Stereotypes In Brent Staples

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Every day black, white, and Hispanic men and women face many different stereotypes. Whether it is appearance based or his or her behavior. Brent Staples tells about a time in his life when he was viewed as a threat, and what he does to avoid coming across as a threat to the people around him. Throughout Staples’ work, “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders to Alter Public Space,” we were able to see how people perceive others, based on how he or she looks or acts. “Black men have a firm place in New York mugging literature” (Staples 239). Brent Staples was a twenty-two-year-old graduate student just moved to Chicago. Staples’ first encounter happened late at night on the streets of Hyde Park. A woman, white, and in her twenties, was walking …show more content…

As a result of laying for the varsity level, I never really realize how your actions on and off the court affect how others viewed me. During basketball, my coach would have the eighth graders practice with the team, to get them ready for the high school. Throughout the team practices I would take things a little personal, by overreacting when the smallest things happened. For example, I would get so much anger built up when the practice teams were unevenly chosen or we started to lose our scrimmage game. I would get a little attitude, and played unnecessarily rough or just started messing up and would not care. However, when I did this, I failed to realize that the younger girls would pick up on my small tantrums, and it would reflect when they played. Watching the girls mimic my actions made me regret how I would act in practices and games. The younger girls would have moments when they lashed out, and took It out on other players. The phrase “Actions speak louder than words” is extremely relevant to my experience with my basketball team. The way I acted with my teammates was not necessary. Because of the way I acted, the younger girls felt it was okay for them to act the same way I did: rude, hostile, and bratty when in reality it was not. I feel the way I was perceived by the younger girls, was a remodel, someone who sets an example for those around them. I gave off the impression

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