A Rare Read

          Brent Staples's "Black Men and Public Space" is one of the most unique passages I have read in English class. From Maya Angelou to Judith Ortez Cofer to Sherman Alexie, narratives regarding racial conceptions are typically written to protest prejudice and communicate indignation. This practice is totally justified and necessary in order to discourage this sort of racial judgement, but it is also refreshing to witness a writer who has learned to accept his appearance and its implications on society.

          Staples depicts himself as a "black man...a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair" to allow his readers to evaluate their initial impression of him (Paragraph 1, 6-7). He is aware that these characteristics make others view him with suspicion. When describing the defensive actions women take when they encounter him, he readily agrees that "the danger they perceive is not a hallucination" (Paragraph 5, 4). Staples's forgiving and sympathetic personality radiates throught this line, forging him into a character that is able to live with his unnerving skill of altering public tension.

          This example can be juxtaposed with the overall tone of Sherman Alexie's Indian Education. When Alexie reads the newspaper declaring "Indians Lose Again", he snarkily challenges "Go ahead and tell me none of this is supposed to hurt me very much" (Eleventh Grade, 8-9). I don't include this to trivialize Alexie's experiences and suffering, but the attitude it evokes varys widely with that of Staple's. Both pieces portray young men as heavily penalized for their background, and both entwine dark imagery and foreboding diction to convey despair. However, Alexie's passages constantly stimulate pity and self-deprecation, whereas Staples continues to assure his readers of his understanding of human categorization.

          It seems to me that Staples is able to distinguish himself by rising above public hate and maintaining a positive demeanor about his situation. When most writers get a chance to share their private experiences with society, they take it as a chance to expel all their memories of injustice to wholeheartedly shame the people who treated them unfairly. Staples manages to refrain from joining this group, and recognizes that his ability to bend public space is only a curse if he makes it so. That's what makes him such a striking individual: he is willing to excuse rudeness as normal behavior and use it to strengthen his identity.