Brianna Ruiz
English 115
Professor Overman
November 4, 2012
Breaking through the Walls
You shouldn’t have to accept what is not right. When a problem occurs or you see the changes in behavior towards you, you should not settle with it. Say something, let people know you are not there to hurt them or cause any unnecessary trouble. No matter how long it has been and how ordinary it feels, you should take a stand and not accept the ill ideas driven towards you.
Such is the case with Brent Staples in Convergences. As a black man new to the scene of New York, he experienced many moments of fear towards him even before the move. The article opens up with him recalling his first “victim” to the harsh stereotype that befalls his culture. This was his first moment of realization. The first moment he truly experienced and realized the intimidating concept around him. Upon further reflection he notes that he is “indistinguishable” from muggers and the idea of being dangerous in itself is a danger to him. Being seen as a threat, he explains, is and can be the difference between life and death. Walking into a building and seemingly harmless will let you pass through to your destination without hesitation. There is an unlikely chance that you will be stopped and searched or questioned at every turn whereas a menacing person is continuously questioned. If you walk into a building and unknowingly give off an air of menace you will have glances, maybe even stares full of concern. You will most likely see a few people turning to their phones in a worried hurry to let someone know about your presence. Not even five footsteps later you will have security standing directly in front of you, asking your reason for being here. That is the difference. Having an approachable air around you is the difference between getting someplace with ease or going through a task with hassle.
Staples also read about the situations of others, recalling stories that he deemed worse than his. He read about another journalist who was mistaken for a murderer. Not because their descriptions were similar and not because he was indentified by a witness, but because he was inquiring about the story. With this, police officers tried arresting him and failed almost begrudgingly due to the fact that the man had his credentials. Staples connected with this and notes “black men trade tales like this all the time” (333). Having shared the story with us, he explains and provides us with examples of the commonalities found with his ethnicity.
What surprised me was that he accepted this unreasonably standard concept surrounding him that only really went skin deep. He let it alter him and become aware of himself. Giving him the idea that fitting in was a challenging battle to be fought and he was just a survivor. It was not until later that, after seeing that a change in his appearance would make no difference, he would carry out tunes that were melodious and recognizable. This “solution” made sense to me, as I agree with Staples that a person with ill intentions would not care for bright tunes.
Still, after reading the article and seeing that Brent Staples avoided rather than solve the problem bothered me. Yes, it is common to judge but that judgment can only go so far before you hurt someone. My stance is to clear any misunderstandings from the situation and go from there.
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