2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: In the 40s, were Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn considered "ghetto"? [View all]enlightenment
(8,830 posts)were often called ghettos in the early 20th century and very often referred to Jewish communities. The influx of black citizens into these areas in the late 1920s was well-remarked in Chicago, in part because Jewish residents had "not yet heard of the color line", but they were still largely immigrant and often Jewish conclaves.
I suspect that Bernie was familiar with the phrase in its American usage, if for no other reason than it was commonly used by his parents' generation.
There is a really good book on the historical background and development of the ghetto, written in 1928, called "The Ghetto", by Louis Wirth.
Definitely dated in terminology and attitude, but it explores US perception of the ghetto from a perspective we rarely get since WWII.
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