Racism In 'Black Men And Public Space'

Is being a black man in public space a crime in America ? In today's society that question is very prevalent and seems to cause a lot of discussion. Many people often start these kinds of discussions and still do not receive the change that they are looking for. In the essay “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples talks about his personal experiences of him being a black man in the presence of the public. He uses his personal accounts to give off vivid imagery that appeals to the audience in multiple different ways. His accounts are explained in his writing with a plentiful array of words and a use of a humorous style. Brent Staples successfully uses the emotional appeal of pathos and ethos to achieve his main goal of showing how racism and discrimination still exists in today's society.

Every race has something unique, special, and different that they bring to this world. Racism is the act of disrespecting these differences and furthering this disrespect by using racial slurs, stereotypes, and other injustices such as discrimination and segregation. Racism has been a long lasting problem present throughout all of history. Last week, we celebrated the birthday of a great man, Martin Luther King Jr., who spoke out against such racial injustices happening in America during the 1950’s and 1960’s. During that time, black people were treated with constant disrespect and were segregated by white people. Now, racism is still active in our nation despite such strong opposition towards it. People experience racism every day hearing racial slurs, being stereotyped, and being excluded because of their race. It is also extremely common in the press with much talk about the racism of cops towards African Americans and Donald Trump, our

Even in modern society, the simplest of things can shift the delicate atmosphere. A black man entering a room, or any space, full of white people, can automatically transform the ambiance. This ‘ability’ may not be a desired effect, but in certain situations, it becomes inevitable. Through the use of different rhetorical devices, Brent Staples is able to demonstrate his realization of his “ability to alter public space in ugly ways” simply because of his race and stature in his essay, “Black Men and Public Space.” Staples uses the rhetorical techniques ethos, logos, and pathos in order to get on the “same side” as the reader while still presenting the essence of his argument. The author is able to sympathize with his “victims” and justify their feelings, appealing to ethos. He also analogies and details about his background, such as his doctorate in psychology, and the fact that he was a reporter to appeal to logos. Additionally, by using vivid imagery and creative diction, he engages the reader by use of pathos, evoking the emotions of the reader. With the use of rhetorical devices, Staples is able to effectively describe his experiences of being perceived as a criminal, solely based on his “unwieldy inheritance” (205), while, additionally, extending this concept to be true throughout society.

The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of

Men and women alike are often afraid to venture out into the streets at the dark hours of the day. It could be argued that this is a byproduct of the ever-increasing US crime rate, yet it may also be due to the natural fear that accompanies walking alone in public spaces, familiar or not. Although any shifty figures lurking on the sidewalk can be the source of this fear, it is no doubt that the gross misrepresentation of black people as perpetrators of violent crimes has given them “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways,” as so proficiently stated in “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples (205). Through this short essay, Staples uses a variety of rhetorical devices, namely anecdotes, in order to present the fact that these preconceived racial notions can make certain individuals increasingly susceptible to societal scrutiny. This forces many individuals to make concentrated efforts to present themselves as less threatening because “where fear and weapons meet -- [as] they often do in urban America -- there is always the possibility of death” (206).

“Racism still occupies the throne of our nation,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pronounced just before his assassination. Almost fifty years later, we are still faced with the same unchanged threat that makes the words of Dr. King true. As individuals, communities, and a proud nation we have made an everlasting fingerprint for the children of our future, yet we lack the strength of acknowledgment to alter the course of racial discrimination and conquer prejudice. Has the formation of structural discrimination rooted itself too deeply into our subconscious that hope for rehabilitation seems unattainable? As a nation, we voted a man with a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya as the first multiracial President of the United States. Racism has not been eradicated because of the racial background of President Barrack Obama and we have not accomplished victory because of his African decent because prejudice has been too deeply fixed within our society. Social circumstance and the insinuation of race continue to change over time, precisely because race has become a social construct that serves political ends. The prior and present leaders of our nation organize, generate, and endorse the laws and public policy that ensure racism continues to maintain itself against people of color. Our historically racist foundation, the rising effects of structural discrimination, and the view of modernized racism all actively participate in shaping our structural

In his article “Black Men in Public Spaces”, journalist Brent Staples discusses how stereotyping has negatively affected him throughout his life, especially during his nightly walks to ease his insomnia. He outlines when he first noticed this occurrence and the steps he has used to minimize the degree of reactions.

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

PHD from the University of Chicago, Brent Staples in his article, “Black Men in Public Spaces”(1986), argues that people can be very quick to judge stereotype others based off of what they see. Staples supports his claim by first using anecdotes which frequently narrates his personal experiences, reinforcing the message and making the audience sympathetic to his point of view. Then he gives us some background to the character. These personal insights support the argument made by his previous anecdotes, appealing his peaceful nature with the violent society imagines him to be, and finally he ends with an analogy. He is equivalent of the cowbell that hikers wear in bear country. He means by this that hikers wear cowbells to scare off bears and let them know they are there. So he would act more calm and cautious to let people know he’s there. Staples purpose is to retell his experiences of racism and in order to educate white people on what it's like to be a black man. He creates a sympathetic tone for white people, both genders, and black people.

Brent Staples’ “Black Men and Public Space” was interesting in that the author did a great job trying to illustrate the issues of stereotypes, and criticisms he faces being a black man in public surroundings. Staples initiates his perspective by introducing the audience into thinking he is committing a crime, but eventually reveals how the actions taken towards him are because of the fear linked to his labeled stereotypes of being rapists, gangsters, and muggers. Brent Staples opened a door for discussion, why do we hate those we don 't understand? It doesn 't help the leader of the free world tweets leisurely while there 's more pressing matters to attend to like immigration, DACA, or the senseless kills of innocence with no basis other

In Brent Staples’ article, “Black Men in Public Spaces”, provoked by racism against him, and other black men on the streets, he gives many personal examples in high hopes people will understand how he, and many other black men, face prejudice from regular encounters simply because of their race. With a Ph.D in psychology, Staples’ writes to his strongly feminist audience in the Ms. Magazine and Harper's publication in 1986. Although staples’ addresses the fact that women have reasonable cause to fear black men on the streets, he comes back to the idea that racial profiling is a serious issue. Throughout his article, Staples’ uses personal anecdotes, an accepting tone, and strong diction in order to further develop his argument.

“This fear is built into white America’s DNA, deeply rooted in destructive stereotypes of the black man as perpetual predator that harken back to slavery-era revolts.”(McCray,Rebecca) shows how whites see blacks,as a possible assaulter,a mugger.In his essay, “Just Walk on By:Black Men and Public Space”, Brent Staples shares his experience about the fear he has seen in white people when they are around him. He talks about his experience of walking around one night to beat insomnia, when he passes by a white woman, who is scared of him, without any action or intent of Staples to harm the women. “It was clear that she thought herself the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse” (Staples,

Throughout life many people experience similar situations, although they are two different many different kind of people. The kind of people depends on their personality. Brent Staples is an author and writer for the New York Times. He gives two simple examples of two different people in his excerpts “Black Men and Public Spaces” and “Parallel Time” showing their differences and parallelism.

These people are correct in a sense; loud and public acts of racism are no longer prevalent in the US as they were in the past. However, today racism is stealthy and unspoken, and often deftly covered up with fabricated cover stories to legitimize the discrimination. This new breed of racism is perhaps even more difficult to fight against than its more egregious past self; its subtlety allows its perpetuators to claim ignorance of any discrimination, and its lack of media attention lulls Americans into complacence and acceptance of the current system. Further disturbing is the prevalence of “covert racism”, also commonly called “subconscious racism”. Many white Americans may actively stereotype and discriminate against blacks without even being aware of their actions and thought processes (BlackYouthProject). This phenomenon is a sad consequence of being raised a subtly racist society which perpetuates discrimination, even if never openly. Many subconscious racists may also be unwittingly subscribing to “symbolic racism”. In J.H. Moore’s book Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, Henry Sears characterizes symbolic racism as the endorsement of four specific beliefs:

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton said, “We have come a long way from the days of slavery, but in 2014, discrimination and inequality still saturate our society in modern ways”. This quote rings true where equality in the workplace is concerned. In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “The Lesson”, we see what social discrimination looks like through the eyes of children who are observing a wealthier part of town. In their eyes, they see and injustice and question why it is not being altered into something centered more on equality and equal opportunity. Toni Cade Bambara’s story “The Lesson” is written to make a point about racial discrimination in the workplace and social inequality.