The author recognize the fact that he have positive attributes on his side that can help him to “alter public space”. He works in a very good editorial, this means that, whatever he say can cause a strong impact in society’s mind set. Staples knows his influence in the media. Also, he is black and he understands how black people are stereotyped in society, so he uses to his favor the sense of “hazard” that society have toward black people. Staples have lived racism in a closer look since he was a child and he was able to convert that negative experience into a positive and encouraging method to overcome racism.…
In the essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” written by Brent Staples, reflects the experiences, beliefs, and understandings of the reader through the use of chronological sense of organization, tone, and detail to prove how racial stereotypes force a change in one's behavior, that can end up altering society's perception of an individual.…
After watching both the TED talk “The Danger of the Single Story” and the film “God Grew Tired of Us” I definitely noticed the large nature of prejudice and stereotyping of African Americans in our society. Society has made massive improvements since the times of slavery and the stereotypes that have reinforced it. However, there still seems that several individuals go uninformed about the lingering stereotypes, negative positions, and subjugation to Africans and African Americans. It’s also crucial to investigate how these stereotypes are established and dismissed in order to get rid of the problem once and for all. Several people acquire expectations founded on their opinions and are persuaded to disregard or reject information that is unreliable…
The mere presence of black men contain the power to invoke awe, discomfort and intimidation. This power, however, does not justify the grossly apologetic attitude and extreme behavior modification that Brent Staples exercised for the simple purpose of alleviating the fears and suspicions aroused by the presence of a black man. Brent says he smothered the rage that surely would have turned to madness, he kept a wide distance from people on subways who appeared to be nervous especially during the wee hours, and even moreso if he had changed from professional attire into jeans. Brent, in his own words, allowed people to walk by so he didn't appear to be following them. In my opinion, this is overkill to accommodate the expectations and assuage the racially sterotypic and unrealistic suspicions of others.…
When Americans meet someone new they are already sticking that person into some sort of category because of their appearance. If someone looks different than Americans are use to, they automatically stick some sort of stereotype to them. Stereotypes are strongly displayed in the media; stereotype can be based of someone’s color, culture, religion, or sex. In Black men in public spaces by Brent Staples, and in The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the authors talk about stereotypes based on their gender and ethnicity and the experiences they both encounter because of their ethnicity and gender which have many similarities and differences. Stereotypes can lead to hatred and discrimination against other groups. The problem with stereotyping is it is identifying an individual based on a group a person belongs to, which is not right because each individual is their own person. Stereotypes can be true, and are sometimes false that is why a person should only be judged by who he/she is, each person is unique in his/her own way. Cofer addresses the stereotypes of Latin women, while Brent Staples points out the social views of African American men by both displaying the stereotypes stuck to them, how the grew up, and encounters with strangers to reveal the similarities and differences they face concerning ethnicity.…
We live in a judgmental world; believe it or not that’s just how it is. People are going to judge you before even knowing you and what your intentions are. Brent Staples, who is an African American, experiences the moment of feeling like a threat to women and people based on his color of skin and the way he is dressed. Almost all black men in today’s generation are likely to be suspects or looked at as a criminals or dangers to people. This is due to the fact that colored people are usually the race that’s being placed under arrest. It is correct that colored men have the highest criminal rate, but not all colored men should be distinguished as criminals for the actions of their race. In the essay “Black Men and Public Space,” by author Brent Staples, he uses ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade his of the prejudiced nature of our society.…
I have heard stories of blacks not getting jobs; regardless of how qualified they are for the position, because of the color of their skin. I have heard stories, and even witness black children getting picked on in school because of the simple fact that they are black. I watched a video in school where a black family moved into a white neighborhood, and before long all the white families had moved out because they didn’t want a black family in their neighborhood. This was confirmed by Hacker in my research in the quote, “Almost all residential areas are entirely black or white.” I have also seen videos of African American men getting beaten by white arresting officers, and have heard stories of many black men being stereotyped by policemen. This must be why Hacker states “When white people hear the cry, “the police are coming!” it almost always means, “Help is on the way.” However blacks cannot make the same assumption.” These are all reports and events that I think the average American has seen before, but yet most people,…
I have seen many different examples of this but one that stood out to me was the Trayvon Martin case. Although this case had many different points of views and opinions the news portrayed him as a thug by using certain pictures and referencing and highlighting some of his teenage activities most likely because of the color of his skin, with out much information about the case when it was first released. Television shows are guilty of portraying this also. For example when Jerry Springer was airing the show would consist of a couple and a home wrecker, most of the time all African Americans, they would fight using profanity and improper English embarrassing them selves on national T.V. The African American stereotype has most likely been around the longest. This stereotype dates back to slavery and was very relevant in the fifties and sixties. One example is shown by Claude M Steele when he stated; “and I learned that we black kids could not swim at the pool at our area park, except on Wednesday Afternoons. That is just one example of how harsh it was to be an African American in that day. Even though our nation has gotten past that and taken great strides in getting rid of racism there are still certain prejudices and…
This essay written by Brent Staples tells of the first time the author experienced a negative reaction from someone just because he was black. He tells of how he noticed signs of fear when people saw him and realized that most of Chicago’s rapists and muggers were black and that his appearance could cause fear. He tells of how society tells us that we should be tough and shouldn’t back down and how some young men take this literally and get into…
Stereotypes are so common in our world today and people don’t even notice how bad they portray it. I hate seeing that a man had to force himself to change the way he acts and portrays himself in public. Why should someone change their ways? It made me think of a time when I was getting gas on Green River Road near Washington Avenue. I was almost done when a car with two black men pulled up and stepped out of their car. I was nervous so I stopped and got into my car real quick. Now that I think about it those men weren’t doing anything, just grabbing some late night food. How could I be that bad of a person? I know now that was wrong of me and I’m working on it. I hope someday society will realize what they are doing and change it. Not just for their sake but for mankind.…
As Staples says, Black men have a very bad reputation of being a mugger, a rapist or even worse (P115, paragraph 2). Therefore, many people are afraid of them. However, from time to time, Staples had learned a way to change his perception or level of threat to others by putting attention to his physical behavior. As Staples says, a broad six feet with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pickets of a bulky military jacket, certainly is a threat to any women walking at night. (P115, 1) However, Staples notices if he walks slower and gives the frightened people more room then it would lower the level of threat ness.…
The stereotypical Black man is someone who wears baggy clothes, sag their pants, wear flashy jewelry and carry guns. This is what we see in the rap media and this is what people look up too. Its like one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. It only takes one negative feedback from the black community that will judge everyone as a whole. Black men are being discriminated before they even commit a crime or just walking down the street.…
Our black men are stereo-typed not only by whites but blacks too. Whites believe that every black man will steal from them or beat them. They believe our black men are thugs and belong in gangs. I believe that white men fear our black men. They know that if our men get educated enough we could take over. I'm not saying they will make them slaves or anything of that nature. I'm…
Although it is often ignored by those around it, discrimination is an impending problem in our towns. In the essay “Black Men and Public Space” written by Brent Staples, Staples responds to the racism he faces in various social situations. He reveals how he has “become thoroughly familiar with the language of fear” (1). As a large black man, people seem to fear Staples without a valid reason to. They do not see his character, but rather only his appearance. This reveals how people are fast to stereotype a person that they see, and not give them the opportunity to show their personalities. They are afraid of what, or who, they are afraid of, resulting in their own anxiety being created. By personifying the emotion of fear, Staples relays…
inappropriate portrayals of the black life were seen by thousands of blacks before the Civil…