Tragically, the entire race is stereotyped as criminal and dangerous by millions of white Americans because of racism and the actions of a small minority of violent blacks. .
It is interesting how Mr. Staples decides to respond to these recurring situations. Somehow, despite all the unfair animosity he must face so often, he decides that he must accept how society views him and do whatever he can to not be perceived as a menace to anyone. To do otherwise, to object to every unfair look, every mistrustful observation, and every wary reaction to his presence, would be emotionally, psychologically, and physically exhausting. Staples knew it would be a losing battle. He would be seen by many whites as a confrontational, radical trouble-maker and just draw more unwanted attention to himself.
So he takes precautions whenever he might be in a situation in which he will be seen .
by some as a threat. When he walks about at night he whistles classical music scores to signal that he is cultured and harmless. He is careful to hide the alienation he feels at being seen as an outsider, and makes every effort to smile and exude friendliness in public, so as to minimize and sometimes prevent white perceptions from forming that he is a dangerous criminal of some sort.
In "A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space- Brent Staples eloquently conveys what it feels like to be subjected every day to racism and prejudice. In doing so he succeeds in altering the perspective of whites, who view racism from an entirely different position and tend to minimize its prevalence in society. After reading this essay, .
I realized how difficult it must be for a human being to be feared, mistrusted, and looked upon with contempt just because of the color of his skin. .
While I was reading the essay and for a long time afterwards, whenever I reflected upon the experiences of Mr. Staples, I found myself wondering whether I would be able to accept such unfair treatment day after day without lashing out at those who were treating me with such bigotry.
