Reading Review on "Black Men and Public Space"
The Other Side of Racism In "Black Men and Public Spaces" Brent Staples writes about his experiences with racism and how it changes his life. He also helps people who have not been victims of racism understand the effects of their actions whether intentional or not. Staples starts his story by making the reader feel as though he is a criminal when he states "My first victim was a woman" and making us feel compassion for this woman. Upon reading however, we come to understand that it is Staples who falls victim to this woman's racism. She ran in fear that he was a murderer or rapist following her, simply because of the color of his skin, which made him feel embarassed and dismayed. Staples also writes about being chased through his place of work when his own office manager called security, believing him to be a burglar. At the time, these people who were being racist and judging him for being black felt like the victims, but Staples shows us the other side of racism. The true victims' side of racism, where shame and embarassment are all too familiar. Despite the fact that Staples was raised around gangs, fights and deaths, he writes about himself as "...a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken..." . As much as he tries to avoid the lifestyle he grew up in, it seems to follow him in stereotypes. Through years of experience he learns to adapt to his racist environment and modify his behaviour to avoid any possibilities of trouble or being mistankingly represented as a criminal.
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