blog on " Black Men and Public Space"

As a White Women I can't fully understand what it must be like to be any race other than mine, but some of the things I have read or movies I have watched in a small way might shed a bit of light on the subject. Hollywood tends to portray black men as property stricken, drug using, only thinking of number one, out for a good time kind of guy regardless of who or what it may hurt. As a white women and after watching so many movies and reading different newspaper articles you become afraid of anyone who isn't just like you. You always look behind you if you are walking anywhere alone, instant fear takes hold when you realize you are not alone, the person could be any color but sadly, especially if it a black man. I personally think stereotyping is wrong, but in a small way everyone is stereotyped, if you are overweight people look at you like you can't be educated or intelligent, if you have acne and bad teeth, people tend to think you are on welfare, and are uneducated, if you are a young man with long hair driving a nice car people think his must be up to no good. Any out word signs that you are different then the next person gets you stereotyped. Good bad or other wise, and unfortunately this type of behavior has become the norm in our society. I think what Mr. Staples did was a great Idea about walking casually and whistling, he didn't want people to feel afraid of him, but know one can tell me that in some cases the person following an other doesn't get some kind a thrill to know that they are causing the first person anxiety. Most everyone likes the feeling of power even if it is following someone, pulling someone over for no reason other than they look different, not giving someone a job because they don't look like you want them too, in my though process it is all the same black men getting stereotyped is just as like everyone else who is different then you are.