Should the use of the word ‘ghetto’ be socially acceptable or eliminated from our vocabulary as a whole?

Think about the word ‘ghetto’ and how you would define it or use it in a sentence. The terms meaning and the context in which it is used has drastically changed since its origination. The word was introduced in 1516 as a street or area in Venice, where Jews were essentially held captive by the Venetian government. This term’s meaning continued to remain constant up until the mid 20th century. According to Camila Domonosoke, modern day ‘ghetto’ refers to poverty, poor living conditions, and appalling behaviors, often associated with African American culture. Ghetto can be used to describe characteristics of an individual or thing, but is it socially acceptable to include in our vocabulary, or should we completely dispose of it?
There are three sides to this argument; those who believe we should continue to use it, those who believe it depends on the situation, and those who believe we should ban it from our vocabulary entirely. Beginning with those who believe it should be banned, the main reasoning to their thoughts deal with the fact that people who use the word ‘ghetto’ today use it in a derogatory sense, rather than what it was originally meant for. When using this word some people may refer to things as looking ‘ghetto’ or someone acting ‘ghetto’. Again, in this context the word can essentially become what some would consider racist, as it has a negative connotation tied in with it, but relates to African American culture. I asked both my suitemates what their take was on this controversy. Both believed the word is only acceptable in particular scenarios. “It should be used the same way it was taught in history, but that is it”, says my suitemate, Ella. My other suitemate Gracie agreed saying “Yeah, it makes sense if you are describing the ghettos created for Jews, but the way I have heard people use it today is discriminatory and doesn’t even make much sense”. I believe the majority would agree with this. Personally, I agree with my suitemates. This word shouldn’t be interpreted any differently besides its original meaning, referring to Jewish ghettos. For people who believe it is socially acceptable, they may argue that the term is not racist. I also interviewed my roommate to see if she would take an opposing side and she did, saying “I use the term all the time to describe things, but in no way am I being racist, I am just describing how something looks”. While many may agree with her, the objects or actions usually described involve negative and undesirable implications and can be socioeconomically and racially tied together. When you google the word images of Venice may appear, but that is not the only thing. Images of African Americans and poor communities heavily flood the tab. This proves the idea that in current society, the term no longer revolves around the once Jewish communities in Venice, and could cause potential controversy in its ambiguous usage.

My image: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpress.uchicago.edu%2Fucp%2Fbooks%2Fbook%2Fchicago%2FH%2Fbo8119635.html&psig=AOvVaw1GtVLb6rxvDrbcnZEoQeQc&ust=1699726003021000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCOjyrviCuoIDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD