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SalvadorDiaz
English114B
ProfessorJackie
16March2015
ABWBProjectRoughDraft

Peopleoftenassumethatracismisbeyondourtimeofliving.Infactitstillexiststoday
wemaynotdirectlyshowitbutithappenstoeachandeveryoneofus,weraciallyprofilepeople
assoonasweseethem.Thisisknownasracialstereotyping.Racialstereotypesoftenoccurin
thenovel
AngryBlackWhiteBoy
.Thereasontheyareusedinthenovelistorepresentidentity
inpersonality,background,andrace.
Personality
referstoindividualdifferencesincharacteristicpatternsofthinking,feeling
andbehaving.InthenovelAngryBlackWhiteBoystereotypesareusedasawaytodescribe
personality.Maconisthemaincharacterinthenovelandthisoneinstancewherehewasin
highschool,oneofthefootballplayersconfrontedMaconbecauseofthewayhedressed.Macon
hasbeenbehavingthewayhealwaysis,ahiphopkindofguybutwhatmakesitoddisthefact
thatheisawhiteJewishguy.Thefootballplayersays,Peoplelaughatyoudude.Idonteven
knowyouandIlaughmyfuckinassoff.(20AdamMansbach).Thefootballplayeristalking
abouthowheisnttheonlyoneraciallystereotypinghim.Theyareraciallystereotypinghimnot
becauseheisblackbutbecauseheisawhiteguythattriestoactblack,intheeyesofthepeople
laughingatMacon.Maconknowthatheisbeingperceptedinthisimagebutitdoesnotchange
whohefeelshereallyis.Thefootballplayerandtheotherkindsheclaimstohavemadefunof

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MaconhaveperceptedMasonsbehaviorandlooksandjudgedhimrightaway.Nowtheyuse
theirperceptionuponstereotypingasanidentitytodefywhoMaconis.
Someotherincidentofbehaviorweseewherepeopleraciallyprofileistherecentcaseof
SugeKnightandhishitandrunsallegationinvolvingtwopeoplekilledatthescene.
The
widespreadperceptionofyoungblackmalesascriminals,deviantsandsocialmenaceshas
deadlyimplicationsinpoliceencounters.,assaidintheHuffingtonPost.Thisisaperfect
exampleofhowpolicemenidentifyapossiblesuspectbecauseofthebehaviorsportrayedby
otherafricanamericans,nowtheyfeeltheurgetohandlethescenariowithalittlemorealertor
cautious.Thepoliceplaceanidentificationamongindividualsandtheydothisbecauseofthe
behaviorsportrayedonprevioussuspects.Thestereotypingherewasthatthepersonalityofone
individualwasplaceduponotherindividualsofthesamerace.Inthenovelpeoplestereotyped
Macononhisbehaviorandassociatedhimnotasotherwhitepeoplebutasotherafrican
americans.Therewasanidentityplacedonhimbytheindividualswhoobservedhim.
Raciallystereotypingcanrangefromdefiningwhopeoplearetoalsowhattheir
backgroundis.Maconisthiswhitekidwhogrewupfromafamilywhoisaffluentandjewish.In
thenovelMaconmeetsaroommatenameNiqueandNiqueintroducesMacontoanotherfriend
namedAndre.Maconshowsthathehastattooed42992onhisarmandAndresays,AJewish
kidwithnumberstattooedonhisarm.NowIveseenitall.(48AdamMansbach).Theywere
surprisedthathehadnumberstattooedbecausetheyidentifiedhimasatypicalJewishkidandin
theJewishcommunityitstabooinasensetohavenumberstattooedonthemselves.Thenumbers
representedthedayLosAngelesburnedortheLAriotsasitsbetterknownas.Itsobviousnow
theyhaveadifferentperspectiveonMaconbecauseheisfarfromthetypicalwhiteJewishkid.

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TheirfirstthoughtaboutMaconwasverystereotypicalbecausetheyarejustjudgingwhatthey
seesofar,awhiteJewishkid.Racialstereotypingisnotonlyusedinthenovelbutisalsousedin
todaysworld.InthefatalshootingofMichaelBrowninthecityofFerguson,Missouri,acop
shotandkilledaninnocentkidwhohappenedtobeafricanamerican.Althoughtheredifferent
perspectivethatcameoutfromthiscaseonething'sforsure,thecopraciallystereotypedthis
africanamericankidandthoughtthatbecauseofthewayhelookedhemusthaveportrayedsome
kindofcriminalbackgroundonlyputtingmorefearinthecopseyescausinghimtoshootthe
victim.Thecopassumedwhathisbackgroundisandbecauseofthatitleadtoriotslastingweeks
inthecityofFerguson.Thisrepresentationinidentityhappenstoeveryonebesidesthefactifits
intentionallyornot,inthenovelthecharactershaveraciallystereotypedunintentionallyjustlike
thecopdidinferguson.
Anotherincidentwherestereotypingoccursthroughtheuseofbackgroundinformationis
inthenewupcomingmovieGetHardstarringWillFerrellandKevinHart.InthemovieWill
Ferrellisthemillionaireguywhomightgetsenttoprisonedandoutoffearhedecidestoget
someadvicebutdoesnotknowwhotocontact.HeseesthisAfricanAmericanguywashinghis
carandassumesbecauseofhisracehemusthavesometypeofbackgroundexperienceabout
prison.WillFerrellusesracialstereotypingasanidentitytoputuponthischaracter,thisiseasily
relatedtothenovelbecauseinthenovelMaconisgivenallthisracialstereotypes.People
assumewhathisbackgroundisbecauseofwhattheypresumablyjudge,theyarenotdoingitto
beracistbuttohelpthemselvesidentifythisperson.
JustlikethecaseinFergusonnotonlydidthecopstereotypethekidofhisbackground
butalsohisrace.TheidentityplacedherewasthatthiskidisanAfricanAmericanandtheyare

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oftencriminals.Whenstereotypingpeoplemostoftenstartwithracebecauseitsthefirstthingto
see,butinothertimestheymaynotseeaphysicalappearancebutassociateotherthingstothat
race.Maconworksataxidriverandhehasrobbedafewpeople,theywerewhiteamericans.
Theyneverrealizedtoseewhoitwasrobbingthemandsoalltheyusedwherethesoundof
Maconsvoicetohelptheauthoritiesinfindingthecriminal.Theonlythingtheywereableto
providetotheauthoritiesisthatitwasanafricanamericanrobbingthem.Maconswordschoice
wouldresemblemanyafricanamericanswhoareintohiphop.Inthisincidentthepeoplethat
wererobbedstereotypedthewordstheyheardfromMacontohisracebecausetheycouldnot
physicallyseehim.Theyhadnootherwayinidentifyingthecriminalsotheyhadtoplacethis
identityofanafricanamericanwhorobbedthembecausethewayMaconwasspeakingtothem
resembledtowhattheythoughtanafricanamericanwouldsay.Identityaccordingtoracewas
themostusefulmethodthesevictimscoulduse.
Stereotypinghappensallthetimeineachandeveryoneofus.Inthenovel
AngryBlack
WhiteBoy
stereotypingisusedtorepresentidentitiesonthecharactersthroughoutthestory.In
thenovelpeoplestereotypedothercharactersbecauseofpersonality,sometimestheactionsone
personhasdoneaffectshowpeopleperceivethatraceafterwardslikehowtheviolentactsSuge
Knighthasperformedhasledcopstothinkthatotherafricanamericansmightbeasviolentifnot
more.Backgroundinformationwasusedaswellforstereotyping,inthefilmGetHardWill
Ferrell'scharacterraciallystereotypesthisafricanamericanKevinHartassomeonewith
experienceinprison.Finallyracewasthebiggestpartinusingstereotypes,thepolicein
FergusonMissouriraciallystereotypedMichaelBrownandthismayhavebeenareasonwhy
theyshothim.Allthesedifferentmethodsinracialstereotypingwasawayforpeopletoidentify

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otherpeople.Theyusepastexperiencestojudgeonsomeonesappearanceandthisiswhatthey
usetofirstestablishapersonsidentityasseenthroughoutthenovel.

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WorkCited
Hutchinson,EarlOfari."SugeKnightArrestAgainReinforcesThugImageofBlack
Males."
TheHuffingtonPost
.TheHuffingtonPost.com,n.d.Web.17Mar.2015.
Mansbach,Adam.
AngryBlackWhiteBoy,Or,TheMiscegenationofMaconDetornay:A
Novel
.NewYork:ThreeRivers,2004.Print.
"Plessyv.FergusonCaseBriefSummary."
LawnixFreeCaseBriefsRSS
.N.p.,n.d.
Web.11Mar.2015.
"SXSW:WillFerrell's'GetHard'StirsControversyWithGay,RacialJokes."
Variety
.
N.p.,16Mar.2015.Web.17Mar.2015.