Between life, a mission, and work, I've spent lots of time around some of New York's most prominent 'ghettos'. Every time I discuss my experiences there, I feel like people imagine something like this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uG9PGqaWeo
While it can be simple to assume that all areas of America are like this, it's actually quite the opposite in most situations. Besides the typical stereotype where one person ruins it all, American ghettos are filled with a much different dynamic. They are not filled with lazy, incompetent people who sit on their porches all day. Instead, I've found two things to be true in nearly every situation.
The first, is seeing the smart and capable people that live there. It is simply a different culture. Just as the middle class doesn't have giant marble staircases and servants to feed them their meals like some of the elite, there are some privileges that those living in these circumstances don't enjoy. It doesn't change their education level, and it doesn't mean they are criminals or menaces to society either.
The last thing I observed is that it is a situation that creates a comfort zone more often than decisions creating the situation. Most of the people living here were raised that way. They don't know any different, and no one, mostly the government, is helping them to understand another way of life. The creativity and work ethic are so powerful, but they simply don't see a better way.
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