Just Walk on by

Alanna Neff

Pd. 6 SLCC

Just Walk On By Questions

Question 1: Staples essay is still very relevant today. Especially with recent events in Ferguson, New York and across the nation, the problems with race and intolerance are still very prevalent. There is still a lot of hate and racism that affects people judgement and as shown with recent events, people are still doing basically the same things as Staples talks about. Across the world, people use stereotypes and judge people based on preconceived notions, even though they are usually not correct. Personally, I don't think that judgement toward other people will ever completely end. There are things people can do to reduce these judgements and prevent their own children from furthering these patterns, but unfortunately there will always be people that are judgemental and biased.

Question 4: When a person is put into uncomfortable situations, it is often easy to make harsh judgements as our instinct is to fear the unknown. When my friend and I went to Lollapalooza over the summer, we were walking around Chicago late at night by ourselves. I remember glancing down an alley way and seeing a group of big, intimidating guys just standing there watching us and instantly my heart rate went up. They could have just been normal guys hanging out but because of the situation and how they were dressed, I was threatened by their presence and we picked up our pace as we walked away. I think people are especially threatened by large groups of people and people that you don't normally associate with.

Question 6: I definitely think these incidents can be reduced, but I don't know if they will ever completely be eliminated. Assumptions we make our often based on what we have been taught. The way we are socialized has a major impact on who we judge and why as it is instilled in us by our parents and peers. We categorize and stereotype different races, religions, genders and more based on preconceived notions and tend to judge...