EJ Brown “was inspired by a photograph he saw of Ferguson police shooting victim Michael Brown dressed in his graduation gear, and felt that the image illustrated the contrast between the perception and reality of being an African American college graduate” he used this opportunity to shed some light and positivity against the stereotypical ideas held to black individuals through the use of graduation cap and gown and a criminal slate (Neuendorf, 1). After witnessing an unarmed black male be shot in the back by a police officer on the news, Brown felt he must express his anger through art to convey his message. He felt frustration towards how the media conveyed the blame onto the victims rather than the officers who committed the killing. Through how the media represents the information, …show more content…
They are individuals who have passions and goals in life just as other races do, not criminals with bad intentions. Through these unique interpretations of the typical mugshot, it will allow viewers to notice that the stereotype formed in their mind is not always accurate. This will lead individuals to deconstruct the damaging stereotypes that are associated with black males and has the potential to persuade individuals to join the positive protest. By young black viewers seeing these images rather than criminal perspectives of their race, it gives the child motivation and comfort. They see the image and notice that they can grow up to be just like the college-educated males, rather than doomed to the criminal behavior that is stereotypically believed. These images also have an influence on other young viewers of various races as they are in the process of forming their own beliefs and perspective of social groups. Through a positive image being portrayed, it differs from the constant negative ones the media has to
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Show MoreStaples uses the strong appeal of Pathos and emotion to support his message that society not only fears the presence of him on the street but also acts irrationally against him because he is a black male. Namely, he gets his message across to his audience with the use of imagery. Even so, he says that when he’s out walking the streets of Brooklyn at night, he finds that women “set their faces on neutral”, place their purses “across their chest bandolier style”, and “forge ahead as though bracing themselves from being talked” (Staples 543). With this use of imagery, Staples is able to place an image in the reader’s head of a young woman walking the streets-
When it comes to race and class struggles, there is always a debate. On May 1992, the city of Los Angeles witnessed an uprise in its citizens. Following the acquittal of four police office in the beating of a black man, riots began to breakout in the city. Looking at the different media coverages around that time, there are noticeable differences in their coverages and how class is used to describe the incidents. In this paper I will analyze how, through the use of imagery, word choices such as ‘rioters’, and the shifting of blame, the media played a significant role through their coverages in the King Trial, and ultimately the LA Riots of 1992.
The topic that I chose to research is the “use of force” by the police specifically in the case of Michael Brown. The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black male, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed 18-year-old sparked existing tensions in the predominantly black city, where protests and civil unrest erupted.
Underhill, S. M. (2016). Urban jungle, Ferguson: Rhetorical homology and institutional critique. Quarterly Journal of Speech,102(4), 396-417. doi:10.1080/00335630.2016.1213413
In America, at the intersection of race and gender lies a deadly dance for Black men. The media frequently demonizes them. Examples include Michael Brown being described as a ‘demon’ by the officer who shot him. Other attempts at defiling Black men paint them as criminals, and innately violent. Walter’s mistake was his relationship with a white woman.
The poem The Joy of Motherhood shows several similarities to Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Both the poem and the book speak about the realities of being Black in America and they both use beautiful language. In Between the World and Me, Coates describes his experience trying to navigate being a minority in a world that’s dominated by Eurocentric ideas in an open letter to his son. Coates also touches on his own experience dealing with police brutality and some of the major issues that were going on during the time he was growing up. The Joy of Motherhood does the same thing, although it talks about these issues in the perspective of a woman looking onwards to the prospects of becoming a mother in America.
Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer (2009:342) argue in the Du Bois Review that “racism is much broader than violence and epithets” and reveals itself in common, everyday microaggressions. In May 2010, a string of assaults on elderly citizens of Asian descent by black individuals transpired in the San Francisco Bay area (Shih 2010). CBS San Francisco ran a segment covering the attacks featuring an interview with a 21-year-old black man named Amanze Emenike, who had a criminal history of juvenile robbery and theft (CBS 2012). CBS uses Emenike’s history as a basis for theorizing the motives driving the black attackers in the May 2010 attacks. This news segment sheds light on troubling portrayals of black men and people of color in mass media as all being dangerous criminals, as well as the stereotypes fueling racism amongst minority groups.
Glory 's portrayal of African Americans fighting in the Civil War for the extinction of slavery and equality of individuals is a heart warming story. However, although the Union won, and slavery was abolished, certain events occurring today question the equal treatment of all races in this country. In fact, in 2015 police have killed more than 100 unarmed black people, this is five times the rate of unarmed whites in 2015. Some of these tragic moments include the death of 18 year old Michael Brown, shot by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri, 43 year old Eric Garner, who was choked to death after he screamed"I can 't breathe," even a 12 year old Tamir Rice was shot and killed after officers mistook his toy gun for a real weapon.
Jan Sorenson’s political cartoon about the Trayvon Martin shooting throws readers into the harsh reality of a young man getting killed because of his choice in clothing. This leaves room for the question, “Was he genuinely shot because of what he had decided to wear that day?”. It can be perceived that Jan Sorenson may be using the hoodie as an analogy for his skin tone. This creates an even scarier reality because people are getting shot due to the color of their
“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.
In his article, “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples writes about his encounters with people during his nighttime walks in and around the city streets of Chicago and New York. He argues that, as a result of crimes committed by criminals of African American descent, people tend to quickly avoid him because they assume that he will likely mug them because of the color of his skin. Nevertheless, on the subject as to whether this article is an appropriate and good example of the reaction of others, it is quite obvious that this is a good example of the reaction of others, given how Brent Staples spent much of his time working in the city as a journalist, and that crime rates are high in inner city areas. However, despite the fact that this
In February 2012, a 28-year-old man followed a 17-year-old youth and killed him on a residential street. The youth hadn’t done anything; he did not commit a crime, and he hadn’t provoked the older man. He was shot simply because he seemed “suspicious.” This was the story of Trayvon Martin’s death in Sanford, Florida at the hands of George Zimmerman (Cooper). Zimmerman, the killer, is a white man while Trayvon was an innocent black youth.
Synthesis Research Paper Everyday growing up as a young black male we have a target on our back. Society was set out for black males not to succeed in life. I would always hear my dad talk about how police in his younger days would roam around the town looking for people to arrest or get into an altercation with. As a young boy growing up I couldn’t believe some of the things he said was happening. However as I got older I would frequently hear about someone getting killed by the police force.
His sympathetic persona along with his analogies actively connect the reader to his story, while the strong diction and depressing tone make a strong emotional impact. Unlike most essays, the anti discrimination message can be applied to multiple minority groups and other social issues. As a whole, Brent Staples essay succeeds on all levels as it makes an impactful argument describing how society's view on African Americans as being dangerous violent criminals is truly
The media has long played a role in influencing how people construct and perceive the world. Media has influenced how people construct their thoughts, most often their perception towards someone. Youth in particular, have been presented in a variety of ways in the media. Although teenagers are portrayed differently as an individual, based upon characteristics and personality, the media is constructed to sell certain ideologies of youth or the youth culture in general to the audiences and then to the society. The media promotes both, diversity and conformity when representing the youth culture in the media but in my opinion, conformity reigns superiority.