Just Walk on by . . . Response

Through reading the essay, I noticed that despite how sad the situation for Brent Staples is, it is also true. What is most sad about the situation is the stereotypes that surround black males. While I try not to fall into becoming one of those typical paranoid people, I will admit that a have, a few times, crossed that street to avoid someone that a felt nervous about. Although the people that made me feel nervous were not always black males, but white males too. 

It is alarming some of the examples that Brent uses in his essay, like the one about him walking into the jewelry store and consequentially being met by a doberman. The way some people go about meeting their nerves and suspicions may be going too far. In my mind, there must be a better way to deal with one's own suspicions. In one sense, it is good to be prepared and have some defensive strategies for when a real situation does occur. However, on the other hand, by not even listening to what the person is going to say and giving them a chance before jumping to their own conclusions, these people represent the worst of our society. Instead of being accepting to all people, as we try to exude, we are constantly on the alert for danger, and would probably even jump at our own shadow.

I will not pretend to be perfect, r have all the answers, but maybe if we all just took the time to really look at a person, then we wouldn't jump to such rash conclusions. If we only judge a person based on their color or sex, then we can never be the country that we say we are. We claim to be a 'melting pot' of different cultures, but they way we treat these cultures still causes separation and strife and not the true mingling as we say we have. So, perhaps if more people read more essays like those of Brent Staples, then they would see how silly their actions are and think twice the next time they jump to conclusions based on mere appearances.