“Ghettos”, Graffiti, and Gangs… The Three G's (Phoenix, Tucson: neighborhood, living in) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

ZonyPony · 08-16-2008, 12:22 PM

“Ghettos”, Graffiti, and Gangs… The Three G's

The Three G's

Although he was never one of my fave peeps, I believe that Spiro Agnew had a great line:
"Those "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity".

We have an inordinate amount of threads in which these “Nabob” (Nay-bob) posters continually insert the three golden words to describe Tucson, Phoenix, and Arizona in general. They don’t seem to be happy anywhere. They are forever pining for paradise - wherever THAT may be. Until then - the poor dears are stuck, continually pouting - incessantly whining about the following three horrors:

“Ghettos”, Graffiti, and Gangs (sing to the tune of Baubles, Bangles, and Bling).

According to the Nabobs, the 3 G's are totally engulfing Tucson and Phoenix at every end of the big “brown” map. They constantly complain about this “prickly” situation which keeps growing and threatening us all here in Arizona.

These doomsday naysayers continually use the G words as they predict total anarchy. They are crying out that if we don't hurry, we'll soon need to declare a state of emergency, or “we gonna be in a heap of trouble"! Certainly, and very soon, the governor will need to send out the National Guard in full force to round up this tsunami of taggers and gangbangers, in order to help out our poor hapless, drowning, and apparently stupid law enforcement people. This would be their “Let’s go drag ‘em outta their “ghettos” mentality!

Soon we'll need to get the President to declare the 3 G's a federal disaster. The entire USA should be readied for this impending crisis. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base may be enlisted to scramble fighter jets to aid the fight in Arizona immediately. Most viable battle plans should include buzzing the “ghettos” and most assuredly even strafe a few...

Got that?

Does that remind you of Orson Welle's radio play which stirred up another major panic: "War of the Worlds"? Apparently the Nabobs not only get their inspiration (and fears?) from Welles, but also from the song, "The World is a Ghetto" (by War)! Okay, I admit I’m exaggerating a bit in order to make a point…

“Ghettos”: What exactly is a “ghetto”? Here’s one definition from American Heritage Dictionary:
ghetto· (gět'ō) Pronunciation Key (broken link)
n. pl. ghet·tos or ghet·toes
A usually poor section of a city inhabited primarily by people of the same race, religion, or social background, often because of discrimination.
Very well, I can accept “a usually poor section of a city” as being a “ghetto”, and that must be how the Nabobs mean it. Other terms are occasionally used, like barrio, which only means neighborhood in Spanish, or ‘hood – again, neighborhood. So then, am I to understand that the problem they really have is with poor people? The proverbial "poor side of town" – the “other side of the tracks”, so to speak?

Is THAT it? Is that their complaint? Does it really just boil down to the fact that the Nabobs don’t like poverty? They don’t want to be around it? So, then, WHO are these Nabobs? Are these just a bunch of Gucci-wearing slacker buddies gathering at their silver-spoon daddies’ watering hole outside the ghetto lines, and who have nothing else to do but criticize everything in sight, knock poor people in general - and then put a title on it, namely: ghettos? Other than complain about it, do you suppose they’ll actually go out and do something about poverty? Will they be a part of the solution? Are they Mother Theresa wannabes? Answer: NO!

Graffiti: Sure, I'll admit I've seen graffiti around Arizona, here and there. And, of course I’m against it, as much as any normal citizen should be. Its an urban blight (as much as those shopping carts all over the place are!), and the taggers should definitely be stopped. They should be made to clean up their “artwork”, and they should be jailed and/or fined as well. Is it as bad as the Nabobs make it out to be? No, not any more here in Arizona than anywhere else. Again, is it something the Nabobs will help out with whilst they yearn for their utopian paradise? Answer: NO!

Gangs: What exactly is a gang? I remember seeing a movie version of gangs in West Side Story. Loved Natalie Wood’s fake Spanish accent! Now, where exactly can one locate a gang? Are they roaming around the city parks? Are we experiencing “rumbles” under the freeways? Where will we find them – in the “ghettos”?
Seriously, has anyone ever seen a gang walking around town? Have you ever seen a crip or a blood or a jet or a shark or whatever they call themselves? Ever been to one of their gang meetings? Do they wear t-shirts with their gang name on the front? How do we connect with these so-called gangbangers? Do you suppose the Nabobs will research this for us? Answer: NO!

Aren't these Nabobs the very same ones who continually whine about how “AWFUL” Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson are? Aren't these the very same poor souls who lament about how very “BROWN” and how very “HOT” Arizona is? Aren’t these the very same pouty ones who tell us how very “BORED” they are? Answer: YES!

Oh Paradise! Oh Paradise! Where art thou, my Sweet Utopian Paradise?

SamuelSmith · 08-16-2008, 12:34 PM

Well, sounds like the sky is falling. I'm surprised folks have not called out a jihad on the lightning in Az. as you are far more likely to be affected by it.

BTW - I certainly hope you get those "three Gs" in order before the 1st of next month. If I see any graffiti I'll be forced to register a complaint.

J (-:

ZonyPony · 08-16-2008, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamuelSmith

Well, sounds like the sky is falling. I'm surprised folks have not called out a jihad on the lightning in Az. as you are far more likely to be affected by it.

BTW - I certainly hope you get those "three Gs" in order before the 1st of next month. If I see any graffiti I'll be forced to register a complaint.

J (-:

Thanx, Sammy...

Now that's the kind of humor we've been lacking here!

azhiker · 08-16-2008, 02:45 PM

Your premise that people that lament the graffiti and gangs are Nattering Nabobs of Negativity is puerile.

Because they exist does not make the people that decry them negative. If you see things that are wrong and you are silent about them, you think that makes you somehow superior. Strange, strange logic.

I'm one of the people that sings Tucson's praises regularly around here. I am also someone who sometimes laments the graffiti and gangs.

You want to put your hands over your ears and sing la la la la la, I can't hear you, fine. Keep your head in the sand and feel superior while doing so.

You allow that tagging and graffiti are bad things, but then, amazingly, can't quite make the connection that the people that are creating the ubiquitous graffiti are in fact, gang-bangers.

Gangs in Tucson are in FACT an increasing problem and not some myth just because you don't happen to see some Sharks vs Whatevers Hollywood fantasy rumble when you go out to dine.

Here's but one link (and I could find many) that says at least the TPD doesn't have their heads in the sand about the reality: TPD: Gang activity up; added officers to help

You want more stats, I'm sure I could provide some that might disabuse you of the notion that gangs are no big deal here, and that they, and the tagging that they lead to, have increased dramatically over the last 10 years.

And this is coming from a guy that loves living in Tucson and has no plans to leave. So, please, spare us further posts that try to label those that don't have their heads in the sand about the issue as "Nabobs".

Presumably, that makes you feel somehow better about yourself, but the label has no relationship to reality.

ZonyPony · 08-16-2008, 07:46 PM

Excellent post, azhiker! That's the kind of constructive fervor I wish the slacker negomeisters had, instead of just wanting to tear Arizona up and down - left and right, while obviously not really interested in going out and making any changes themselves.

You sound like a level headed human being who would actually go out and get his hands dirty in the fight. It feels good to touch base with and touch a nerve in somebody who really cares. This post was meant to do some of that, while exposing the slackos as well.

The pouty do-nuthins won't be volunteering their assistance to Arizona anytime soon. They don't play the game that way. Their thing is attacking without solutions. They don't do zip but whine and complain.

I was born here and have lived here all my life. I've seen the changes, and without going into what I do or have done, have been in on various forms of attempting to make a change - a difference in how Arizona responds to the criminal element.

By the way - kudos on the words in your post: "puerile" - "ubiquitous" - "disabuse". Wow! Most excellent, dude.