Sep 20 2009
Blog 2: Brent Staples in “Just Walk On By” talks about how he adjusted his behavior in order to make others more comfortable around him, since many people were afraid of him at night due to stereotypes about black men. Do you think he did the right thing by adjusting his behavior for others? [Respond to one or more of the Leaders' posts (from any section)- responses to Leaders can be posted any time between Tuesday and Friday at midnight. IF YOU ARE NOT A LEADER AND YOU RESPONDED ON MONDAY, I DELETED YOUR POST.]
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
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59 Responses to “Blog 2: Brent Staples in “Just Walk On By” talks about how he adjusted his behavior in order to make others more comfortable around him, since many people were afraid of him at night due to stereotypes about black men. Do you think he did the right thing by adjusting his behavior for others? [Respond to one or more of the Leaders' posts (from any section)- responses to Leaders can be posted any time between Tuesday and Friday at midnight. IF YOU ARE NOT A LEADER AND YOU RESPONDED ON MONDAY, I DELETED YOUR POST.]”
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I believe what the section 2-1 leader said. Just because a few people were uncomfortable being to close to the man, or alone with him on a dark street, does not mean that he should change the way he acts. Brent Staples meant no harm to these people and they were just jumping to prejudiced conclusions, which were unjust and unfair to this man. He should not have to change who he is to please some randoms strangers that he happened to walk by on a dark street.
I agree with what SA-PM-2 said. I do think that it was the right thing for Brent Staples to do. He joined a new community and so therefore he needed to make some adjustments to fit in to the community. I do like the fact that he did not just stop walking in order to fit in with the community. Instead of changing his schedule completley he made adjustments instead. I think that is the most important thing when joining a community. To make adjustments to a schedule not change it entirely.
In response to Voltron, I completely agree with what was said. The “right thing” shouldn’t have to be going out of your way to change who you are to cator to the needs of everyone around you. Any person in the world and especially in America should be able to walk down the street and not feel inadequate or feel that they are hurting someone just by walking. I believe that he did the wrong thing by giving up his true identity.
Along with Leader SA-am2, I feel everyone should be treated equally. No one deserves to be judged due to someone else’s first impression because of another’s race. I think that changing who a person is due to surrounding people should not change a person’s behavior. We should all feel free to be ourselves and if some people have the right to judge others based on their race, I believe it is their problem to be so judgmental. Along with Kaylie C, here in America we should be able to feel a sense of belonging with adequacy equal to the next person.
I think that Brent Staples shouldn’t have even been put in that sort of situation. As a society, we see the bad in people, or this case, potential danger, before we see the good. The majority if the time, we assume others than ourselves are out to do bad. Having said this, i feel he did the right thing. He was in a certain situation and he changed what he needed to; not necessarily for others around him, but for himself. He is the one getting accused and/or hurt, so i feel like he did it so keep his hands clean, so to speak. I think it’s terrible that this happened, or still does happen. There is a select few out there who are making it a little more threatening to be out at night, and because of those select few, we have others jumping to terrible conclusions about their fellow Good Samaritan.
I agree with kylinye. If everyone was willing to change for others to feel better, the world would be a lot safer and racism would definitely be lowered. But, I also believe that no one should change who they are for others. Especially if the case is to change for people you don’t even know. The people he decided to change for need to stop judging people on how they look without even knowing them. Never judge a book by it’s cover.
I agree with sec 14-2; he shouldn’t have had to change himself just to suit the people around him. Something that many of us have been taught since we were young is to be true to ourselves no matter what. If we just change ourselves to make others comfortable, then what’s the point of telling kids to be themselves?
I agree with what Brionne has said. No one should ever be judged based on their skin color or ethnicity, but that is in a perfect society, which we are far from. It is not fair for Brent to have to adjust his behavior to be felt comfortable around, but in a society like we have today, he might have to in order to feel comfortable with himself. Although it is not right to have to change to be accepted, sometimes it is just how it has to be. It is a lot easier, not necessarily more fair, to change yourself, than to expect people who judge others to change their ways. So one in a situation like Brent must decide if it is worth it to change himself to be accepted, which usually makes one happier.
I believe what Brionne said. It is never right to judge a person on their color, but in certain situations, like walking alone in the dark, it is always a good thing to be cautious. For me personally, I would be cautious even if it was a white man walking behind me at night. At times we may need to adapt ourselves into where we live, so our fellow citizens are more comfortable when we are around, but it is never right to change yourself completely. Basically, just being civil is all a person can do, and if others are going to judge, that’s their problem.
I share a lot of the beliefs and thoughts given. I don’t like changing myself just so someone can feel comfortable around me. But being humble and helping others to see you for who you really are is extremely important. Being yourself shouldn’t mean you don’t care how people feel around you, or what they think. You better care to at least a certain degree, not so much that everything you wear and everything you do is due to what others think of you. But being part of a community or nation, it’s all part of the game. There are a lot of people out there that do bad things but there are so many people who do good. You need to work with those who will work with you. Besides, it shows something about the person that allows you to trust them.
I agree with kylinee, I believe that it’s mostly respectable to the other person to make them feel comfortable. Personally, I hangout with all types of people, and I act differently around every single one, so that they can talk to me. Just being comfortable around someone is a good feeling, and I agree that it’s good to act differently. Not saying it’s good to change yourself, but making people respect you is good.
I agree with Lara Matrin, about how someone shouldn’t have to conform to us, but we should all just learn how to accept each other for how we are. Almost everyone in the United States came here from a different place, and just because some of us were here first they got the idea into their heads they they were better, and could use slaves, just because there were of a different ethnicity than them. I think this is a problem and think that we should try to make it easier for people that are having trouble.
I kind of find cmelling’s ideology to be a tad bit naive. Not to be offensive, I mean I know where you’re coming from because what a great world this would be to live in if everyone had the ability or chose to get to know everyone before they judged them. The truth is, we live in an imperfect world where unjust profiling of innocent civilians who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong color of skin are wrongly accused and inflicted with unnecessary police brutality all the time. He really just made the smart decision to avoid a life-sentance because of OTHER peoples’ prejudices and stereotypes by learning from past events in history. On the other hand, it’s interesting to interject that humans are creatures of habit. We like patterns, so maybe if Brent Staples were to try walking down the same dark alley as enough beautiful women and not worrying about how close he was following behind it might change at least a few people’s stereotypes to learn that he meant no harm at all. Maybe not, it’s an experiment we’ve yet to see tried.
I agree with how brionnemousseau says Staples shouldn’t have to change who he is to make others feel comfortable. I also think in some ways he didn’t change who he was because he just incorporated who he was in with making others feel comfortable. For example, he would whistle Bethoven when he was walking through parks late at night to make people think he wasn’t a threat. He didn’t change who he was because he obviously likes Bethoven if he knows it well enough to whistle it. And at the same time he was making others feel comfortable with his presance.
I disagree with anders, I think he did do the wrong thing. Why change your self for anyone? He wasn’t hurting anyone or doing anything wrong, he was just any normal person walking down the street. It’s not his falt people are judgemental, he’s his own person and no one should have to change any part of themselves, it’s ridiculous and I just plannly think he made the wrong chioce in that matter. the only time anyone should have to change is if they are hurting people and that means change, not when they are doing nothing wrong.
I would have to agree with harsh. No one should change who they are to try to make other people happy. Even though everyone does have the stereotype that black people are involved in bad things it is hardly ever the case. He did go into a new community and should try to be a part of the community, but if that involves changing who he is then it is not worth it. People like you for who you are, not for what you change yourself to be.
I agree with kylinye. I don’t know if there is really a right or wrong choice for this, but it was really nice of him to change his habbits, even though he was doing nothing wrong, to make others feel more secure.
I agree with kylinye. We should be aware of others around us and have some consideration for them. By changing his actions it showed he had some integrity and concern for others. So I think he did the right thing.
I agree with sarat29. I don’t think that people should have to change themselves so that they can be accepted by other people. Yes it made people more comfortable, but I just don’t think he should have had to change his ways to make people feel better.
I think he didn’t really need to do all those things to try and fit other peoples standards. Most people would be afraid of a six foot two inch broad bearded man walking around in the middle of the night whether he was black white brown or whatever color you can think of. When your in a situation like that you automatically put your guard up. Maybe it helped a little to try to let off the impression that he wasn’t a bad person but I bet some people even thought that made him scarier. Like a kidnapper offering candy, they come across as a kind person at first.
I would have to agree with secSapm2. You should never judge people by their apprance. Nobody should change who they are because of what others think. If you have to change who you are, than all you are doing is lying to yourself. Unforuntally we live in a society where sterotypes play a huge impact on peoples first inpressions. If we could let go of that, than I’m sure America would be more accepting and welcoming.
I agree with brionnemousseau, everyone has to make some judgments. It is just a part of life. If we don’t judge anyone or anything we can’t make adjustments in our lives to better serve ourselves and others. We don’t have to change it is just for the benefit of everyone else that he changed himself. He was able to do better in the business world because he changed. It also wasn’t right for people to directly judge him on skin color.
I agree with what romansanchez and sharnamazing have said. He didn’t alter any bit of himself to be more accepting to others. He changed his demeanor while walking down the street, and he consciously chose to alter his public space in a positive way, and it compliments much to a civil appearence for him. I enjoyed the quote sharnamazing used. “When we become aware of something that offends someone else, we change and adopt new behaviors in order to become more acceptable in society.” I believe that sums up the basic lesson of morallity and civility in life. We all want to fit in, and sometimes that involves changing not who we are, but what we do.
i agree with sarat29 we shouldnt change to make others more comfe around us. fi they dont like to us for who we are then thats there choice. or if they dont like us for how we look thats there choice and there lost. we shouldnt have to suffer for there problems.
I also agree with blog leader 02. People shouldnt have to change to fit in. They should act and be who they truely are instead of putting up a act. I can understand how he changed to make other people comfortable but he should have to. It is not right.
I agree with cmelling, in that they make a really good point when he talks about his beliefs which are similar to mine, no one should change themselves to fit into a community unless it is something they feel is necessary themselves to change. We are who we are for a reason. It is in everyone’s best judgment to keep themselves safe, but I believe doing so by judging others is taking the wrong step.
I have to agree with CMelling. I don’t think people should have to change just because someone doesn’t like them. You should be who you are and let people get to know you. If people don’t like the way you are then they can change or they don’t have to be friends with you.
I agree with Brionne. You do have to make right judgments in different scenarios. I think this goes beyond the race issue really. We all have to change our behaviors and watch what we say or do around people. For instance, being in such a conservative town, where LDS is the dominant religion, you have to respect them, therefore, you do not say some words that you would usually say or make jokes that in there eyes is not appropriate. Going beyond the religion, when you around grandparents you tend to watch what you say, how you speak, how you sit, how you dress ect. as well because they grew up in different times. What is acceptable by your parents standards may not always be acceptable by your grandparents standards. In walk on by however it did come down to race and stereotypes and he did have to change to avoid problems however we all at one point have to change with the scenario.
In response to brionnemousseau, I think that she misinterpreted the prompt when she said, “I do not think he should have to change himself for others benefit of safety.” She’s right, he shouldn’t have to “change” but the prompt was addressing, “adjusting.” Whenever we are faced with certain awkward situations, what do we do? We adjust. It is part of human nature to adjust to the circumstances in a manner that makes it more comfortable for ourselves and those around us. Staples was merely being normal by “adjusting” his behavior to his circumstance- there is nothing unethical about that.
i agree with sara. i think that he didn’t have to change, but i understand why he did. having everybody be afraid of you all the time would make you think to change at some point or another. i think the people around him and he are both at fault, and i think the environment he was in. if he lived in a different place or not so bad side of the city, maybe people wouldn’t be so afraid and treat him so differently..
well one doesnt need to change for anybody lest they feel they need something from that place and thats the only way in. i see it here in college. yep a bunch of followers following music and ideas that are created by someone else. they dress and act the same then treat people like they cant be around em unless they are the same. I think the author might be full of it. ignornace after so much experience come on. smart people may right to clear the truth with speech strategys. he dressed the way of warfare gang related and was smart enough not get stabbed and he was non-violent. sex drugs alcohol everywhere. white or black in my experience this dude is probably just really smart and not telling the whole truth
i mean write not right geez
No, i do not think he should try to make others comfortable because though it may be courteous it is not his position to make others feel okay. If those people want to feel better they should just not stereotype people. Because if someone really does attack then I can guarantee that they will not be able to fend them off, and if they want to then they need to learn self-defense. That’s when they won’t be scared.
I agree with Anders in the fact that he did do the right thing becuase of his circumstances. I believe you shouldnt follow the crowd and change yourself to fit in but becuause of his situation i think he did the best thing. having people thing you are dangerous and are afraid of you all the time would be a hard situation. I think changing was the best thing he could do.
brsinger brings up a good point, alot of people judge a certain race by what a few out of the race has done and its not right but in the same sense i don’t care if i was walking alone at night and seen someone walking whether they be white, brown, black, green, i would still keep my distance as a safe guard for myself. I have a lot of respect for Brent because no he did not have to do what he did but he felt it was the right thing to do and no one was forcing him to change but he wanted people to feel comfortable.
I think it is really sad that he felt the need to change so he could avoid odd situations. How horrible is it that today people are so judgemental based on stereotypes? I found it really sad but I see where you would just begin to change how you were because it would be worse to watch people’s reactions. I agree with Triciajo24 though because i totally avoid anyone and everyone when i am walking on street, day or night. No matter what color, gender, age, shape, or size. I give myself room. You don’t want to enter anyone’s personal space and we have all heard scary stories about walking at night around strangers. I think it is a natural reaction and to me that seems a little sad. We are so scared of the what ifs in society today.
I agree with klinye and romansanchez. By changing the way he acts in certain situations doesn’t change his identity or who he is. I find it unfair that people can be racist and afraid of black men in general , it’s ridiculous, but Brent Staples makes that generalization an exception. As a girl however, when I am walking by myself at night and there is a man behind me it doesn’t matter what their race is, I grow a little fearful. I think all Brent did was changed how he acted in certain situations and made his reactions in certain sitations different. It made him more of an approachable person.
I think it is not right how people treat each other different because of skin color. I think we all need to be equal and need to stop looking at the persons appearance. If I were a girl and someone started to follow me, I would get a little scared too. But on other hand I would not get scared if he/she was black or white… Skin color does not matter to me. I think people need to stop viewing each other by skin color.
I would agree with kylinye comment you should respect and be considerate of others. And its not Brent Staples fault people are just worried when a African American is walking behind them in that kind of a town. People are just that way. Brent did a very good job at making it easier for other people to walk around. He is a good man.
I agree with cmelling. I don’t think he did the right thing by adjusting himself to make others feel comfotable. I think he should just be proud of who he is and let others think what they think. People need to learn to not judge by the color of skin, sex, religon, ect. I’m not saying that i’m not judgemental. I do judge sometimes but i usually caught myself and have to get to know them better before i do it again.
To build on what romansanchez had to say, I think it is terrible that he had to conform. I don’t think he was doing it for others around him; rather it was to have peace of mind. He knew he could not change the world in a day and realized the realities of it. He did what he felt was right in this situation, it may not be right for you and me. He combated the stereotypes in his own way by writing his story. He showed he is an educated non threatening man. Those people that crossed the street when he they saw him could be the very people reading his story.
I agree with brionnemousseau. I think that certain judgments should be made to insure safety. When I am by myself in the dark, I tend to avoid people in general. I think that we should avoid judging individual people, but also be smart about our decisions. People probably shouldn’t be outside and alone at night in the first place, but if they are, crossing the path of strangers should be avoided.
I would have to agree with leader 14-2, the point of being yourself would be lost if people went around changing themselves to what other people think should be accepted. It is sad but true that stereotypes impact society a lot and can, as in this instance, change a person. Having them do as is acceptable, not as they are.
I agree with cmelling. You shouldn’t bend for other people, especially strangers on the street who you don’t even know. The truth is, people you see on the street, who you’ll likely never see again, don’t matter. So why should you change yourself to make them feel comfortable or to please them? You can pretend to care about everyone, but let’s be honest. Nobody cares about the people they pass on the street. It doesn’t make sense to change yourself for people who don’t matter. I also agree with what brionnemousseau said about making judgments to keep yourself safe. Everybody has to do that, simply to protect themselves.
I like what SAam-2 leader had to say. It would be nice if society could not judge each other and we could all play nice, but that is not going to happen any time soon. So I think its good that there are people in the world who are willing to bend a little to make other people comfortable. Everyone who has said that he shouldn’t change at all is rediculous. Trying to integrate even a little is an important part of being part of a community. You don’t have to destroy your individuality but being considerate is important. If everyone decided that they were never going to act differently or more polite around people then everyone would be stubborn headed and nothing would ever get done. People who are willing to bend are needed. I look up to this guy for working to make others more comfortable.
i agree with sec 02-2. Brent Staples did not have to change, but he did anyway because he wanted others to not think he was a bad guy. He chose to change to ease the burden on others, but i somewhat think that he should not have changed because of what some strangers thought. I feel that instead of him changing for others, others should change for him. People should just think of him as another guy instead of thinking wheres my wallet?
I do believe that he did the right thing, because if he did not do it he could have been killed. I do agree with cmelling that it is not his problem that is causing this but I say that he has to fix it because no one else will. I do believe it is best to stay the same but sometimes it is necessary to change for people and some that you do not know.
I agree with leader 10-1. I think Brent Staples did the right thing. By changing his tendencies, he kept not only himself safer but kept people around him comfortable. If he did not change his tendencies, then he could of possibly gotten killed by people who thought he was suspicious. I feel you should never change who you are for anyone but in this case he isn’t changing who he is, he is just avoiding things that could possibly make him look suspicious. I feel it is a part of being civil to make people around you feel comfortable. Although you can’t control other people’s emotions, you can act in an acceptable and appropriate way when in public. So i definitely think that Brent Staples did the right thing in this situation.
I agree with what allisonkirmeyer said about how he shouldn’t have to change what he did to make others feel safe. people would get scared over him walking on the sidewalk, that is not his problem, if people choose to be scared over him going through everyday life, that is their problem. He should be able to walk anywhere he wants to without people telling him otherwise.
I agree with blog leader Sec 2-2 I don’t think he had to change but I think it’s very admirable that he chose too. He doesn’t have to worry about others only himself but he chose to take other’s feelings into consideration and that is very thoughtful. i do think it is wrong of people to immediately judge him when they see him walking but it is people’s responsibility to take care of themselves and if they see someone looking suspicious it is their natural instinct to protect themselves and run. Brent Staples could have stayed the way he was and pretended like he didn’t care. But he decided he didn’t want to live that lifestyle and he didn’t want others to get worried around him. So no he didn’t have to change, but yes he should and did be willing to change.
I completley agree with cmelling. Nobody should have to change who they are just so people won’t stereotype them. If somebody has a problem with something another person does or the way a person looks then they aren’t worth anyones time and effort. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” That is one of my favorite quotes and I believe in it. We all need to be the unique, interesting individuals we are and not change just for those who don’t matter.
I agree with harsh. We shouldn’t have to change just to make other people fill more comfortable. unless its your job to make them feel welcome like at a restaurant or something, but other than that we should just be able to be ourselves around other people.
I think that changing ones self for others is not good thing. We need to be ourselves. If everyone changed into what people thought others wanted we would not have the individualism that makes up our country and world. People need to except us for who we are, and if they don’t it is their loss.
I partially agree with brionnemousseau. Naturally human beings judge people whether we like to admit it or not even if it’s not a negative judgment. For example if I see a fruit that looks like a peach, feels like a peach, and tastes like a peach, I’ll trust my judgment that it is a peach based on my perception. I agree that it is not appropriate to judge others, but if someone matches the description of a common criminal description I feel it is in human nature and survival instinct to be cautious and stereotypical.
I agree with anders. I think that Brent Staples did the right thing in changing the way he acted so that others would be more comfortable around him. If he didn’t change the way he acted he would still have people running away from him. It isn’t right that people are judging him just because of stereotypes but how can you blame them, it’s either run away or possibly get mugged. For all they know he might a criminal. Because he changed his behavior him and everybody else around him was happier.
I agree with cmeling, you shouldnt have to change yourself for the people around you. Just have fun and be yourself who cares what one person see’s you as. Everyone has their own different opinion on you so just do what you do best, and that is just being yourself.
I don’t think he should have to change his appearance or attitude to make others, mainly the white population feel comfortable around him! It was very thoughtful for him to do it in the first place but it should be totally unnecessary. People need to get rid of their stereotypes and be aloud to be himself. I think Staples should have stood up for himself and not change himself for the strangers he encounters.
I feel that people should always be weary of their surroundings. That woman had the right to feel in danger because of the man following her. I feel that the author should have known why he made the woman uncomfortable. This would have happened, in my opinion, if the man was black or white.
I agee with cmelling. I don’t think that he should have had to adjust his behavior just for others to be comfortable around him. People need to like him for who he is and what he does . If they don’t have the time and energy to like him for who he is, then he should not even take the time to notice them. It’s his life, he can live it the way he wants, not how other people want him to live just to make them happy.