Racial Stereotypes
“Black Men and Public Space” is a short narrative written by Brent Staples. Staples begins by stating his first “victim” was a white woman in Chicago. As she avoids him hastily, Staples comes to realize that she is frightened by his appearance; large, black and intimidating. As a result, she perceives him to be some sort of mugger or rapist, much to his anxiety. Since he instills fear merely by his presence, he is in an awkward and potentially dangerous situation. Other incidents, which include people mistaking him for a burglar, only made Staples more weary of the hostilities. To curb his anxiety, he uses non-threatening behavior such as whistling to curb any uneasy encounter he might have with white people; especially women. Thus, in this essay Staples wants to convey how he was profiled by white strangers, how it evolved into a potentially dangerous situation, and how any uneasy situation that may arise can be avoided through docile and casual behavior. The main underlining issue addressed in this essay is racial stereotype, and what dangerous implications it has on black males. Now what is racial stereotype? All kinds
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Space Staples, Staples Staples, Muslims Jews, Public Space, racial stereotype, black public space, Black Public, black public, potentially dangerous situation, black males, uneasy situation, potentially dangerous, dangerous situation, racial stereotyping, appearance black, stating victim, racial stereotypes,
Approximate Word count = 780
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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