Staples and Cofer
Different Ethnicities Same Problems
When Americans meet someone new they are already sticking that person into some sort of category because of their appearance. If someone looks different than Americans are use to, they automatically stick some sort of stereotype to them. Stereotypes are strongly displayed in the media; stereotype can be based of someone’s color, culture, religion, or sex. In Black men in public spaces by Brent Staples, and in The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the authors talk about stereotypes based on their gender and ethnicity and the experiences they both encounter because of their ethnicity and gender which have many similarities and differences. Stereotypes can lead to hatred and discrimination against other groups. The problem with stereotyping is it is identifying an individual based on a group a person belongs to, which is not right because each individual is their own person. Stereotypes can be true, and are sometimes false that is why a person should only be judged by who he/she is, each person is unique in his/her own way. Cofer addresses the stereotypes of Latin women, while Brent Staples points out the social views of African American men by both displaying the stereotypes stuck to them, how the grew up, and encounters with strangers to reveal the similarities and differences they face concerning ethnicity.
No matter what ethnicity a person is, it seems as if everyone has to face being judged based on his/her ethnicity and getting some kind of stereotype stuck to them. Both Staples and Cofer had to experience being stereotyped, but the way the handle the situation had some similarities. For staples him being an African American man he had to face being judged by many people and being seen as a criminal. He expresses the feeling of rage because he was always being perceived as a criminal. He describes how many people, no matter what color, reacted when he walks by. He even noticed
When Americans meet someone new they are already sticking that person into some sort of category because of their appearance. If someone looks different than Americans are use to, they automatically stick some sort of stereotype to them. Stereotypes are strongly displayed in the media; stereotype can be based of someone’s color, culture, religion, or sex. In Black men in public spaces by Brent Staples, and in The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the authors talk about stereotypes based on their gender and ethnicity and the experiences they both encounter because of their ethnicity and gender which have many similarities and differences. Stereotypes can lead to hatred and discrimination against other groups. The problem with stereotyping is it is identifying an individual based on a group a person belongs to, which is not right because each individual is their own person. Stereotypes can be true, and are sometimes false that is why a person should only be judged by who he/she is, each person is unique in his/her own way. Cofer addresses the stereotypes of Latin women, while Brent Staples points out the social views of African American men by both displaying the stereotypes stuck to them, how the grew up, and encounters with strangers to reveal the similarities and differences they face concerning ethnicity.
No matter what ethnicity a person is, it seems as if everyone has to face being judged based on his/her ethnicity and getting some kind of stereotype stuck to them. Both Staples and Cofer had to experience being stereotyped, but the way the handle the situation had some similarities. For staples him being an African American man he had to face being judged by many people and being seen as a criminal. He expresses the feeling of rage because he was always being perceived as a criminal. He describes how many people, no matter what color, reacted when he walks by. He even noticed