I
believe Lowell is so "ghetto" because of its history and the impact of
deindustrialization (like Detroit, Pittsburgh) - again, urban planning
studies.  The economic base disappeared when technology took over many
jobs, white flight occurred and left a black hole in urban cores of mill
cities like Lowell.  Immigrants arrived in Lowell, and like Dan mentioned,
they are not rich.  And consideration of cultural differences are also
important.

But it looks as if Lowell is going from "ghetto" to gentrification these
days...so which is better?

Ok, my $0.02.

Happy friday, all!
Peacefully yours,
~melissa

On Thu, May 11, 2006 12:04 pm, Dan MacNeil wrote:
> At my day job, I work with a good natured, industrious, superficially
> cynical [1], rich [2] boy [3] from parts well north of here. He has the
> job because he has nearly perfect grades. While he knows little about
> LINUX, he is learning more and is cheerful about putting paper in the
> printer and creating accounts.
>
> Yesterday, he innocently asked:
>
> 	"So why is Lowell, so 'ghetto' ?"
>
> Partly because I wanted to quickly move our latest donation (thank you
> MELLOW NEON and LAVA CROSSES GLACIER) out of PaPal and into our bank,
> partly because I wanted to resume procrastinating about the LowellDeeds
> stuff and partly because I sensed:
>
> 	"WELL, YOUNG SHIT-WIT, MAYBE NOT EVERYONE IN LOWILL IS RICH"
>
> ...wasn't going to win a heart or mind. I asked for a bit more detail
> and muttered:
>
> 	"Well, downtown is probably a lot more to your taste."
>
> On reflection, I think his question was not as shallow as I first thought.
>
> Some more context:
>
> The question came after his first (and last?) 200 yard walk up the hill
> to Jo-ann's Deli  (aka the "Fontane family variety store"). This is a
> journey that few students make. I might not have made it myself, if
> Eduardo C had not been my guide.
>
> If I understand correctly, symptoms of "ghetto" are:
>
> 	Cheesy old store signs paid for by Coca-cola corporation.
>
> 	Garbage strewn about the sidewalks.
>
> Obviously, outside the bubble that encapsulates the North Capmus section
> of Pawtucketville there are parts of Lowell that are not at all "Ghetto".
>
> Downtown, 3-4 guys in khaki shirts [4] walk around, pick up litter and
> empty trash cans. Downtown has quaint street lights and regulations
> against cheesy cola signs. In the middle highlands many people own their
> homes and pick up trash blown into their small yards.  The low income
> housing run by CBA [5] is spotless on the outside.  I see servants
> maintaining the estates in the upper highlands and in upper belividere.
>
> But all this is tangential. There are times and places in Lowell where
> garbage drifts like dirty snow against the sides of buildings.
>
> The signs are probably easiest to explain. Swank new signs cost money.
> In the pawtucketville mercantile exchange, lowering the retail price of
> a "Jo-Ann's special steak sandwich" from $4.95 to $4.75 will enhance
> revenues more surely than a swank sign. The choice is apparently obvious.
>
> A little deeper, I'm not so sure. Downtown there is a coffee shop. A
> machinist at my church refused to patronize it. He vastly prefers Dunk'n
> Donuts, despite the fact that DD's management occasionally removes the
> few tables to discourage heron addicts from swapping needles. (A
> customer once found a needle taped below a table.)
>
> My machinist friend's complaints are "too pricy" and "too fancy" I'll
> admit that Andy's place [6] is is a tiny, tiny little bit precious but
> the reality is that he charges 35 cents less for a cup of coffee than
> Dunk'n Donuts.
>
> My guess is that Jo-Ann's would hesitate to take a swank sign even if it
> was free. I doubt her customers see themselves as "ghetto". They are
> "regular neighborhood people"  Jo-Ann's kinfolk will cheerfully take the
> rich boy's money, provide some almost home cooked food in a simple but
> clean shop and (if they are in a good mood) extend a sincere and
> cheerful greeting. However, I doubt their identity includes "classy", or
> "up-scale" and I can't fault them for that.
>
> As to the garbage, that is a tougher question. As, (you faithful and
> attentive readers) know, most days, I walk through the infamous Acre to
> get to work. There are parts (not maintained by CBA [5] ) where the
> strewn garbage is disgusting.
>
> Until today, my reaction was primarily:
>
> 	"Those people have no pride, how can they live like that?".
>
> The PC answer to this question might amount to "stick it to the man.", a
> sort of dirty protest [7]
>
> Examining my own conscience, the actual answer might be simpler. Unless,
> I trip over it, I don't pick up the trash in the acre. I don't own
> property there. I'm just passing through. My guess is that the people
> who live there feel the same way.
>
> ---
> [1] Superficially cynical: Jon Stewart fan.
>
> [2] Rich: "not eligible for financial aid" or  "U.S citizen",
>      either applies.
>
> [3] Men and woman pay their own bills or get married.
>      Boys and girls have their bills paid by parents.
>
> [4] Khaki shirts are workers.  Khaki pants are yuppies
>
> [5] http://cbacre.org
>
> [6] http://brewdawakening.com/
>
> [7]http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/troubles/hungerstrikes/blanket.shtml
>
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