In 2015, one day, I was in the middle of my shift while a driver of a semi-truck knocked on the backdoor of our store to deliver some merchandise that we ordered from Michigan. The driver of the truck was an old man born and raised in Michigan and has never dealt with Somalis, and he approached me and asked me where I am from. After I told him that I come from Somalia, he laughed and he said, “Are you one of the pirates that I watched Captain Phillips?” Captain Phillips is a movie of how Somali pirates hijacked the U.S. containership Maersk Alabama sails, and how the captain safely escaped from the pirates. I felt offended and disrespected because he believes a general stereotype that every Somali person is a pirate and that is entirely wrong. This old man could not differentiate Somali people and a few pirates who do not exist in Somalia this time.
In his article, “Black Men and Public Space,” by Brent Staples, discusses how people unfairly discriminate against him because of his dark skin tone and appearance. Staples mentions the ongoing problem of being considered a possible threat even though he was not, just because of the way he looks. He uses specific details and examples of his experience as a young black man; and he also explains how the people of his color are misjudged based on their physical appearances. One of the arguments that the author points out is how people misperceive black men, and he demonstrated that through the narration of different incidents which took place in his life. I agree with the author that there is too much stereotyping, and people are too quick to prejudge based on their perception and appearance.
Brent Staples shares that the people believe in general the stereotypes that black men are threatening, brutal and a menace. To oppose such misperception Staples tells his own heartbroken experiences. His true narratives prove how unfair and dangerous it was for him to be labeled as something he is not. Staples uses great cross-examination of incidents in his life. He explains about an encounter with a white young woman; he states that one night while wandering around on the streets of Hyde Park, an upscale neighborhood, he saw a well-dressed white lady walking alone on the same road. He was at a distance behind her walking; then he mentions her worried look by the glimpse she gave, constantly notifying him that she was an alert. She was frightened of this African American young man who is about six feet and two inches, with hands pushed in his pocket, with a beard, an afro hair, and wearing a military jacket.
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The well-dressed white young lady began walking faster, and then she started running extremely fast, suddenly disappearing across the street to escape from him. The woman felt that she was going to be in danger because of the black man. This incident proved common judgments against people of color and what the lady believed about him, which is common towards many young black men. Finally, Staples made an excuse for her because of this incident, and he said this is a common misperception most people have, and she has the right to fear a stranger. He did not blame the women for running away, but he presented many people’s perception, particularly women walking alone at night because he was similar to any other robber or thug who steals on the street.
Staples mentions the wrong perception of black men that they are all burglars, criminals, and violent; they are more expected to be targeted by law enforcement. The author used a story when the police targeted him because of his race. For example, Staples states that “In the early 1980s when I worked as a journalist in Chicago, one day, rushing into the office of a magazine I was writing for with a deadline, story in hand. I was mistaken for a burglar” (268). This incident proves that there is discrimination against African American males, and I believe there is the wrong perception when it comes to a person’s appearance.
For example, I got a call from a friend who had an accident and did not speak English. He asked me to reach out and interpret for him, and when I came to the place already, the officer gave him a violation ticket even though the fault was not his. He told me that the officer did not ask any question, he talked to the other man who was involved in the accident and just decided to give the ticket. In that case, I think this officer misjudged this man because he had the wrong perception. In our society, many people are automatically deciding who someone is based on their assumption before really identifying that person.
Some people believe all Muslims are terrorists just based on the way they dress or appear, and they are not comfortable interacting with them because of their appearance. They are just prejudging them based on their dress, especially the hijab on women. I feel that we need to judge people who they are and not their appearance or the way they look, or even what the media tells us every day.
Furthermore, Staples discussed how the racial stereotypes affected him as well as other black men and sometimes this could be dangerous if he fails to take precautions; this would undoubtedly have led him to madness. For example, he talked to about the day he visited a jewelry store where the store owner excused herself and returned with a red Doberman on a chain ready to assault in order to protect her life from the stranger. She quickly judged because of his physical appearance, and she ignored to answer his questions until he took a cursory look around and left the store.
This incident is something that I can absolutely relate to myself because my coworker refused to help a customer who was looking to buy a phone at our store. A couple of weeks before that, one black man came to our store and ran away with an expensive Samsung Galaxy phone, and that is the reason my coworker refused to help even though the second guy was an innocent customer who wanted to buy a phone. Luckily, my manager stood up to interfere with this situation and served the second customer.
In conclusion, not all Somali men are pirates and not all African Americans are criminals.
