You are on page 1of 3

Student Second Name 1

Student Name

Tutor

Course

Date

Staples as a Sensible Black Macho in "Black Men and Public Spaces."

"Appearances are often deceptive" goes the saying, but in the case of Brent Staples,

these appearances have taken a harrowing turn for Staples when he is considered a rowdy

criminal by everybody during his nocturnal wanderings in Chicago and even in New York. It

is another matter that he is as innocent as a lamb. This story by Brent Staples is an

autobiographical account how he was stereotyped a criminal young African American and

was either feared or integrated by the security personnel at some places. He first narrates the

story of his Chicago wandering, then his reflections on his appearance, followed by

Manhattan episode, its impacts on him, his own strategy to cope with this dilemma and his

final technique. In this essay, Brent Staples has presented himself as a wise, strategist and

cautious young man stereotyped as African American criminal young man, who has to devices

various strategies to make people feel safe and save his own skin from them or from the

police.

Brent Staples has presented himself a wise young man who has realization of his own

appearance. When he is in Chicago as a student, he happens to walk behind a white lady who

runs away fearing his presence a threat to her. Then he realizes that it is his appearance of
Student Second Name 2

being an African American as well as his dressing. He soon realizes during another incident

that where he is chased by the police and he enters his editor's office. This gives him the

sagacity to perceive himself a threat to others as that being perceived "dangerous is a hazard

in itself" (Staples). In other words, he knows that if he is perceived as a danger, it is dangerous

for him. The person can call the police or even shoot Staples himself in case he is not

pacified. That is why he has to use other strategies to cope with such situations.

Staples has to create various techniques and strategies to cope with the situation

created by his impression. It is because he knows that it is his impression that sends a wrong

signal. He knows as a strategist that he cannot change his face, skin and height. However, he

also knows that at least he can minimize the dangers that others think in is presence. He

decides to cope with it in the shape of whistling tunes from classical music or "melodies from

Beethoven and Vivaldi" which could make others feel that a criminal cannot be lovers of the

classics (Staples). By mentioning this he means that he has adopted this to make others feel

safe in his company and become cautious when it is a matter of the presence of the police.

It is also that he has been extremely cautious to save his own skin. First, he knows that

if somebody perceives him a danger, it is dangerous for his own persona. Secondly, he knows

that he must be known before anything untoward happens to him specifically in the presence

of the police. He says that "I have been calm and extremely congenial" when pulled by the

police (Staples). It is because he has been cautious that if he panics, he might be killed there

and then. Therefore, caution is the word that he acts upon and becomes pliant when police is

there.
Student Second Name 3

Concluding it, it can be stated that Staples has become very wise to use his presence as

a pacifying and pleasing factor. He has also used different strategies to make people less

fearful of him and become cautious to keep himself out of harm's way when there are the

police. That is how he saved himself acting up his best strategy of his own "survival" by

making others "survive" from him perceiving as a danger (Staples). This stereotypical image

tied to him since his childhood hardly makes him comfortable with other people but at least

his strategies work for him to make others feel him a harmless young man.

You might also like