Ghettoblaster and boombox

Are these two words racist when using them to referr to a portable stereo?

Nope, either of them are fine.

It seems like they had a racist origin though.

No.

The French fought the Arabs during the Algerian War.

Anyway, how can the words "ghettoblaster" and "boombox" be racist?

Well, not Arabs, but Muslims.

How about niggerbox.

Yes, well, that would be racist.

I think the word ghetto might feel like a racial slur. Boombox is the word I would use.

"Ghettoblaster" is not a racial slur. "Ghetto" describes an area in the city where most minorities live - black ghetto, puerto rican ghetto, jewish ghetto, gay ghetto. Usually, the black and hispanic ghettoes are where you'll hear loud music booming from portable sound systems, hence "ghettoblaster."

Now, if someone were to diss your fashion sense by saying, "That is so ghetto." Then perhaps this might be taken as a racial slur, but IMO, it just means you have gaudy, lower-class tastes.

Bella-
thank you for the clear-up. the second part of your answer was the definition of ghetto that I was talking about. it's the lower-class part that might upset people.

Well, I have this African American friend who describes her new in-laws (her brother's wife's family) as "ghetto" because the ladies in the family have a penchant for wearing hair weaves and long, garishly painted fingernails, while the guys wear doo-rags, gold chains, baggy clothes, etc. They also have speak the inner-city vernacular. In my book, that's very "ghetto" b/c that's the type of clothing and manner of speech of many (not all) African Americans from low income neighborhoods. But would you consider this a racial slur? I don't go around calling all African Americans, Latinos, or other minorities "ghetto", just those who look and act the part.

Similarly, there are upstanding, classy white people, and then there are those who scream "white trash." Racial slur or just calling it like it is?

Correction: They also speak the inner-city vernacular...

Its just slang...

i've noticed that a lot of ppl nowadays are using the word "ghetto" to mean "cool"...don't ask me why.