Brent Staples versus Beyonce hahah

Although Brent Staples claims that he has the “ability to alter public in ugly ways” due mainly to the color of his skin, it seems to me that people of color can alter society in ways that aren’t always ugly if their own perception of themselves is not downgraded. I’d like to acknowledge that factors such as Staples’s “beard and billowing hair… [and] both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket” may contribute to people’s perception of him, but I believe it is mainly his own perception of how these qualities influence how others think of him. To explain farther, he gave a few instances of how his appearance made others feel uncomfortable such as the woman at the beginning or just general bypassers. He never once mentions those who don’t give him weird stares and nasty glares; this is most probably because as he walks through the streets of Chicago, he tends to focus only on those who seem to fear him. This behavior, known as confirmation bias, is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories (Google Dictionary). His existing belief is that due to his appearance and skin color, society deems him a menacing person. Many colored people who erase this stereotype from their head often alter society for the better rather than for the worse. For example, the iconic Beyoncé once was and still is a victim of racism herself but through her determination to overcome racial stereotypes, she now influences young black children to maintain faith in a time where racism may get to their heads.