Connections in Reading and Writing: English 1010 at SUU and Success Academy [Fall 2009]

Blog Leader  sec 14-1:

I think he did do the right thing because if he didn’t adjust his behavior then everyone would still be afraid of him. Since he adjusted himself no one would judge him because of stereotypes. But on the other hand i’ve been taught to not follow the croud and do my own thing. But in this case i believe he did the right thing so he could fit in and not have everyone afraid of him.

-anders

Blog Leader  sec 02-1:

I don’t think he did the right thing. I believe that if you are doing the right things and working to improve yourself to your own standards then any problem that someone else has with you is their own. You shouldn’t have to adjust yourself for everyone else. They need to accept you for who you are and if they are not willing to take the time to get to know the true you then they aren’t worth paying attention too. The only opinions that anyone should truely care about are the ones of closest friends and family, they typically don’t want you to change if they are already that close to you.

-cmelling

Blog Leader  sec 14-2:

I believe that everyone has to make certain judgements of others in order to preserve their personal safety, however it is not appropriate to judge others based on color or ethnicity. I do not think he should have to change him self for others benefit of safety but some times it does help if you do not fit into a certain stereotype. You need to be comfortable with yourself.

-brionnemousseau

Blog Leader  sec 02-2:

It is always important to respect and honor the thoughts and feelings of those around you. I think it shows a lot of integrity that he was WILLING to change his ways for the respect of other people. If every person in the world showed that much respect for others, not only would the world feel safer, but it may eliminate racism all together. By him being the prime example that a black man isnt by definition “scary” He’s also setting a new standard and hopefully a new label for his race.

-kylinye

Blog Leader  sec 10-1:

I think he did do the right thing because he didn’t change who he was he only changed some of his tendencies. No one should have to change for anyone, but if some of the things I am doing are making it hard for me to walk around at night then I will probably change it to make it a more pleasant walk. After changing he probably stopped getting wrongly arrested by cops and being avoided. It’s sad that people have to change just to fit in, but it has to be done. Some people just need to adapt to survive or in this case lead a more normal life.

-romansanchez

Blog Leader  sec 10-2:

For his situation, I feel like he did what he had to in order to make the people around him not as confrontational. He gave multiple examples where people were willing to hurt him for simply walking down a street or entering a building. He adjusted his behavior so that he doesnt end up as one of the stereotypical black men. Hopefully we each do the same thing, when we become aware of something that offends someone else, we change and adopt new behaviors in order to become more acceptable in society.

-sharnamazing

Blog Leader  sec SAam-1:

i think we shouldn’t have to change to fit in a group. we should just be ourselves. But what brent staples did was correct because he didn’t do that for him he did that so that other people wouldn’t be scared of him. it is racist yes but that’s just how it goes. I think one should always respect one’s thought and feelings and if you see something’s bothering the person than you can try get rid of it or change it some way or another.

-harsh

Blog Leader  sec SApm-1:

I truly do believe that racism is wrong but when it comes to something like this, then no. A girl must take extra precautions to ensure her safety no matter what or who it is!! The guy did right because it made people around him feel unsafe and insecure. Besides who wants to be surrounded by people who are afraid of what he’ll do. Most groups are judged by just a couple of peoples action but that still does not mean we should not be cautious but that does not mean we need to be totally afraid of a certain race or religion.

-brisinger

Blog Leader  sec SApm-2:

I think that our society needs to be more accepting. People shouldn’t judge others based on their appearance. I think that it was considerate of Brent Staples to go out of his way to help others around him feel more comfortable but I also think that we should try not to put people in a situation where they are constantly forced to change what they do just to put others at ease. We shouldn’t make others feel like they are expected or required to change just for our benefit.

-laramartin

Blog Leader  sec SAam-2:

Brent Staples was afraid of what others were thinking. Yes, he did adjust his behavior for those that were around him. But I don’t think that he had to. Our community needs to accept the fact of how we are all different inside and out. We need to accept everybody as they are. We shouldn’t change who we are to make others more comfortable to be around us. It doesn’t matter what race we are. We all need to get along and accept the fact that we are all different individuals. We can’t judge anybody from the first moment we see them.

-sarat29

Blog Leader  sec 02-2:

I don’t think it’s fair to conform to make other people comfortable, but at the same time it’s about respect. He knows he is a good person who isn’t going to cause any harm, so at the same time it’s their problem. I liked how he was willing to change his behavior because he knew it made people nervous. That shows a lot about his character. It’s sad that he has to change things about himself, but it’s kind of the world we are living in today. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.

-alythorne