More handpicked essays just for you.
Racial inequality in society
Racial inequality in society
The harm of racial discrimination to the job market
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the 1970s it was a time of revolutionary speakers and influential groups that fought to create a unified nation despite the struggles they faced. Since the 1970s racism has gotten worse. Racial discrimination is still a major problem we face today and in recent years there have been many problems with discrimination including, hate crimes, the criminal justice system, job wages, and police brutality. at they see, and not by what they know. In Brent Staples essay, Black Men, and Public Space the author talks about the ways he was discriminated against because of his race. In a few incidents when walking down the street many women thought because Staples was African American he must be a rapist mugger, etc. In addition, another …show more content…
For instance, in 2005, while waiting for the train in Brooklyn, New York, eighteen-year-old Chen Tsu was confronted by his fellow classmates who demanded his money. After he showed his classmates he had no money they began assaulting him, taking turns beating his face. Tsu was scared and bruised and swollen for several days, but not surprised. At his high school, Lafayette High Chinese immigrant students like him are harassed and bullied almost every day (Hate Crimes Against Asian Pacific Americans). Furthermore, another incident happened on Election Night 2008, in Staten Island, New York when Ralph Nicoletti and Michael Contreras, both eighteen, and Brian Carranza, twenty-one, of decided after learning of Barack Obama 's election victory "to find African Americans to assault," The men then drove to a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Staten Island, where they found a 17-year-old African-American who was walking home after watching the election at a friend 's house. One of the men yelled "Obama!" and then, all of them got out of the car and beat the boy with a metal pipe and a police baton, injuring both his head and legs (Hate Crimes Against African Americans). The last incident happened in October 2008 when Gagandeep Singh, a 10-year-old Sikh boy, was assaulted while walking home from school in Wayne, New Jersey by an unknown assailant who threw him to the ground and cut his hair. …show more content…
White men had higher hourly earnings than all except Asian men in 2015. In 2015, average hourly wages for black and Hispanic men were $15 and $14, respectively, compared with $21 for white men. Only the hourly earnings of Asian men $24 outpaced those of white men. Among women across all races and ethnicities, hourly earnings lag behind those of white men and men in their own racial or ethnic group. But the hourly earnings of Asian and white women ($18 and $17, respectively) are higher than those of black and Hispanic women ($13 and $12, respectively) – and also higher than those of black and Hispanic men. While the hourly earnings of white men continue to outpace those of women, all groups of women have made progress in narrowing this wage gap since 1980, reflecting at least in part a significant increase in the education levels and workforce experience of women over time. White and Asian women have narrowed the wage gap with white men to a much greater degree than black and Hispanic women. For example, white women narrowed the wage gap in median hourly earnings by 22 cents from 1980 (when they earned, on average, 60 cents for every dollar earned by a white man) to 2015 (when they earned 82 cents). By comparison, black women only narrowed that gap by 9 cents, from earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white man in 1980 to 65 cents today. Asian women followed roughly the trajectory of white women (but earned a
In his reflection essay, Black Men and Public Spaces, Brent Staples describes how being a black man simply in public can trigger unease in others, and in extreme cases even be deadly. It was very interesting to read the different ways he would diffuse uneasy encounters and how people would respond to those methods. He tells the tales of several interactions, starting in his early 20’s, with people who, consciously or sub-consciously, make the point to avoid his glare and presence. Originally published in 1986 for Ms. magazine, it was titled “Just Walk on By” but was changed to its current title for re-publication in Harper’s Magazine later that same year.
In Brent Staples’ "Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space," Staples describes the issues, stereotypes, and criticisms he faces being a black man in public surroundings. Staples initiates his perspective by introducing the audience in to thinking he is committing a crime, but eventually reveals how the actions taken towards him are because of the fear linked to his labelled stereotypes of being rapists, gangsters and muggers. Staples continues to unfold the audience from a 20 year old experience and sheds light onto how regardless of proving his survival compared to the other stereotypical blacks with his education levels and work ethics being in the modern era, he is still in the same plight. Although Staples relates such burdens through his personal experiences rather than directly revealing the psychological impacts such actions have upon African Americans with research, he effectively uses emotion to explain the social effects and challenges they have faced to avoid causing a ruckus with the “white American” world while keeping his reference up to date and accordingly to his history.
In Brent Staples article Black Men in Public Spaces, he recalled on times that he was perceived as a mugger, rapist, or burglar on the streets because of his appearance. He began by stating that his first “victim” was a white it wealthy woman in Chicago. After she avoided him, he realized that she was frightened by his presence-- large, black and intimidating. Other incidents, which include him being mistaken for a burglar, instilled anxiety to him. He quickly began to try and change his appearance and how others perceived him by whistling while walking down the streets. Staples used these experiences to show how racial stereotypes have reluctantly changed his behavior in order to be perceived by others in a different way.
Fueled by fear and ignorance, racism has corrupted the hearts of mankind throughout history. In the mid-1970’s, Brent Staples discovered such prejudice toward black men for merely being present in public. Staples wrote an essay describing how he could not even walk down the street normally, people, especially women, would stray away from him out of terror. Staples demonstrates his understanding of this fearful discrimination through his narrative structure, selection of detail, and manipulation of language.
He does so by giving personal accounts of this horrific discrimination and utilizing descriptive vocabulary that get the audience to notice a sense of knowledge within the author. He begins to discuss the judgment he faced by stating “I grew accustomed to but never comfortable with people crossing to the other side of the street rather than pass me” (Staples, 189) which allowed the audience to step into the Staples’ shoes and somewhat experience the treatment he endured on a daily basis due to his appearance. The author also justifies his credibility by giving further examples such as when he was racially profiled in a jewelry store to the point where a woman worker brought out a red Doberman pinscher. By implementing these appeals to ethos, Staples was able to effectively convince the audience that he was a credible witness regarding these unjustifiable acts by describing to the reader events that he himself experienced. He was able to put forth this example which not only various African-American males could relate to, but also one that he himself personally endured which assisted in further strengthening his argument and successfully pulling the audience towards his
Racism is not only a crime against humanity, but a daily burden that weighs down many shoulders. Racism has haunted America ever since the founding of the United States, and has eerily followed us to this very day. As an intimidating looking black man living in a country composed of mostly white people, Brent Staples is a classic victim of prejudice. The typical effect of racism on an African American man such as Staples, is a growing feeling of alienation and inferiority; the typical effect of racism on a white person is fear and a feeling of superiority. While Brent Staples could be seen as a victim of prejudice because of the discrimination he suffers, he claims that the victim and the perpetrator are both harmed in the vicious cycle that is racism. Staples employs his reader to recognize the value of his thesis through his stylistic use of anecdotes, repetition and the contrast of his characterization.
In “Black Men in Public Spaces” the author talks about multiply situation where he was treated different for being an African American. Staples said,” I entered a jewelry store on the city’s affluent near North side. The proprietor excused herself and returned with an enormous red Doberman pinscher straining at the end of a leash” (161.) Then there is “Right Place, Wrong Face, which is focused on and African American man that is wrongly accused of a crime because of his race. White said, “I was searched, stripped of my backpack, put on my knees, handcuffed, and told to be quieted when I tried to ask questions” (229.) The two articles have many similarities. Both articles have two educated African America men who get treated different because of their race. Staples and White both have situations where they are being stereotyped by society because there black
In the writing “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples, located on www.learning.hccs.edu and published in 1986, the writing tells of a black man at the age of twenty-two who is viewed as a convict due to the prejudice wave consuming the United States. The publication opens with the young man walking the streets of Chicago during the dusk hours. A panicked woman walking ahead of him ran away. He was a black man with a beard, standing about six-two. His appearance made people nervous. He was seen as a rapist, mugger, criminal, and much worse due to how he was seen. Through this event, the author explains how the man was viewed during this period of time. Then, the man moved to New York City. Here, he felt the same discrimination. He was
“We must come to the point where we realize the concept of race is a false one. There is only one race, the human race.”(Dan Aykroyd) In this day and age people are constantly being influenced on how to treat others based on color. In “ Black Men and Public Space”, by Brent Staples, he suggests that African-American males are treated poorly due to racial discrimination. Judging the unknown, that is what we as humans seem to be doing now instead of getting to know the person first. However, sooner or later we have to realize in order to create a future worth living for we must stop and come together as one.
The reality of wage differences between men and women is that above all changes women continue to earn less than men. Countless arguments have promoted that wage inequality has changed and that everyone finally receives an equal amount of pay. “For women of color, the gap is largest of all: In 2006, black and Hispanic women earned 86 and 87 cents on the white man’s dollar, respectively,” (Mcswane 2). If a woman is lucky enough she will get an equal pay compared to a man doing the same job. But it is challenging for a woman of a minority background to achieve this. Not only are women paid less because of their sex, but also because of their race. There seems to be a mentality that because someone is a woman and a minority that they cannot do the same job as men or that women do not have the same education as the men, so employers do not have to pay them the same. “When the numbers are broken down by district, they 're pretty hard to ignore. Women in Texas are being utterly screwed financially, according to the data compiled by AAWU, with women earning anywhere from 66 percent of what men do in some districts, to the top end of things, which is about 89 percent,” (Leicht 4). The proof cannot be ignored. It i...
There is a pay gap between men and women in the U.S. The pay gap affects women of all educations levels, and backgrounds. But white men are the largest demographic in labor forces so they possibly favor each other as opposed to women. The graph didn’t specify the type of jobs, or whether they were working parts time or fulltime. But in 2016, women working full time in the U.S. were paid 80% of what men were getting paid. There are some occupations that have not reached the equity but some have like retail, banking and real
Brent Staples published an article titled “Black Man in Public Spaces.” In this essay he uses a mixture of satire and frustration to emphasize issues with today's society, but also not make it as serious as it could be. Some would argue that this mix between satire and frustration could distract from the seriousness of the matter, but I believe it is important to understand that perspective. It is important for individuals to realize that those issues that were prevalent during that time period, are unfortunately still prevalent today. Not only does this bring an heir of humor to see how ridiculous these issues are, but also it bring these issues to light make them readily available, and open for discussion. With hope that newfound ideology
The author of Black Men and Public Space, Brent Staples, is an African American man who has a PhD in psychology from the University of Chicago and he is a member of the New York Times editorial board. Staples published an article that described several personal experiences in which he felt that the people around him were afraid of his presence. Staples’ purpose is to bring to light the prejudice that exists in everyday life for African Americans. In Black Men and Public Space, Staples appeals to pathos by using imagery and strong diction, and he uses a somber yet sarcastic tone to portray his message.
In my opinion, I agree with Brent Staples and his view on the public when they misjudge him. The way Staples reacted to discrimination was admitting it. He does not seem angry with the public misjudging him. Staples writes “where fear and weapons meet— and they often do in urban America—there is always the possibility of death” (Staples 224). Stereotyping can be dangerous because it may cause chaos and violence in the society. The way he coped with this situation was a good way because it was safe for him. He chose to deal with his problem by accommodating to people...
Brent Staples focuses on his own experiences, which center around his perspective of racism and inequality. This perspective uniquely encapsulates the life of a black man with an outer image that directly affects how others perceive him as a person. Many readers, including myself, have never experienced the fear that Staples encounters so frequently. The severity of his experiences was highlighted for me when he wrote, “It also made it clear that I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.” (135) Having to accept that fact as a reality is something that many people will never understand. It is monumentally important that Staples was able to share this perspective of the world so others could begin to comprehend society from a viewpoint different from their