Black Men And Public Space, By Brent Staples

900 Words2 Pages

“Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples shows the harmful effects that come from being discriminated against. Staples grew up in a violent neighborhood and learned that he wanted to stay away from a dangerous lifestyle. He moved to the city to stay out of trouble. Staples is faced with being stereotyped for being violent because he was a six foot tall black man. He thought of unique ways like whistling classical music to make himself seem less harmful. He didn’t want to be perceived as threatening and had to deal with this on a daily basis. Staples worried for his own safety especially around police officers who have been notorious for being more aggressive with African Americans (Staples). The prejudice that Staples and many others …show more content…

Kinzler, “Children are cultural sponges: They absorb the mores that surround them - how to dress, what to eat, what to say” (Kinzler). This is generally a good trait, necessary for children to learn and mature, but any prejudices that are held by the adults around them can easily be transferred as well. In fact, research in Developmental Psychology has shown that kids show racial bias similar to the adults in their communities when they are in kindergarten (Kinzler). This is the beginning of the negative cultural perceptions that are tangible to Staples. Bias is passed down through generations instead of being learned through experience, therefore these ideas may have been formed during slavery or in the Jim Crow South. It’s crucial to teach children that acceptance and equality is far more important than judging groups of people by their appearance. Kinzler also mentions in her article the fear that parents are having after the 2016 election. Her research has found that “when children learn about people committing antisocial actions, they remember those actions in greater detail than they do with comparable positive actions” (Kinzler). So when our Nation 's leader speaks negatively about groups of people then it is likely that his actions will be followed in adolescents that are listening which is exactly what is

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