Gabriel Pahati
Professor Rust
English 100S
22 October 2014
From Walking on By to Laying on the Ground: Fear and Racial Profiling Racial profiling and discrimination, especially found towards African Americans, can still be found in the 21st century. Though black men and women earned their freedom from slavery in 1865, most are still subjected to discrimination. Brent Staples, the author of Just Walking on By, wrote about his personal experience of being racially profiled by his mere appearance and express how he felt emotionally. In his article, Staples explains that most people tend to make false assumptions based on other people’s ethnicity and/or appearance because they are terrified and feel as if they were in danger. I agree with Staples …show more content…
Racial profiling isn’t just judged by the appearance of a person, but it can also be judged by the location as well. Staples claims, “women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence.” Thus, the white female that Staples had encountered created a scenario in her head that eventually something bad was about to happen, but in reality Staples had no intention to harm the woman. She was trying to protect herself, but sometimes false judgments may have negative effects on others and may lead to mindless decisions. For example, misjudgment can cause consequences and may lead to idiotic …show more content…
In the beginning of Staples’ article, the white woman did not feel safe around a large, unknown man. The sensation a person gets when they have a feel like they are being watched is unsettling and unnerving. It’s highly recommended to be alert and cautious when walking in public, especially during the night or when you are by yourself. In relation to the article, one night in Florida, a local volunteer neighborhood watchman reportedly saw a black teen suspiciously looking at houses. The watchman was George Zimmerman and the teen he saw was Trayvon Martin. Trayvon had just recently left a convenience store with a pack of candy and a drink, but through Zimmerman’s perspective he could’ve been armed. Trayvon could’ve been anyone. During an interview, President Obama stated, “Trayvon Martin could’ve been me 35 years ago.” Zimmerman would have done the same thing even if Trayvon was a man of another color, he was simply doing his job. But the steps leading to Trayvon’s death could have been avoided by simply clarifying to each other that neither of them meant any harm. This recalls to Staples’ alternative approach into looking less “menacing” by him saying to take precautions to make yourself less threatening. Staples had realized that by positively changing his physical appearance, he could change the outlook people had towards him in a good way. By breaking the stereotype of a black male, he was seen
Professor Rust
English 100S
22 October 2014
From Walking on By to Laying on the Ground: Fear and Racial Profiling Racial profiling and discrimination, especially found towards African Americans, can still be found in the 21st century. Though black men and women earned their freedom from slavery in 1865, most are still subjected to discrimination. Brent Staples, the author of Just Walking on By, wrote about his personal experience of being racially profiled by his mere appearance and express how he felt emotionally. In his article, Staples explains that most people tend to make false assumptions based on other people’s ethnicity and/or appearance because they are terrified and feel as if they were in danger. I agree with Staples …show more content…
Racial profiling isn’t just judged by the appearance of a person, but it can also be judged by the location as well. Staples claims, “women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence.” Thus, the white female that Staples had encountered created a scenario in her head that eventually something bad was about to happen, but in reality Staples had no intention to harm the woman. She was trying to protect herself, but sometimes false judgments may have negative effects on others and may lead to mindless decisions. For example, misjudgment can cause consequences and may lead to idiotic …show more content…
In the beginning of Staples’ article, the white woman did not feel safe around a large, unknown man. The sensation a person gets when they have a feel like they are being watched is unsettling and unnerving. It’s highly recommended to be alert and cautious when walking in public, especially during the night or when you are by yourself. In relation to the article, one night in Florida, a local volunteer neighborhood watchman reportedly saw a black teen suspiciously looking at houses. The watchman was George Zimmerman and the teen he saw was Trayvon Martin. Trayvon had just recently left a convenience store with a pack of candy and a drink, but through Zimmerman’s perspective he could’ve been armed. Trayvon could’ve been anyone. During an interview, President Obama stated, “Trayvon Martin could’ve been me 35 years ago.” Zimmerman would have done the same thing even if Trayvon was a man of another color, he was simply doing his job. But the steps leading to Trayvon’s death could have been avoided by simply clarifying to each other that neither of them meant any harm. This recalls to Staples’ alternative approach into looking less “menacing” by him saying to take precautions to make yourself less threatening. Staples had realized that by positively changing his physical appearance, he could change the outlook people had towards him in a good way. By breaking the stereotype of a black male, he was seen