Black Like Me: Racism

A detailed Summary of Black Like Me: Racism


John Howard Griffin encountered several incidents of racial discrimination in the South as he posed as a black man. Griffin felt that most of the incidents occurred not because the perpetrators were mean people, but that they were ignorant of tolerance and acceptance. Several examples of discriminating incidents that Griffin encountered were the time when a car full of white boys drove by and threw a tangerine at Griffin; the time when a white "bully" pursued Griffin for no reason; and the time when a Louisiana bus driver refused to let Griffin off the bus at his stop.

First, an example of racial discrimination is the time when a car full of white boys drove by and threw a tangerine at Griffin. Griffin was in Mississippi walking down Mobile Street when a car full of white boys drove by and yelled obscenities at Griffin, who was walking alone. One of the boys proceeded to throw a tangerine at Griffin's head, but it missed and splattered on a wall behind Griffin. Although the tangerine missed his head, Griffin felt the "insane terror" of the incident, and realized how intense the tension between blacks and whites was in Mississippi. Griffin also learned that racists don't always realize how stupid and childish their stereoty


In conclusion, Griffin feels pity for the Southern white people because they have the typical racist-mentality. Griffin feels that they are not necessarily bad people, but that they are ignorant of the ideas of tolerance and acceptance. The time when a car full of white boys drove by and threw a tangerine at Griffin; the time when a white "bully" pursued Griffin for no reason; and the time when a Louisiana bus driver refused to let Griffin off the bus at his stop are all examples of white racism towards Griffin in the South. These examples illustrate that Griffin realized what it felt like to be judged based only on his skin color, not on his capabilities, qualities, or intellect.

In addition to the drive-by incident and the bullying incident, another example of white racism is the time when a Louisiana bus driver refused to let Griffin off the bus at his stop. Griffin was ready to get off the bus and rang the bell at his stop. The driver stopped and opened the door. Griffin walked all the way from the back of the bus to the last step when the driver shut the door in Griffin's face. Griffin asked politely to be let off, but driver refused. Griffin was careful not to lose his temp

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Approximate Word count = 806
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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