In the enlightening essay “Black Men and Public Spaces” . Brent Staples describes his ain experience turning up black in a racialist society and discusses the interaction that take topographic point with people. “The ability to change public infinite in an ugly way” ( 302 ) . through racial stereotypes affected him and many others. Stereotypes affect persons irrespective of race. sex. or faith. Author Brent Staples states he has been racially profiled on several occasions and has been falsely assumed to be a menace to the safety of others around him based on race. By specific narratives. Basics explains his thesis through out the essay with narrations of incidents in urban America during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Basics foremost victim was a white adult female in an destitute subdivision of Chicago. In New York. adult females feared him because their bag straps were strung across their thorax during nighttime walks.

Another clip in Chicago. he is mistaken as a burglar at his topographic point of employment as a journalist with a rushed deadline narrative in manus. Stables talked about people fearing him. particularly white females. and confounding him as a mugger in the surrounding ghetto. He implies that Whites normally picture inkinesss populating in bad vicinities and being hapless. Peoples tend to link poorness with condemnable activity doing fright when walking entirely at dark. Staples created an emotional essay because the incidents are written in first individual and really effectual in saying his instance that he has been racially profiled. He allowed first manus apprehension of what it was like in a specific state of affairs and what he felt. The essay would be missing without them. An illustration would be when he wrote “To her. the black youngish black man- a wide six pess two inches with a face fungus and wallowing hair. both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket- seemed threateningly close” ( 302 ) .

Basics describe this brush with his ideas and feelings into the narrative. This adult female was worried and the reaction she had. sets up the statement how his description was a menace even harmonizing to his ain statement. Staples besides wrote. “One twenty-four hours. hotfooting into the office of a magazine I was composing for with a deadline narrative in manus. I was mistaken for a burglar” ( 303 ) . On another juncture. he enters a jewellery shop where “the owner returns with an tremendous ruddy Doberman pincher striving at the terminal of a leash” ( 303 ) . Staples nods and leaves the shop. This is another of import indicant to understand the statement that Staples makes about being a victim of racial profiling and deceit based on visual aspect. Staples used an dry tone through out the essay with words like victim and subsister. He gives justification on why he should be a menace. but at the same clip shows that he is a victim. Staples essay clearly states an statement and provides grounds to back up the statement.

Staples understands the female ideas of being a “mugger or a rapist” . but her flight made him experience like an “accomplice in tyranny” ( 302 ) . Another illustration is how common stereotyping occurs with “Then there were the standard unpleasantries with police officers. doorkeepers. chucker-outs. taxidrivers. and others whose concern it is to test out troublesome persons before there is any nastiness” ( 302 ) . This shows that Staples had more brushs than merely the 1s written in the essay and people view him as a menace because he is a immature black adult male. I like the essay because the writer seemed to be dependable and the subject engaged my involvement. Stables’ character changed and the reader became to cognize him better. The narrative represented societal categories doing it more credible. One critical scheme is gender unfavorable judgment. The comfort distance between aliens may be different with females and males. Staples knew the distance “seemed threateningly close” ( 302 ) would do the female feel uneasy.

It may hold been different if the individual Staples was walking by was a larger male. “Women are peculiarly vulnerable to street violence” . even admitted by Staples. How are adult females supposed to take measurings to be safe without piquing a preset stereotype set by Staples? Staples describe himself as a symbol to stand for one thing. but average something else. Staples wrote “faces on neutral” ( 302 ) significance no facial looks is an illustration of semantics. The word victim is a figure of speech to depict a white female. who is a suspect of pigeonholing. “Steely New Yorkers” ( 303 ) is a metaphor for a tough individual. Staples used an pained and irritated tone in the essay. but as the narrative continue the tone alterations to understanding. Staple accepts the stereotype and that now he whistles classical music as a manner to do others see him as non- threatening.