Social Inequality Terms

verb to confine or segregate a group of people, especially based on race or ethnicity, in a specific area or neighborhood

• The city council's decision to ghettoize certain neighborhoods has sparked controversy among residents.
• I heard they're planning to ghettoize that area of town, which is really unfair.
• They're trying to ghettoize the new students by making them sit at a separate lunch table.
• We must not allow fear to ghettoize our minds and limit our potential.

verb to assume that something will always be there or will always be done without thinking about it

preposition used together to form a phrasal verb meaning to not appreciate or value something properly

• It is unwise to take for granted the stability of the economy.
• Don't take for granted the love and support of your family.
• I used to take my job for granted until I got laid off.
• She realized she had been taking her health for granted when she got sick.

noun the state or quality of being unimportant or insignificant

• The committee discussed the unimportance of the minor details in the overall project.
• Who cares about the unimportance of that small issue?
• That's so irrelevant, it's unimportance is laughable.
• In the grand scheme of things, the unimportance of that decision was like a drop in the ocean.

noun A type of capitalism characterized by the exploitation of struggling businesses or industries for profit, often through aggressive and unethical practices.

• Vulture capitalism is a term used to describe the practice of investors taking advantage of struggling companies by buying their assets at a low price.
• Some people call it vulture capitalism when investors swoop in to make a profit off of failing businesses.
• Vulture capitalism is like when vultures circle around a dying animal, waiting to pounce on the opportunity.
• The ruthless tactics of vulture capitalism can be compared to scavengers picking apart the remains of a carcass.

noun the belief that people's worth is determined by their physical attractiveness

• Lookism is a form of discrimination based on a person's physical appearance.
• I can't believe lookism still exists in this day and age.
• Don't judge a book by its cover, that's just lookism.
• The company's strict dress code is a clear example of lookism in the workplace.

noun a French term referring to a suburb or outlying district of a city, typically characterized by lower socioeconomic status and a higher population of immigrants

• The banlieue is a term used to describe the suburbs surrounding major cities in France.
• I grew up in the banlieue outside of Paris.
• The banlieue can sometimes be seen as a rough area with high crime rates.
• The banlieue is often portrayed in media as a place of poverty and social unrest.