Misrecognition And Criminalization Of Black Men Essay

Misrecognition and Criminalization against Black Men’s

Why African America are being stereotype by the American culture as sexual offender, rapist, and criminal? Is it because of the color of their skin? African American are being judge, discriminate, look down at from generation after generation not just by white race but other race as well. African American are stereotype by the way they talk, dress, and the feature of how they appearance. Victor Rios is a Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Barbara, Professor Rios conducts research on Juvenile Justice; Social Control; Race; Dignity; Resilience; and Educational Equity, and also teaches the followi.ng courses Juvenile Justice; Introduction to Sociology; Studying People; and Justice, Law, and

Inequality. In the article stealing a bag of Potato Chips and other resistance Dr. Rios begin the article with a young African-American named Ronny who went to an interview at steak house and the manager appear unfriendly to him and unfortunately he did not get the job. Nevertheless after Ronny leave the interview a young white male came in immediately and was acknowledge and greeted very politely. However this is unfair how some American discriminate African American youth and have the expectation for young black men to be seen as criminals and sexual aggressors. It is unfair in a society which everyone is supposed to be considered equal have the same opportunity as each other and not to be judge are be racist against. Conversely, many people in the American society are racist and stereotypical and it is hard to change what a person choose to be or what they tend to believe in.
Misrecognition and Criminalization are two common terms that are used to judge and discriminate against African American especially young black men’s. Misrecognition is to deliberately fail to recognize or pretend to do or like something. On the other hand Criminalization is a term use by the legislation and judicial system that legal acts may be transformed into crimes, it is the process by which behaviors and individuals are transformed into crimes and criminals. In the “article Stealing a Bag of Potato Chips and Other Crimes of Resistance”, Rios stated “despite their attempts to present themselves with good manners and good morals, their idea of professional behavior did not match mainstream of professional behavior” (49). Regardless of how professional African American present themselves they are still discriminate by society and them professional act does not match mainstream standard which is consider as misrecognition. Then again Rios specified that when African American boys “displayed a genuine interest in going legit, getting a job or doing well in school, adults often could not recognize their positive attempts and therefore criminalization them” (49). If they are being criminalize by society for being a better person, what society really want from these young black men? Which are making the effort to be enhanced person to society.
According to Rios, “The boys had grown up in an environment which had deprived them of the social and cultural capital they needed to progress in school and the labor market” (49). These boys form they own norms to avoid incarceration, to shun violence and to fit in the poverty community that they had grown up into and prove to society wrong about discrimination about young black men and that they also qualified into the mainstream institutions. “Why didn’t you shake her hand when you left?” I asked. “’Cause,” Ronny replied. “Why not?” I scolded. “Because it was a white lady. You not supposed to shake a white lady’s hand. They be scared of a nigga. They think I’ma try to take their shit or fuck ’em” (Rios 50). Majority of young black African American are misrecognize as a rapist by their character, they personality, the way they dress them self and behave in public. According to society white people see them as rapist, criminal and that they do not benefit or have nothing to compromise to society. Ronny stated that the reason why he did shake the white manager hand after the interview for the job because young black men has being stereotype as rapist or sexual offender and he think he would have get the job cause he nail the interview and without him shaking her hand the manager would have given him the job without ponder him as a cruck or a rapist, but instead the manager perceived him discourteous, bad-mannered and impolite black young men.
“Misrecognition of genuine attempts to do well in school, the labor market, or their probation program led to frustration—and to producing alternatives in which the boys’ organic capital could be put to productive use” (Rios 50).Young black especially African American get discourage to go looks for job after they have been turn from several interviews, so instead they go gabling, sell drugs, do illegal stuff for money or entrepreneur not to be humiliation and manipulated but also jeopardize the risk of incarceration. In the article “Stealing a Bag of Potatoes Chips and Other Crimes of Resistance,” the sign on a corner store stated “only two kids allow at a time” (Rios 51). In this neighborhood these black and Latino boys are misrecognize as criminals so the store clerk only allow two person at a time but at the same time they break the rule and enter as a group which make them more suspicious as group to steal from the store.
“Mike grabbed a twenty-fivecent bag of Fritos Flamin’ Hot chips, lifted it up in front of the clerk’s face, and said, “You see this? I was gonna pay for it, but now I ain’t paying for shit, stupid mothafucka. He rushed out of the store with the bag of chips, as the clerk called the police” (Rios 52). Obviously Mike was tired to be criminalized as criminal, worn-out from being watch from head to toes like a cruck from the moment he enter the store and the negative whispering talk and the impolite and unmannerly reaction that he receive from the clerk. Instead Mike came to a solution how to gain some respect from the store clerk by stealing a bag of potato chip and very blunt about it without being care for being arrested, lock away from is freedom or the consequence he would of to face but he want to redeem indignity and also put his shame aside and to be respect as normal American citizen and not to be criminalized as black men with no potential to society. These young black African American boys break the law so the judicial system could get their attention although it risk they freedom to be lock up but they want to prove and make a point and instead of being rejected by society they want to be accept for who they are not to be label in the category as Misrecognition and Criminalization.
Brent Staples is an African American author and journalist, he graduated Pennsylvania Military College with a B.A.

degree in Behavioral Science. Staples also receive two doctoral award and later from graduated University of Chicago with his Ph.D. Degree in Psychology. In a society, black men are being discriminate because of their appearance, the way GOD created them by refereeing them by the hair texture, huge lips, dark skin and gigantic buttock and also the way they dress them self or the way they live they life, on the other hand some white see them a s criminal or rapist, and this occurs as a result of Misrecognition and Criminalization. In the article “Black Men and Public Space,” Staples deliberate about how black men of to give space to white women in public space, if not they are criminalize as

rapist;
To her, the youngish black man-a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket-seemed menacingly close. After a few more quick glimpses, she picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest. Within seconds she disappeared into a cross street.
The young lady in the article that flew across the street she was frighten and taught she was going to be rape or rob because of the appearance of the young black men that was walking behind her harmless and minding his own business, this how young black men are misrecognized as burglar and rapist because of the way he look. Brent deliberate in the article how when he walk the street throughout the day, instead of people walk next to him they cross on the other side of the street and others lock the car door and whine their car glass up because he been criminalized as criminal because of his appearance and character.
It is said again in the article were Brent is misrecognized as a criminal, where he live women are a fear of him, “They seem to have set their faces on neutral, and with their purse straps strung across their chests bandolier-style, they forge ahead as though bracing themselves against being tackled”(Brent 1). Therefore whenever they see Brent coming thru in the community that he live in woman criminalized him as a criminal as he said, “they look at him neutral and grip very hard unto they purse” (Brent 1). According to Brent “Women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence” (Brent 1). Therefore because black men are known for during street violence such as breaking into people house and burglar female in the street it is stereotype by society that all black men that dress a certain type of way are consider as criminal and this transpires and lead to Misrecognition and Criminalization.
John Murillo is an American poet and playwright, Murillo was educated at Howard University in New York where he graduated with a degree in MFA. In the poem he dialog about how when the police officer pull over the victim that driving the car and ask for his license and registration, he was so nervous to show is identity because of being a black men you are mostly to been target by a white police officer and they are most likely to file false accusation against black men and brutally abused black young men because they are misrecognized as criminal.
Misrecognition and Criminalization is an arbitrary and worthwhile concept because discrimination against black men do exist.

Discrimination, racial stereotype and cultural biases being attacking black people for numerous year especially black men and it is consider as a result of racism. Not all black men are rapist and criminal but because the majority of young black men are known for going around robbing and killing it is stereotype that whenever you see a black men dress unprofessional he is misrecognized as a criminal. However not all white people misrecognized black men as criminal either they see all race equal and should have the freedom and equal right to opportunity and also have the legal right that every American should have, then again the majority of the white race still see minority as mediocrity and believe they contribute less to society. One day white and black will come together as one nation, live in the same community without being discriminate or judge because of an individual is black. Or for a black person to go steel a bag of chips to make a point to gain respect, otherwise not to misrecognized a black men as criminal because of their appearance and

character.