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Racial inequality in america today essay
Racial inequality in america today essay
The history of racism in us
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Will society ever view African-Americans as people and not as less than? In “Chokehold” Paul Butler will discuss this very idea depth. Butler provides history on why and how society sees African-American men as violent thugs. Butler goes on to explain in detail how the chokehold plays a part in oppressing African-American men and how to avoid the ramifications of the Chokehold, if possible.
According to West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, a study in Maryland revealed that “70 percent of those stopped and searched on a stretch of I-95 were African American- despite the fact that they represented only 17 percent of drivers on the road.” In light of this confounding statistic, it can be seen that racism and racial profiling was, and still is, an issue in society. Even so, in his essay “Just Walk on By”, Brent Staples apprises of his story as a young, black man growing up in a large city and him facing racial profiling on the city streets. Furthermore, Staples shows his message that many people are willing to judge a person and assume what that person might have done and will do by their outside appearance by using a strong sense of Pathos and showing his persona through his own portrayal of his experience.
Empathy and Acceptance First, Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space,” addresses his personal experience of being a black man but also being stereotyped throughout his life. Truthfully, he identifies and tries to understand that woman fear him to be a rapist or a violent criminal by the color of his skin: “I understand of course, that the danger they percieve is not a hallucination. Woman are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are dratsically overrepresented among the perpretators of that violence.” In fact, Staple explains in the late 1970s and early 1980s of his personal stories of people misjudging his motives in public.
Unfortunately, these conflicts evolve from oppositions such as governmental law enforcement agencies. The systemic structures of European government had harmful and oppressive effects on most African Americans (Harvard.edu, 2015). Structural Racism is not something that a few
Racism falls hand in hand with stereotyping. In “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space”, Brent Staples shares his own experiences of dealing with racism and stereotypes as a black man. Many years before he started writing, black men were being as a threat. His first incident involved a woman who saw him walking a distance behind her. She noticeably started to walk faster, and then ran off.
Historical Criticism on “A black man in public spaces” “A black man in public spaces” is a short story in which the author, Brent Staples, presents the very well known case of racial profiling. Mr. Staples recalls his experiences of being a young black man in a society hell bent on profiling all black men as a danger to a peaceful community. When looking at the piece in the historical view you can rally together the author’s reasons for writing the essay, whether that is previous events in his life or the time period and social influences as to why he wrote it. Brent Staples, a 6’2 very broad man, with a curly beard and billowing hair may seem very intimidating if you where to face him on the street.
In 2010, author Michelle Alexander wrote the truly insightful book, The New Jim Crow. Throughout the book, Alexander displayed that by targeting African American men through the War on Drugs and racial biases within communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system is still functioning as a modern day system of racial control while hiding behind colorblindness. The New Jim Crow is an eye opening account of how African Americans are still being denied the very rights supposedly won from the Civil Rights Movement and makes one think about the modern day racial stigmas African Americans are facing. Although there has been many reforms to America, stigmatization is a still growing problem within the African American community and the lasting
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.
Michelle Alexander, similarly, points out the same truth that African American men are targeted substantially by the criminal justice system due to the long history leading to racial bias and mass incarceration within her text “The New Jim Crow”. Both Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Michelle Alexander’s text exhibit the brutality and social injustice that the African American community experiences, which ultimately expedites the mass incarceration of African American men, reflecting the current flawed prison system in the U.S. The American prison system is flawed in numerous ways as both King and Alexander points out. A significant flaw that was identified is the injustice of specifically targeting African American men for crimes due to the racial stereotypes formed as a result of racial formation. Racial formation is the accumulation of racial identities and categories that are formed, reconstructed, and abrogated throughout history.
“Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples Read to Summarize Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples is about how Brent realizes how people perceive him in public because of his race. He is seen as a scary man whom people often run away from or react very strongly to. Read to Respond I personally am a big believer in not changing yourself for the sake of others. I believe that censoring yourself and molding yourself to fit other peoples expectations or insecurities is stupid and harmful. I have been taught to do that my whole life and I'm just now starting to get out of that habit.
Despite the milestones made in fighting racism, there are still many areas that it still manifests itself such as hiring of ex-convicts while others segregate on the basis of skin color. However, it is important to note that racism knows no color because racial segregation can be from any hate centered
“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.
There is a historical racism that is ingrained in the country and is in the subconscious of the American people. It is what has been referred to as uber discrimination (Reskins.) In this paper I will talk about the extensive history of racism in America while explaining the origins and current use of the systems and structures currently in place. While this paper does give extensive history it will only talk about systems. This paper explains many events but, due to sheer volume will not be able to address all historical points, especially pertaining to micro aggressions, and personal racism (using slurs and offensive language.)
In his essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brent Staples explains that people often find him intimidating because he is tall and black. Staples shares his account of a number of personal encounters, arguing that in each situation, he was misinterpreted as being dangerous because of his daunting physical appearance. Staples asserts that as a result of this misinterpretation, he was continually mistreated. Staples begins his article by describing the events leading up to his life-changing realization that he has inherited “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways (183).” When he was twenty-two years old, Staples found himself one evening, walking behind a well-dressed white woman on a deserted street in a rather wealthy neighborhood.
Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples discusses the relevant issues of racial bias and how prejudice against people of color has embedded minds, as it demonstrates the importance of being aware of how we conceive others. Staples uses a contrasting element of race by introducing a white female and a black male. He uses his experiences and other people of colour to display the struggles of racism they face everyday. Staples reveals how people are prejudice against appearance, despite the importance of individuality of people and being impartial regardless of someone 's skin or looks. The story begins with Staples describing his first experience frightening a white women due to the colour of his skin.
