Who Shot Johnny Analysis

Textual Response

Racial stereotypes are nothing new, especially when it comes to African-American males; one such stereotype is that of African-American males being criminals. In “Who Shot Johnny?” Debra Dickerson shares her opinion on Black males being stereotyped after her nephew is shot in the back by a Black man. On the other hand, Brent Staples addresses the issue of Black men being stereotyped from observations he makes while out on his insomnia induced walks through the streets of Chicago and New York. While both authors discuss the stereotyping of Black men: each takes on the topic from a different perspective, targets a different audience, and comes to different conclusions.

In “Who Shot Johnny” Dickerson’s essay is from the perspective

But, Staples opts to inform all members of society about the pain, and anger caused by the stereotypes that they place on others. On the other hand, Dickerson is addressing the Black males, continuing to live up to the existing stereotypes and she makes it apparent in “Who Shot Johnny?”

Dickerson’s anger, fueled by the Johnny getting shot and the traumatic experiences she suffered through during her younger years, push Dickerson over the edge. As Black males or the ones “Who Shot Johnny?” were responsible for her pain, she declares that “he got my 17-year-old sister pregnant … without ever informing her that he was married” (p. 272), “he snatched my widowed mother 's purse” (p. 272); “he made my neighborhood a ghetto” (p. 273). In the light of this, it is no wonder she concludes that these people are “assholes” (p. 273) and verbally flips them the bird.1

In contrast to Dickerson, Staples decides to alter the way he carries himself when in public spaces. He concludes that whistling selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons will help to assure his victimizers that he is not a threat because, after all “[v]irtually everybody seems to sense that a mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright, sunny selections” (p. 269) from the composer mentioned above. In an attempt to “smoother the rage” (p. 269), Staples concludes it is best to take the path of least resistance and comfort the people who are stereotyping