Staples’ “Black Men and Public Spaces” Strays Only Slightly

RuthAnn Milbert Instructor: Lynne Lerych May 4, 2010 English 101 Essay Review #2 Staples’ â€Å"Black Men and Public Spaces† Strays Only Slightly Brent Staples’ â€Å"Black Men and Public Spaces† narrative is about his realization of the fear that black men instill in persons of non color and his attempts at lessening that fear. Staples’ essay begins him recalling a time where a white woman ran from him simply because he was black. He continues to explain that his intentions weren’t to cause her harm but had just happened to be walking behind her since he couldn’t sleep. Staples refers to publications by Norman Podhoretz and Edward Hoagland who had expressed their views on the same type of fear the woman who ran from him had experienced and although the fear was factually founded it didn’t give much comfort to Staples. Staples explains how black youths, mostly men, were more likely intimidate people because of their upbringing and tells how this generalization led to times where he was judged by color alone and thought to be a threat. After Staples realizes and begins to understand the reasons behind this fear he began taking measures to make himself appear less threatening and by doing so he hoped to lessen the public fear of him. Staples’ essay definitely keeps the readers interest even if slightly straying from his thesis. Staples does a very nice job of keeping site of his main topic from the title to the conclusion only deviating slightly to give more background on the reasoning behind why black men tended to use the power of intimidation starting from birth. His was objective, gave great expert opinions, and maintained a good flow throughout the essay. His thoughts of how he could lessen the publics fear of him at the end of the essay didn’t have much evidence to prove that his ideas were effective aside from his own personal experience where some people seemed to react more kindly towards him then in the past. Factors such as time passing and civil rights seem just as likely to be the reason for the publics fear lessening as Staples’ theory on whistling. Staples Black Men and Public Spaces Strays Only Slightly Racism has been prevalent in the United States since the first European explorers arrived at our shores. Law reforms since that time have continuously changed almost all of society; however, â€Å"public schooling is the context in which desegregation has attained its most salient position as a national issue† (Foner and Garraty). America could reduce the amount of racial discrimination in our public high schools by encouraging everyone to pursue using one main dialect because it would make one less thing that fuels the racism in some people. Asking people (especially adolescents) to go out of their way to try and make things easier for others that they may not even know might seem like an enormous request at first, but the simplicity of it could show positive results much faster then society has ever thought possible. Racism is generally in reaction to someone's skin color or race so the way someone speaks isn't usually the focus of discussions on the matter. Lets say there was a man named, Bob. Bob was a white man from Missouri and had lost his sight over the years. One day a new mailman, a black man, cheerfully greeted Bob on his porch, but was instantly shouted at to leave the property. Although Bob was blind at that point, the way in which the mailman spoke had told Bob he was black. Was this fair? Honestly, yes and no. No, it was wrong for Bob to be racist in the first place and shouldn't assume every human that spoke as the mailman did was a person of colors. And yes, it is a pretty fair deduction Bob made due to the fact that the majority of people with that dialect were persons of color. If high school kids were all able to speak in the same manner as each other then the audible line that separates them would be greatly diminished. With that massive factor out of play, skin color becomes pretty much the sole focus of racism. If people only have one reason why they dislike or hate a group of people it weakens their resolve to continue the fight. In the Jena Six case there was a massive backing of the defendants because they were lead to believe that a great civil injustice had been done. Then the truth that the defendants had been lying came to light and â€Å"the fact remains that the Jena Six case climbed to its rickety position as a national symbol of racial injustice largely because a lot of people, some professional activists and many members of the press, wanted it to do so† (Allen). Benjamin Dowling-Sendor, an authority on school law, is an assistant appellate defender of North Carolina in Durham has wondered if it was â€Å"right that the Supreme Court ruled saying prohibition of a flag that the Freedom of Speech Clause of the First Amendment was supposed to cover was justified.† (SIRS) Although Dowling-Sendor's issue dealt with a visual symbol the same principal can be applied to audible issues. Would the request of students speaking in a certain way violate their freedom of speech? I strongly believe that the less diverse a nation is the more stable. The quote, â€Å"Unite We Stand, Divided We Fall† seems to apply itself quite well in this situation. We as individuals can remain unique, but unless we find more common ground, starting at young ages such as high school, we are doomed to another civil war.

Dead Man Walking: How the Death Penalty is totally Biased

My position on the death penalty is that it is completely unfair and an unjust system. Throughout the whole novel we learn how the death penalty was strictly enforced more in the south than in any other part of the nation. The worst part of this was that it was most rigorously used against people who killed â€Å"white† people. The death penalty was a system that was racial and also socioeconomic biased, making it totally unfair and one-sided. In a state that had the highest misery stats in the nation, it was pretty expensive to afford a well-prepared lawyer. By not having a well-prepared lawyer you had to rely on public defenders which usually had many clients to defend that made it impossible to interview inmates before trials, much less do time-consuming investigations that capital cases required; thus the reason why ninety-nine percent of death-row inmates were poor. The government had basically created two types of separate, unjust legal systems: one for the rich, in which everything was put into consideration, every opinion was heard, and where you could buy your freedom; and one for the rich, in which hasty guilty pleas and brief hearings are the rule and appeals are the exceptions. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead† Racism was a very big part of this penal system. As both Prejean and Farmer pointed out in the novel, the death penalty biased people who committed murders against white people and that in the south nine times out of ten when the death penalty is sought it’s because the victim is â€Å"white†. Around seventy-five percent of death-row inmates were there for killing â€Å"whites†. Even the Supreme Court acknowledged, in McCleskey vs. Kemp (1987), that there exists racial bias in capital sentencing and that killers of â€Å"whites† are more likely to receive the death penalty than killers of â€Å"blacks†. These are the type of things that made this system prejudice towards â€Å"blacks†, not only that but it also demoralized their life. Throughout the novel Prejean strives to do the opposite of what society is doing to these men, which is humanize them. The humanization of both Willie and Sonnier actually made my stance against the death penalty a lot stronger. It just shows that not everyone is perfect and no matter how big or small everyone will have flaws. I do agree with punishment but it doesn’t give the government the right to choose whether you live or die.

Cheetham Reading Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cheetham Reading Assignment - Coursework Example Cheetham suggests that Emanuel Swedenborg influenced Gauguin’s inspirations outright. Schopenhauer’s analyses Gauguin’s achievement as genius, madness and memory. He elaborates and defines genius as the capacity to remain in a state of pure perception which could be blended with madness as his genius defies social norms. Lastly the madness connects to the memory as it focuses on the platonic ideas which are seen through the mirrors of inner thoughts. Schopenhauers purely neoplatonic theory perfectly describes the â€Å"disjunctions† found in so many of Gauguin’s paintings as he tends to interpret the things in terms of ‘higher meaning and distort nature. He laments that he derives meanings from the inner thoughts and not materialistic world. Aurier’s reference to â€Å"pure† Ideas the touchstone for the neoplatonic foundation of Gauguin’s abstract art as the memories confront the artists with the ultimate reality. The neoplatonic philosophy in late nineteenth century France was popular as it offered metaphysical security which helped artists to escape from the harsh realities of the

An Analysis of the History and Development of Hip Hop Dancing (from Research Paper

An Analysis of the History and Development of Hip Hop Dancing (from late 1960's-1970s) - Research Paper Example The dances majorly consisted of the break dance, rapping and funk styles including locking and popping. It was initiated by African Americans. In fact, the word â€Å"hip† was used by the African Americans way before the evolution of the music and dance. It was performed along the streets, and there were well known promoters of the dance. In giving the whole picture a better view, it involved a lot of creativity that was accompanied by listening to the hip hop music. The manner in which it was carried out in most cases involved getting serious about the dancing which was rather hard to do. At the end of sufficient training, one got ready to enter the circle of performance and do lots of footwork including creating witty things and returning to the outside of the circle. This research also brings it clearly that the development of this dance was in an underground form that had lots of social significance. It, however, was not much appreciated by the outsiders until the media br ought it to the surface. In facilitating this, there was a need for other elements such as mcing, djing driven by the urban culture. Brake dancing was the most known aspect of the dance and was known as b-boying. Introduction Hip hop dance appeared in the United States. It was majorly done by the black Americans and some Latin Americans. It is a fact that the dance was not highly recognized by most people until the media machinery started highlighting it. Among these dances, there was the locking which was begun back in the 1970s. This was associated by Don Campbellock from Los Angels. He attempted to perform and learn how to dance in parties and more specifically, he did the â€Å"funky chicken† at this point in time. B-boying dance was another dancing style of hip hop that featured in these times. More precisely, it took place in 1972 in block parties. There was also the up rocking in the New York streets in the 1960s. This was followed by top rocking. Another style that re quired lots of techniques was the ground rocking. There was no basic training on the dance during these times, but individuals who had instincts for natural movement brought it to the streets. Break dancing was also well known among the dancers who performed it. A majority of the promoters of the dance was known, and most of them were good at the performance. In the early times, that is, 1960s to 1970s, the dance there were competitions held mostly along the streets. Many dances established their names as some of the most well known hip hop dancers across east cost and west cost. Movies that highlighted these dancing styles also promoted the dance and new moves. Theoretical perspective It is assumed that hip-hop is an African dance that developed in the States. This, however, is a misconception baring the fact that its origin also encompasses of Latina Americans. It may also be thought that the dancing style is only associated with the young generation and that it must have begun in the recent past. This research finding nullifies this thinking and gives a clear understanding of the places and year of origin of it. The publication sectors play a big role in ensuring the appreciation of any innovations in the music industry at large. Dance is the most benefited art in this field, especially in the audiovisual means of publication. Hop has always been associated with the ghettos in the United States; this is not a misdirected understanding as its origin, on a wide view, lies there. There are common figures that were associated with t

Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Reflection Paper - Assignment Example Finally, the instructor was accommodative and ready to explain points that were challenging, and hence, the course was both educative and entertaining. There are several lessons I learned about myself. I learnt the need to set achievable goals and mark major milestones in my life. It is essential to set achievable goals, achieve the goal, and strive to achieve the next goal. I set up the goals because it is easy to succeed when one knows where they are from and where they are heading. I have learned that I am self-conscious health wise and focus on living a healthy life. In addition, I am considerably responsible at a personal level and make service an essential part of everyday life. Responsibility is essential because it enhances positive relationships with others at both a personal and a professional level. Through this, I gained new ideas and modified some of my existing concepts on leadership. I have learned that I am a credible person. There are some basic things I have learnt about leadership that have helped me hone my leadership skills. It is necessary to maintain credibility with people. Credibility ensures that followers believe in a person and believe what they say. Without credibility, it is difficult to attract honesty from other people. Although it is often a challenge to keep promises and maintain credibility, credibility is one of the qualities that confirm great leadership. At a personal level, it makes one a better person, while on a professional level, it enhance trustworthiness and improves interpersonal relationships in a work place. I plan to use the information I have gained in this course in my life. I intend to enhance my quality of life and further sharpen my skills on leadership through practical training. I will do this through working on my talents in various fields, and enhancing an identity that enables me to discover other talents. This personal development is also useful at the professional level because it can enable me

Toxic Liquid Waste Incinerator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Toxic Liquid Waste Incinerator - Essay Example Stack air emissions are gaseous, vapor, and particle-bound by-products of combustion. Facilities also have fugitive air emissions, which are released into the air from process points other than stacks (e.g., equipment leaks, wind-blown dust). The design of an incinerator, including waste and residual handling, largely determines the number of fugitive air emissions that might occur. Incineration facilities also generate solid and liquid residuals. These typically include wastewater from air pollution control devices and solid wastes, such as ash that remains in the combustion chamber and sludge that settles from wastewater treatment operations. In a waste liquid incinerator, the alkali waste liquids are recovered, the organic waste liquids are thermally decomposed and the hazardous waste liquid is made nonhazardous. All waste must be thoroughly characterized before they arrive at the incinerator and their contamination levels are known before they can be treated. Liquid wastes are stored primarily in tanks which have passive vents to the atmosphere. All vapors released from tanks first pass through Adsorption filters that capture volatile chemicals which might otherwise enter the air. The liquid wastes are piped directly into the incinerator, either to the rotary kiln or to the afterburner. In the primary combustion chamber, the inside temperature is at least 1580 °F (temperature varies depending on the type of waste treated). This process generates gases which pass into the secondary combustion chamber for further treatment. The incombustible material in the waste leaves the rotary kiln in the form of ash which drops into a water pool and enters into the residual management part of the process. In the secondary combustion chamber, some liquid waste is sprayed directly into the afterburner for treatment purposes. The organic gases generated in the rotary kiln are destroyed when exposed to the temperature of 2205 °F for at least 4 seconds.  Ã‚  

The Debate about Quasi-Military Style Policing Essay

The Debate about Quasi-Military Style Policing - Essay Example As such, this effective red-tape that hinders the proper working of the police force is a common problem across the world. In this context, it is also important to note that most police departments operate as quasi military entities. Police personnel wear uniforms, carry weapons for self defense and are organized along the hierarchical structure described above according to their rank. As such, an officer within this chain functions under a authority in which the orders flow in a single direction i.e., top to bottom. Like the case with the military, the police have often abused their powers and have resorted to various crimes apart from being riddled with corruption in various forms. As such, the military model of this quasi structured organization has created problems. By deeming that anything against crime is genuine, police can often embrace the belief that anything in justified in a war like situation. This not only leads to violence as a result of the abuse of power by police officers, but can also create serious rifts between them and the general population. However, despite these negative traits, a police force performs several important duties that are important for the maintenance of law and order and to keep crime under check if not do away with it completely. The police department, through its ranks, operates in an organized fashion and maintains control during occasions where a large number of people come out to interact with one another. Likewise, the police department maintains an intelligence arm much like its military counterpart and gathers information about the events and trends in the local area, allowing its decision makers to make the proper and timely choices necessary to keep illegal elements within check. Further, it is this very quasi static structure that provides the necessary structure that allows several