Monroe, William T.

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75
Section 4: Developing Identity 
I find that sometimes people from your race are the ones that 
put you down because you’re a little different from them.
William T. Monroe, Jr.
Instructor: Nina Ahn
S o c i a l  L a b e l i n g
“Boy, you should put that body to use and play some sports.” Through-
out high school, people have told me I should play sports. While riding pub-
lic transportation, I was often asked, “Do you play basketball?” I’d tell them 
that I did not play any sports and their expressions would change, as if they 
had a suspicion that I was not telling the truth. I used to wonder, why basket-
ball? Then I realized I was being racially profiled. Society has a way of creating 
different stereotypes and racial profiles. This is not to say that people with 
misperceptions of an ethnic group are bad, but to comment on the ridiculous-
ness of racial stereotypes. These ideas shape our world and cause people to de-
velop misperceptions regarding someone they may have only known for a few 
seconds. People miss out on opportunities, get into sketchy situations, and are 
frowned upon because of these misperceptions. This is shown in Nella Larsen’s 
short novel, Passing, and Brent Staples’ essay, “Black Men and Public Space.”
In Passing, Irene and Clare are treated as respectable women because 
people believe that they are Caucasian. Clare and Irene do not correct these 
people because if people knew their racial background, they would be treated 
like dirt. During her first meeting with Clare’s husband, Jack Bellow, Irene sees 
the dark and evil perception that he has of African Americans. Although Mr. 
Bellow has never met any African Americans on a personal level (to his knowl-
edge), he rants with hatred for them, stating things like, “I read about them 
in the papers. Always robbing and killing. And…worse” (Larsen 30). How 
can someone with so little knowledge of African Americans say such evil and 
hateful things? On the one hand, Mr. Bellow claims he is proud to never have 
known any African Americans and wants nothing to do with them. On the 
other hand, Mr. Bellow’s wife, Clare, is African American and he regards her 
as the perfect wife. This shows that Mr. Bellow’s opinion of African Americans 
is solely based on what he reads in the newspaper and what people tell him. Ba-
sically, his opinion is shaped by the way society portrays African Americans.
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Social Labeling
In “Black Men and Public Space,” Staples is seen as a criminal and 
a potential threat because of his skin color, facial features, and clothing. In 
the beginning of Staples’ essay, he chooses to use the phrase, “My first vic-
tim” (314). I believe that Staples uses this phrase to show sarcasm—to give an 
outsider’s perception of his character. While Staples is out for a walk in Hyde 
Park, he notices a woman ahead of him walking quickly with her head down. 
As Staples continues to walk, he notices the woman moving more and more 
quickly. Finally, she starts running. This shows that her fear is a result of racial 
profiling. Many Americans assume that a black man walking behind them at a 
late hour is a sign of danger. This is because society portrays African American 
men—and men from some other ethnic groups—as violent, dangerous, and 
angry. Society uses that fear to brainwash people into believing that we should 
fear, avoid, or ignore certain ethnic groups.
I happen to sympathize with Staples, perhaps because I have been in 
his situation before. I have noticed that a lot of people avoid walking next to 
me in small areas at late hours and sometimes take a different route or cross 
the street when they see me. I have also noticed that, while walking, most 
people avoid making eye contact with me. Although this may seem insignifi-
cant to some people, I find this very troubling. What is it that people see in me 
that makes them so afraid?
In “Black Men and Public Space,” Staples goes into a jewelry store to 
kill time before one of his interviews. As he looks around, the proprietor ex-
cuses herself and she shortly returns with an enormous red Doberman pin-
scher. She stands silently, as if she has become mute, her eyes protruding in 
Staples’ direction. Staples, wanting to avoid trouble, leaves, bidding the pro-
prietor farewell. I’m of two minds about the proprietor’s actions. On the one 
hand, I agree that safety and precaution are both important. On the other 
hand, I’m not sure if her actions are acceptable. It is highly annoying when 
people imply, through their actions, that you are a thief. During my ninth-
grade year, I was suspected of stealing and was followed through a store. I was 
at 7-Eleven, looking for something to buy for lunch. I noticed the manager 
talking to the store clerk, and shortly after, I noticed the clerk following me, at 
a distance, of course. After a few minutes, I put back whatever I was going to 
buy. I decided that if they did not value my business enough to not suspect me 
of thievery, I would not do business with them.
In “Should I Act More Black?” Ashley Benn comments on her experi-
ences with misperceptions and racial profiling in high school and in college. 
During high school, Benn was labeled as “Oreo,” “bougie,” or “whitey” because 
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Section 4: Developing Identity 
she was not loud or obnoxious, and wanted to pursue a higher education. Since 
Benn was friendly with a white crowd, most of the African Americans that 
went to her school verbally disowned her by telling her she was not black, 
but white-washed. They also believed that Benn thought she was too good to 
hang out with other African Americans. You would think that it is common 
for races to stick together but I find that sometimes people from your race are 
the ones that put you down because you’re a little different from them. Is it not 
black to speak properly, to want a better life for yourself, or to want to wait 
before having children?
Society has created an image that portrays African Americans as lazy, 
mischievous, loud, and uneducated. So when an African American steps out 
of this image, some people say negative side comments to tell them that they 
do not belong. Benn feels insecure because her boyfriend and her family make 
fun of the way she talks, calling her “Almond Joy” or their “white cousin.” 
Although they are joking and do not mean what they say, Benn still feels hurt 
and insulted. It has become common today to dismiss a person’s individuality 
and label them as bizarre because we find them to be too different from our-
selves. When people have a negative perception of someone, they tend to show 
it through their actions and body language. Benn recalls an incident when she 
was younger. She was walking with her dad in a 7-Eleven and the store worker 
followed them throughout the store. Through his actions, the store worker 
told them, “I think you are going to steal.” Another incident that Benn recalls 
in her essay was when her brother was driving their mom’s Chrysler 300 and 
two white cops followed them home. Many people assume that if a person 
looks underprivileged and he/she has something that is rather expensive, he/
she must have stolen it. Even the people who have sworn to protect and uphold 
the law are influenced by society’s labels.
I feel that one of the main causes of racial profiling and mispercep-
tions is the social labeling that goes on in grade schools. Within these schools, 
students constantly label each other. Whether it is a positive or negative label 
is not the issue I’m addressing, it’s the act of labeling. Students pick up the 
habit of labeling and then carry it throughout their lives. In “Se Habla Es-
panol,” Tanya Barrientos talks about her experiences being a Hispanic who 
is bilingual but more fluent in English. She recalls an incident when she was 
checking into grade school. Tanya and her mother were running somewhat 
late to registration, and when they got there, the registrar frowned and said, 
“You people. Your children are always behind, and you have the nerve to bring 
them late?” This shows that the registrar thinks Hispanics are slow and do not 
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Social Labeling
have academic proficiency. Although statistics may show that in some states, 
like California, Hispanics have lower grade point averages than other ethnic 
groups, what gives her the right to make such a prejudiced statement?
People cast judgments on others because of stereotypes and misper-
ceptions. These misleading perceptions cause innocent people to be frowned 
upon as if they are criminals or something is wrong with them. People believe 
these perceptions because it is easier. Rather than getting to know people on a 
personal level before judging them, we subconsciously outfit people with ideas 
of what they might be like. This is wrong, and we are all guilty.
Works Cited
Barrientos, Tanya. “Se Habla Espanlo.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing. Ed. 
Richard Bullock. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.
Benn, Ashley. “Should I Act More Black?” New Voices: A Collection of Student 
Essays. Eds. Sandra Jackson and Amy Reynolds. Plymouth: Hayden-
McNeil, 2011. 23–25. Print.
Larsen, Nella. Passing. Ed. Carla Kaplan. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.
Staples, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space.” The Norton Reader: An Anthol-
ogy of Nonfiction. Eds. Linda H. Peterson, John C. Brereton, Joseph Bi-
zup, Anne E. Fernald, and Melissa A. Goldwaithe. 13th ed. New York: 
W.W. Norton, 2011. 314–316. Print.


Social labeling

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