Some Things I Have Learned While Growing up in the Ghetto.
Yes, even here you can learn some real life skills.
I recently was watching a show on Netflix called “The Gentlemen” by Guy Ritchie and it’s your usual Guy Ritchie movie about how some people get caught up with some bad guys and the like, a bit of bang bang, some dude getting hacked to death blah blah blah. It’s entertaining as much of Guy’s movies are but they always tend to have a meaning.
Anyway I was watching an episode with Giancarlo Esposito when all of a sudden I heard this metaphor
“People either survive in the jungle or exist in a zoo.”
This little sentence caught my attention and quickly brought back times growing up in Bx how at an early age had to grow up and realize things that were going around me and how to maneuver myself around them as much as possible or even learn from the situations which have unfolded in front of me. My Therapist calls it PTSD, I call it learning to survive in the jungle.
Maybe it’s why my view of the world tends to border on the cynical rather than the hopeful. To me hopefulness is something you see on the Hallmark channel and as much as I want to not believe that I do not believe in hope. I had to see darkness at an early age like many other of the kids who grew up in the same environment. People who grew up in negative environments like me tend to be survivors, put us in a situation and we will probably find a way out of it. Our minds tend to be that like a Chess. game. Planned moves, using strategy to live so that you can see the next day.
Nothing is ever guaranteed in life especially when you grow up in that environment. So I guess I grew up in the jungle as many of you did as well. Those white fences mowed lawns far away from the hood is the Zoo. Every house is the same, they drive the same type of vehicles as well as a Golden Retriever as their family pet. Many of them oblivious to what is going on around them, it’s crazy.
Below is are the things I learned while growing up in the ghetto.
- No One Is Coming To Save You!
Time and time again I see people out here looking for a savior anyone talking about how they are going to change the chaotic ever changing modern world into something like a 50’s sitcom. Where everything looked perfect. And yet every time people get disappointed.
I learned a long time ago that if you want to be saved the saving will have to come from you. You and only you will need to figure out and pull yourself out of the situation you are in. Trust me at times I found myself in a bind and rather than pleading for help I sit down and figure out what to do at that moment. Realize that you are out here on your own and no one cares!
If you’re tired of living a miserable life then YOU HAVE the power to change it. I don’t know why people don’t realize that in this country you will need to be self reliant, because if you wait for help I can tell you it will never come.
2. Move In Secret.
Growing up in the Ghetto one thing that always happen is that the loudest one get their ass kicked, arrested, robbed or even killed! Attracting attention to oneself is not a good thing in the hood. There will always be someone willing to score a lick on you. It’s a bad situation when someone has a gun to your face and demanding your shit.
Which is why it pays to move in secret, quietly in the background. When you do that you kind of become invisible and can see who’s who and what is going on without anyone noticing.
3. Learn the Ways of a Criminal.
Growing up many of your school mates will tend to go down the road to criminality either by choice because they glorify the life or because of need. Whatever their choice their life will tend to leak into yours and you will learn how to move in that world if you need to. Also just because you learn the ways of criminality does not mean you are a criminal more of line you are aware of criminality when you see it unfold in front of you.
You learn to scope out trouble, you learn to size up people and figure out if they are true to their words or full of shit, even with all that you still tend to be suspicious of the person who you is in front of you. You learn to hustle and figure out ways to make some change.
And at times those very same criminals you grew up with will help you out. It’s ironic when you see one kid grow up and become a Cop while the other is a crook and when they see each other it’s like their paths don’t matter as they are still friends
4. Ready to fight at a drop of a hat.
I’m sure we have all seen videos of people in the ghetto throw down quickly. At times we wonder why people are so ready to choose violence when confrontation shows up. It’s the law of the land that if you don’t stand up for yourself when the opportunity arises then you will be viewed as Sheep, a target for others to pick on and trust me you do not want that!
Backing down is not an option! You have to fight even when you know you are going to lose. You might be risking your life as well but it’s either that or be viewed as a pussy for the Predators to fuck.
Talking does not work! No one wants to hear what you have to say as emotions are ablaze and people are ready to bring the hurt to you, the only thing you can do is defend yourself.
5. Backing Down Makes You A Target.
Like I said before that growing up in that environment you have to understand that if you don’t fight back you will be looked upon as a weakling a pussy which is not good at all. You become a target of everyone.
You will be picked on, beat up, laughed at and even robbed just because you are viewed as an easy target. It’s sad as I have seen it and experienced at one time or another.
6. View The Police Suspiciously.
Cops are a natural phenomenon in the ghetto. They constantly patrol the streets to keep crime at a minimum and d sometimes they tend to bust ass every now and then. You know they have a quota to fill so get ready to get stopped, frisked mixed in with some aggression to add some flavor.
And if you fight back you will get a taste of their batons to the body since you just gave them an excuse to set it off.
The crazy thing that’s so odd that at times the very cops are worse than the criminals in the ghetto. Many have been caught selling drugs, robbing money from Drug Dealers, collecting protection money etc. not much different than the criminals the only difference is that they represent the city or state.
Hood dudes think they run the block but in reality it’s the Boys in Blue that really run shit. Seeing this happen in the news and at times in front of you will make you suspicious of them. It’s nothing personal it’s just what you do when you live in the Jungle.
In Conclusion,
I can go on forever adding more and more things to be aware when growing up in the ghetto. If you know any more please add them to the comments. People need to know that no one should have to live in a place like that. So keep your eye open and head on a swivel.
