The idea that American ghettos aren't the way they are because of social, cultural, and economic issues that are often out of their inhabitant's control; or that they would be there if they had the money to leave.
I see...
So then - you subscribe to the notion that human beings are not responsible for the choices they make nor the actions they take. Which probably puts us on exactly the opposite side of the social spectrum.
That said: social and cultural are practicly synonymous. But I'll use cultural. And culture is the issue and the problem. The current culture in US ghettos is one that denies the value of education (i.e parent(s) don't place much importance on it), creates a population where 65%+ of children grow up without a father in the household, 65% of violent crime in the USA is commited by the young men of that culture and 85% of that is against their own people. And that's just a few of the problems - all created by a failed culture and which is definitely in their control by making good choices and acting accordingly. Their choices, their actions. I will grant you one thing though, Morbad, the welfare system in the USA is, IMO, the primary driver of the no father in the household issue.
However, Many people in the ghettos find a way out and have since the beginning of US history. Irish, Italians, and now Asians all started out in ghettos and all successfully moved up and out. There's no excuse for the current crop of Americans that make the majority of the ghetto populations in big cityies remaining there except continuing to cling to a failed culture. AND - It's got nothing to do with skin color. It has everything to do with culture.