The Tribune

By Ivoine Ingraham

We must be unforgiving and not let the ghetto-minded force us to accept such behaviour. We must resist anyone whose narrowmindedness, pettiness, envy, and jealousy do things that make us miserable because they are. We cannot and should not make any excuses for achieving, then wanting to experience the best quality of life we can, and contribute to those who made no effort to better their condition and expect others to provide for them.

As a community, we must hold ourselves and others to a higher standard and not make excuses for detrimental behaviours in our communities. It’s our collective responsibility to uphold these standards and create a community we can all be proud of.

Finally, we take our ghetto to the streets where our tourists are. We show off our stale behaviour to be funny. The tourists, who have far more experience than us, pretend to enjoy it because they are afraid. But when they leave, they badmouth us. The renegades get away because the police are not alert enough. They’re too busy on their cellphones and congregating together rather than simply policing.

We succumb to ghetto practices by not being charitable

We allow the infiltration of uncivilised activity because we are afraid to confront it or call it out. Our children quickly gravitate to foolishness. Our peace is invaded by boisterousness. Then, they use their inferiority complex as a weapon to quiet the objections of their crassness.

So, our impressionable children join them at school for fear of being ostracized. The contamination even challenges our peace.

When people who lack self-esteem move, they carry their boorish behaviour.

Let’s face reality: ghetto is a mindset and does not equate to socioeconomic or location.

A popular quote about renewing the mind comes from Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”