“That’s so ratchet!” is a phrase that you are likely to hear while roaming the hallways of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. The word is often followed by laughter and a buzz of agreement. Most don’t take offense and walk right by when they overhear the term in the hallways.

The term “ratchet,” which has gained enormous popularity both in face to face conversation and social media interactions, may seem like the cool new thing to say. But, despite its currency, what many people don’t know is that the term has racist undertones and pokes fun at people with different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Slang terms originating in African American communities, such as “ratchet,” “ghetto,” and even “basic,” are often taken out of their original context and misused in an offensive way. These words have become more prevalent in pop culture and have been used by many noted celebrities including Lady Gaga and Beyonce. “Ratchet” is often used to label things as trashy and inexpensive.

It is important that we take into account what we are really saying when we casually throw the term “ratchet” around. Though it might start out as a way to lightly make fun of things that are “tacky,” the intentions behind the words are often lost and it can quickly evolve to associate negative connotations with specific social groups.

Though it is unfortunate that many popular slang terms are offensive to different cultures, it is even more disappointing that these words are so widely and ignorantly used. Students are taught as young children not to use hurtful names and words, but these lessons are overpowered by social media and pop culture as students grow older. Students now are held responsible for their own choice of words and must decide for themselves if they will follow the trend of using certain slang terms.

Beyond these very specific terms, it is always important that we are conscious of our language and the negative connotations that it might have. It is often difficult to know what is and isn’t okay to say, and it’s even more tempting to get caught up in the whirlwind of popular slang language.

When new terms such as “ratchet” gain popularity within the community, take time to do some research, find out where the word comes from and what it means before diving in and integrating it into your everyday language. It is also important to think about why you are using a word. If it is intended to make fun of or degrade someones culture, it’s probably not a good idea to use it.