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Analysis Of Just Walk On By Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples

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How would one feel if he were discriminated against only because the context in which he was in makes it “reasonable” to do so? Some may say that our lives revolve around our own judgements and therefore it is necessary to take every possible precaution to ensure our own safeties. However, such action would often result in preconceived opinion and discriminations against races. For this reason, “objectively reasonable fear” is not justified. In many cases, objectively fear is not based on the overall situation but rather on a specific race. This can be seen In “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent staples. One of the anecdotes presented talks about the author’s experience with discrimination in a magazine company. Close to the deadline, Staples rushed through the office, only to be stopped by the security for trespassing. The workers at the office had limited knowledge of this random man walking in the building. They could have asked him personally about his intention but instead, they took him as a burglar and called the security. This happened because in the early 1980s, African Americans were presented with little to no integrity. When the workers saw Staples, they most likely associated him with a recent felony committed by another black male even though he had nothing to do with it. …show more content…

Police officers would often have to make quick and objective judgements to minimize casualties and losses. In 2015, more than a thousand young black men were killed by the U.S. police force--11 of which were unarmed(alternet.org). The flaw with the system is how limited the word “reasonable” means as it is always the one(police) who has power that defines the word. In most academy, police goes through trainings with regards to handling those dilemmas, but the final decision would always lies among the officer’s experiences and/or knowledges with similar cases, showing evidence of

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In the article, “Black Men in Public Places,” Brent Staples first grabs the reader by telling them about his first victim. This, “victim,” was not harmed by Staples at all, he only walked passed her at night, which made her incredibly uncomfortable and she was not the only person that had felt this way. Staples describes how people would lock their car doors when he would walk by, just because of his appearance, to them he looked the same as a mugger or rapist. Staples moved to New York, and faced the same racial profiling he did back in his hometown. Staples describes himself as shy and timid, while the people where he grew up were gang affiliated and were dying at young ages.

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In Brent Staples “Black Men and Public Space” a firsthand insight is offered about life as an average educated black man, and the common misconception that he is dangerous. Staples realizes his power to alter public space and subsequently adjusts his behavior to strengthen self-presentation, relieve anticipated tension and stay safe; in the face situations reflecting societal expectations and discrimination based on physical appearance. Though he rationalizes that attempts to ease tension is for the benefit for others and his own physical safety, with each one on one interaction experienced, it becomes evident through progressively desperate behavior that he is attempting to soothe the emotional tension he feels within. Staples opens with

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Brent Staples in his article “Black men and Public Space” used an effective amount of rhetorical devices and strategies to develop his claim. The message of the article is to vocialize how Black men are overrepresented as thugs and gangsters and when they’re in public spaces they are treated as such. In the article, Staples pulled from his own experiences and give examples of other peoples instances with this issue. However he did it in such a way using rhetorical devices that strengthen his point and gave the reader something to think about. At some points of the article the reader may have even gotten offended or maybe felt guilty about doing some of the things that he brings up.

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In my experiences, I have found that having a quality that others in public places will react to in appositive way is very important. In Brent Staples’ essay, “Black Men in Public Spaces,” he discusses fearful encounters in public due to his physical characteristics and the stereotypes imposed on his skin complexity and the traits he has commandeered to alleviate the fear that others have. Even though I have not experienced what Staples has, I have found that smiling is a great trait that affects people positively because it seems to make people feel welcome, it reduces tension and fear, and it lightens the mood. Smiling seems to give people a sense that they are welcome in my space, and it tends to open them up to welcome me into their space.

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Stereotypes have the power to label someone and rob them of all their hard work or strike fear into others. One such stereotype is that of black men being more dangerous;yet, one black writer voices his opinion on such a stereotype. In the essay “Just Walk On By” by Brent Staples, Staples describes his experience of being a large black man and how it affects the people around him. From people locking their doors to pedestrians crossing the street to avoid a confrontation, people seem to be afraid of Staples just from a glance. Yet Staples does nothing to cause this fear, rather his stereotype is to blame.

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One common opinion is that officers should not use more force than is necessary or reasonable, and even then, that force should be used only as a last resort. “Police use force to affect civilians’ conduct. On a day-to-day basis, they do so most often by employing the least degree of force available to them, their mere presence. Cops wear uniforms and drive distinctly marked cars so that, without saying a word, they may have an effect on citizens’ behavior” (Fyfe, 38). When an officer’s presence fails to fulfill the desired conduct, the next course of action for said officer would be verbalization.

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These examples all play a part in why someone may fear a black male. Exposure to negative media about black males can spark fear in people. Coming in contact with a black man right after hearing the news about a black man doing something horrific can make you afraid of them. Like what Staples says in his article “At dark shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver – black, white, male, or female- hammering down the door locks”.(p.2) Perhaps those people have heard of black men

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Racism is a topic that has been relevant for many years though our time. Brent Staples wrote "Black Men and Public Space," published in Ms. Magazine in 1986, where he discusses how he became "familiar with the language of fear" (614). Throughout his essay, Staples uses logos, ethos, and pathos to give a reader an insight into the life of a black man in society, which effectively reaches his intended audience, but not his current day audience. Brent Staples starts talking about his "first victim" (613) picking up her pace until she was no longer able to be seen.

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In his essay, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”, Brent Staples uses the rhetorical strategies of anecdote and diction in order to convey his message that due to racial discrimination black people (mainly men) have to change the way they naturally conduct themselves in public for they run the risk of something terrible happening to them. Staples uses anecdotes to bring in the personal side of the message to the audience. Staples creates a persona of innocence and almost alienation in his writing. Anecdotes such as his both instances in which he accidently scared women on walks and the time in which he and another reporter were mistaken for murder suspects or robbers are used to show real life proof of his message.

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In his essay entitled Black Men and Public Space (1987), Brent Staples talks about how people will have a common misconception on the black community by thinking that they are all mugger ,rapist or thugs. Staples supports his claim by telling the reader events/ stories that occured to him and talks about how people will assume that he is a danger to society when in reality he isnt. The authors purpose is to inform the reader that his experiences of being stereotyped is to show the reader his point of view when it comes to these types of situations. Staples writes in a formal tone for an intelligent or free minded person.

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He conveys this through his powerful use of diction, even in the first sentence he says “My first victim was a woman-white” (Staples 1). The word victim gives a very dark and scary tone as if something horrible is bound to happen, but as the reader reads along the whole scenario is just the narrator walking through a park at night and the white woman feels threatened and progressively runs away from the man. The narrator is a college student. The main message is that people are still so quick to judge and feel like they are in danger when they are around african american people they’ll in this case run away. It's also a proven statistic by Havard University states that women are in fact scared of men.

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“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.

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Staples claims that at the time, “there seemed to be a discreet, uninflammatory distance” between the two of them. Staples quickly became aware that she did not feel the same way; she repeatedly looked back at Staples with a worried glance. Staples suggests that in her opinion, the tall, black man walking behind her was too close for comfort. Staples claims that the woman picked up her pace and that “within seconds she

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The women’s racism caused her reaction of “running in earnest,” “worried glances” and her eventual getaway, exemplifying the prejudice of a black male. He further demonstrates his “ability to alter public space” when just crossing “in front of a car stopped at a traffic light.” He hears the “thunk” of the driver locking their car regardless of them being “black, white, male, or female.” Staples understands the world is dangerous and people have the right to fear those around them, however, he continues to endure discrimination. But I am the person making those judgements.

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Americans Stereotypes: Loosening stereotypes Americans are always scared when they see a black man and think about them trying to harm them. Actually, that isn’t always the case and isn’t the case a lot of the time. Brent Staples in his writing Black Men in Public Spaces shows some of the societies stereotype issues. Americans should stop stereotyping blacks, not purposely go around them at night, and he shouldn’t have to whistle to make people comfortable around him. Americans put stereotypes on different ethnicities.

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