Black Men And Public Space' By Brent Staples

In his essay, “Black Men and Public Space” Brent Staples a journalist explains that unconscious prejudice and racism exists against black men in our society. Unfortunately, these preconceived notions alter the way people respond to black males, making black men feel alienated. As an African American male, Staples supports this theory, providing people with insight into his own personal experiences. Brent discusses his childhood growing up in Chester, Pennsylvania, a city ridden with gang violence watching friends and family go to prison or end up murdered. His first encounter with racial stereotyping was a decade ago when he turned the corner one evening, keeping a distinct distance from a white female because she was cautiously watching

Everyone has a place in the world, to think otherwise is naïve; this world is not owned by a specific race, class or gender. And yet, in a time where the world is seemingly at our fingertips we are still finding prejudices at every corner. Often, the differences of others are perceived negatively and this causes misconceptions and assumptions. If we could strip ourselves of this negativity and lose the impulsive perceptions, then we should be able to put forth greater efforts to understanding the lives of those from backgrounds which are different than our own, in doing so acceptance towards others would likely follow.

African-American men and white men are born and raised within the continental U.S.; each of their own faculty empowered to change the social injustice of a society. The innate qualities of the African American do not compare to those of the white man, yet - “empowered” they are with character. The foundation for the concept –“character” is best defined as “holistic,” meaning of physical, mental and social qualities – A. Adler’s school of thought, as well as A. Maslow and C. Rogers’ thoughts –“[a]n equal human being… cognitive, emotional, and volitional” (Ambrus, 33 -34)

African Americans are judged more for their race than for their self-perception. Brent Staples is an African American male who is treated unjustly for being black. In his story entitled “Black Men and Public Space”, he describes himself as “a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken”, yet he is “often being taken for a criminal”. In his mind, he is a harmless man who could never cause harm to anyone. This is not how he is treated by others; instead other racially profile him as a dangerous man. For example, one night he is walking around the city due to his insomnia. A woman sees him walk her way, and she runs away. Obviously, she judged him based on his race instead of his personality. She believed that he was “a mugger, a rapist, or worse”. Staple is not the only black man to be discriminated against. In American, there are hundreds of stories about how blacks are discriminated against, especially by law enforcement officers. They claim to be stopped by police officers often for being black. This happens so often that it has been labeled “driving

Imagine being wrongfully persecuted and mistreated based on assumptions painted by society. The portrayal of the young black male in the late 1980s has not changed much in the United States. Brent Staples is able to reveal the truths of racial stereotyping in the United States, and the stigmas placed on young black males with the use of imagery in Black Men and Public Space. Appealing to the readers’ senses allows for better understanding of the time period Staples is writing about. Visual imagery is used to contrast how Staples appears to his “victims” and how these “victims” appear to the public. The fear the general public has of black males is exposed by appealing to the auditory senses. Non-verbal reactions and body language of those around Staples uncovers their true sentiment towards black males. Imagery is an essential tool in uncovering the racism and stigmatization of black males in the United States. Appealing to ones senses is a very effective way to bring depth and meaning to a message.

In the essay, "Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples, the main idea states that the main character, whose name was unknown, gave a negative perception to the general public by the way he looked. Staples goes on to say that the unknown character could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and hear the hammering of door locks as people were scared of the possibility that he might approach them. The author says that the character moved to New York and often saw women who would fear the worst in him. Staples writes about how one of the character’s worst moments was when he worked as a journalist in Chicago, he was mistaken for a burglar. Concluding the essay, Staples describes how the character comes up with the idea to imitate

We probably know discrimination occurs in any situation, anywhere. I think discrimination depends on individual reasons or social problems because everything around us can make us fall prey to discrimination. Today, we know discrimination of race is unlawful, but it is still existent in some people, and it gets skillfully concealed under some form, or another. For example, in the essay “Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public” by Brent Staples, the author is a black man. He explains a few encounters in which he has been a victim of discrimination because of his skin color. I love America, because this country includes many different races; it makes me think of the beautifully-diverse prairie flowers. I thought

Just walk on by Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples is an interesting and captivating piece of writing. His publication captures one 's interest and makes a person think about the role of prejudice in his or her daily interactions. It is full of metaphors, which achieves the desired figurative effect. The Declaration of Independence, on the other hand, is the founding document of the traditions of the politics of the United States (Lucas). It clearly explains the fundamental ideas that constitute America that all men are free and equal, and have similar inherent natural rights. There are several ways that the writer’s experiences and arguments are consistent and are at the same time inconsistent with the principles contained in the document. It follows that a deeper understanding of whether the idea laid out in Thomas Jefferson 's "Declaration of Independence" should be hold true for these authors.

In the present scenario, the main challenge of our society is the stereotype that exists. One of the common stereotypes is that we deem black men as dangerous. Most people grow up with such a perception and feel it be true. In ‘Just Walk on by: Black Men and Public Space’ Brent Staples describes the way black men are perceived as dangerous individuals to society by his own experiences. He rightly acknowledges the occasional hatred that black men are subjected to in everyday social situations. Staples begins his writing with an anecdote using an ironic tone, describing the concerns successfully with emotional and logical appeals in chronological order. He aims to see the problems from the white American perspective and he makes efforts so as to clear their concerns with ease through the use of diction, ironic tone, ethos & pathos.

Throughout history, literature has served as a way of expression. Human beings have poured out their feelings onto paper, as long as there have been people interested in them. Common themes have risen through the ages, such as the contrast between light and dark. Darkness is known for its negative undertone. In earlier times, we saw darkness as an interpretation of evil; likewise, light represented God and all good. From literature we, as a society, have built what later became social rules, giving rise to things such as prejudice. In Brent Staples essay “Black Men and Public Space” this is clearly shown by the authors own experiences of antipathy

In his Essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brett Staples’ illustrates the way black men are stereotyped, and seen as muggers, rapists, or worse. His purpose was to inform readers about how black men are mistaken to be aggressive and hostile individuals, and he planned on enlightening people who are afraid of black people in order for them to not be afraid when they encounter one of them. Staples begins his essay with an anecdote to demonstrate to his readers the focus for the rest of the essay. Brett Staples frequently narrates his personal experiences, reinforcing his message, and making the audience sympathetic to his point of view. Staples wants his audience to

For example, in an essay written by Brent Staples Called Black Men and Public Space, Staples writes about how people viewed him as a black man in America. Staples states, “often being taken for a criminal”. (Staples 11) Explaining how typical strangers viewed him as he took walks around New York. He was feared and thought of as a criminal because of the color of his skin.

In the essay “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples I witness the problems that African American men must go through. Is it right to judge people by appearance alone? I don’t think it is okay for people to deal with that. In the world today racial profiling still exists, People of color must walk and talk a certain way just to appease those who are near. In this essay, Brent Staples is that man who has to adjust his behavior in public to ease the nerves of anyone who may be near to him.

In Brent Staples essay “Black men and Public Space” he’s trying to say that black people in United States are getting mistreated different because of their skin color and getting misjudge. The thing that Brent is trying to say is that black people are getting misjudge in United States because they are treated way different than white people. In Brent Staples essay he says “I often see women who fear the worst from me” Brent is trying to say that if a women seen a black men in the street at night that she’s going to be scared but in the other hand if she seen a white men at night she is not going to be scared.

In the article Black Men and Public Space, the author uses personal experiences to express the idea of racism and judgement based on appearance. One of the worst experiences Staples talked about on page 15 was when he scared a white women when he turned the corner at night, and she ran off. He exclaimed “It was clear that she thought to herself the quarry of a mugger, rapist, or worse” (page 15). By using personal experiences, it helps the reader become more connected to the topic and it also makes people side with the author's opinions because he/she is experienced. In my opinion this article is very sad but true at the same time. People fear what they do know know whether it is race, religion or a certain way of life.