- May 12, 2001
- 12,452
- 2
- 0
What does "respect" mean to a ghetto rat? I sometimes hear the reason they beat someone was because "they didn't respec them" Does it differ from the definition that a normal person would use?
when gutter rats say " respect " . . what do they mean?
- Thread starter Lithium381
- Start date
- May 12, 2001
- 12,452
- 2
- 0
I'm not talking about pronunciation or ebonics.... but the actual definition used
HendrixFan
Diamond Member
- Oct 18, 2001
- 4,646
- 0
- 71
Where exactly do you hear this?
Growing up in poor areas, I can tell you that when you don't have anything to your name, respect is the thing you hold on to. What earns respect in low income areas is different than the outside world. The definition of respect isn't different, but the things that earn it are.
- May 12, 2001
- 12,452
- 2
- 0
Maybe that's exactly what i'm looking for...... what earns respect in the poor areas?
and what does it mean to "be respectful"?
Ichinisan
Lifer
- Oct 9, 2002
- 28,298
- 1,235
- 136
HendrixFan
Diamond Member
- Oct 18, 2001
- 4,646
- 0
- 71
Difficult to say because it was many years ago that I grew up in that environment, plus there are distinct regional things that go on that develop respect. I'll give you an example.
My middle school was predominantly minority, I'd say around 25% white. Classes started at 830 and let out at 330. My mother dropped my brother, my friend and me off every morning at 7 on her way to work, and picked us up at 430. The time before and after school was spent playing basketball on the blacktop outside. There were usually around a hundred kids or so out there by the time school started, but since we got there first everyone always used my ball. While many of the kids were in gangs, and used to violence, on the court there was no fighting. Anyone who got hot headed would be cooled down or thrown out by the group. It was self policed, and any of the kids would tell you that the court wasn't the place for that nonsense. There was a respect for the court and its rules.
As more people would show up I would stop playing. I wasn't as good a most of them and would get bounced. As girls entered into my activities, I would leave and let my brother or his friend drop the ball off in my locker. Over time, more and more people would drop off my ball as my locker combination got spread around. One day, an enterprising kid decided he would take some of my locker items. I had the usual middle school stuff, shelves with carpeting, mirrors, etc. I didn't have any idea that this had happened until after the fact though. The kid bragged about what he took, got his ass beat for it, and everything was returned back to its original place (everyone knew how I liked things in there). This was all done without my prior knowledge. It was done out of respect.
I certainly wasn't a fighter, but I had everyone's respect. I brought the ball, I shared it, I shared my locker combo with people so they could access it. That in turn gave me respect, so when someone violated the social contract that my locker combination was they paid the price.
What is "respect"? Hard to pin down, but respect has a time and a place. There are places and people who have it, and there are other places and people that don't. It was okay to fight each other in the halls, but not on the court. It was ok to steal from each other, but not from my locker. Some kids took my lunch money a few times, and met with no reprisals. To an outsider, that may not make much sense. Respect seemed, more than anything, a way of trying to elevate some things to a status that really wasn't deserved. If for no other reason than to believe that some things weren't scraping the bottom of the barrel, as everything else around you was.
If someone says that to you in passing it means he's giving you a "thumbs up" for whatever it is you just did, or said or whatever.
BurnItDwn
Lifer
- Oct 10, 1999
- 26,322
- 1,836
- 126
In Jamaica, if you have a beard, they will say "Respec Mon" quite a bit. It's a poor country, so I'm gonna say, if you want to be respected in poor areas, grow a beard.
- May 12, 2001
- 12,452
- 2
- 0
hrm, that does seem to fit the bill in many cases.... why has the culture evolved like that?
hanoverphist
Diamond Member
- Dec 7, 2006
- 9,867
- 23
- 76
showing someone respect isnt much different in ghetto or posh areas. if you insult someone, its disrespecting them. if you dont show common courtesy, that is disrespectful as well. some people just react to lower levels of disrespect in different ways. others take it way out of proportion and think people need to pay homage to them to show respect. ive seen this in rich and poor people, its not really ghetto-specific.
I was standing in line behind a gentleman at CVS last week. He complained I was standing too close behind him. By standing too close I showed him no respect.
punjabiplaya
Diamond Member
- Nov 12, 2006
- 3,495
- 1
- 71
well put Hendrixfan
I had a similar experience as I lived in the projects/ghetto in Galveston. Luckily I made friends fairly easily and some kids started messing with me trying to pull the turban off or whatever when the other kids told them to back off. I always shared my knowledge and cool new books/toys/SuperSoaker I had and I guess that's how I got their respect.
I had a similar experience as I lived in the projects/ghetto in Galveston. Luckily I made friends fairly easily and some kids started messing with me trying to pull the turban off or whatever when the other kids told them to back off. I always shared my knowledge and cool new books/toys/SuperSoaker I had and I guess that's how I got their respect.
Dirigible
Diamond Member
- Apr 26, 2006
- 5,961
- 32
- 91
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter