Just Smile There: A Brown Dude Thinks About His Ability To Change Atmosphere

Staples's piece "Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space" was not an eyeopening piece to me, if I'm going to be quite honest. Racial stereotypes persist even today; people walk with "hunch[ed] postures" when walking through shady neighborhoods (Staples). Double and triple check to make sure that their cars are locked. Anxiously look around for possible muggers and intruders. These things are all evident and bound to happen. Day in and day out, our lives are constantly filled with negativity. Whether it be the news or that essay you just bombed, it feels as if we are bombarded by a never ending wave of sadness or hate. What I want to focus on is the positive aspect of influence. I'd like to think that I don't always contribute to such feelings. I'd also like to think that sometimes I negate these emotions with laughter and smiles. If you know me, you probably know that I'm a goof. Unintentional or not, I say and do a lot of stupid things. Most of the time it's to incite a laugh or just lighten the mood. The crazy thing about my actions, however, is that they are all on instinct; in other words, I don't think. While that could be a joke about my subpar intelligence, I think it actually speaks more toward human nature. If an average but awesome kid like me can do dumb things to hopefully make other people feel good without real exertion, why can't everybody else? I think we are all doing a disservice to each other by bringing everybody down. A more positive world can easily be created by (excuse my language Mrs. Valentino) dumbasses like me. So I ask all of you: use jokes and laughter as your weapons and become "victim[s]" to dumbasses all around the world (Staples). I know we can all alter a public space with one smile at a time.