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Kanchi Shah
ENG 100S, James Slama,
Tu, Th 2:00-3:15
November 18,2013.
ESSAY 3 ROUGH DRAFT
Monsters are abstract, sinister looking creatures bringing threat and horror in movies, and
fictional stories. But after reading Brent Staples Essay Just Walk On By and various texts from
the book Monsters by Cooper and Blake, my definition of a 'monster' has changed. I now see
monster as neither demons with fangs, claws, nor cold blooded creatures that kill others for food
and flesh but as the "othering" of inequality and destruction in society created by humans. The
book Monsters by Cooper and Blake has many excerpts such as Parasites and Perverts: An
Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity by Judith Halberstam Gothic Realities: Impact on Horror
Fiction and Culture by L. Andrew Cooper and Seven theses by Cohen, along with Brent Staples
Essay Just a Walk On By have created the "othering" of cultural profiling, gender inequality and
importance of skin color respectively in our society today.
First , the "othering" of inequality in our society is created through cultural prejudice.
Racial profiling has remained a targeted circumstance in our society since centuries. Brent
Staples in his essay Just Walk on By shares his personal experience of being acquainted as a
mugger and a rapist at the age of 23 in Chicago because of his cultural inheritance as an AfricanAmerican " It was in the echo of that terrified woman’s footfalls that I first began to know the
unwieldy inheritance I’d come into—the ability to alter public space in ugly ways. It was clear
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that she thought herself the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse" (Staples 1). Staples was
flabbergasted on seeing how his culture and race could be a hazard for him. This was just one of
his very first circumstance that he encountered. Halberstam has pointed out on the cultural
prejudice that exist in our society through his text Perversion and Parasitism where he states "
Jews were referred to as 'degenerate', the bearers of syphilis, viewed as middlemen in business"(
Halberstam 132). Halberstam in his text shows how the Jews were treated badly. They were
subject to internal migration for money. Both Halberstam and Brent Staples have supported one
another in drawing light on different cultural prejudice which existed in our society. The
"othering " that comes with cultural prejudice, a major cause of inequality. Brent Staples wrote
about the African-Americans and Halberstam wrote about Ant-Semitism. For example, whether
it was the anti-Semitism, Jews blamed for bringing plagues which killed white children, or
Japanese - Americans thrown into internment camps and treated maliciously until dead, cultural
prejudice has existed in our society . After the 9/11 attack on the Twin Tower and the Pentagon
done by the Al Queda's, our first suspect for any terror now would be the Islams. Both Staples
and Cohen through their text have drawn attention on the cultural prejudice that even exists
today.
Secondly, gender inequality has not only been a major issue of social misrepresentation
in our country but also all across the world. The excerpt Gothic Realities: Impact of Horror
fiction on Realities has added on to my definition of monsters. According to the text "The
formula MONSTER=HOMOSEXUALITY is a metaphor that merely visualizes the monstrosity
already built into "homosexuality", stigmatizes people its name"(Cooper 141) homosexuals are
perceived as monsters. This is because some cultures believe that same sex marriage is a taboo.
Homosexuals are only considered monsters because they are going against what is perceived as
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"normal" by our society. As we all belong to the generation of the twenty-first century we should
be broad minded towards the preferences of others. Brent Staples in his essay Just Walk on By
has also made gender biases against women. Staples is an avid night walker, and explains his
first situation where a women suspects him to be a thug. He points out to women always
perceiving black males walking at night to be a threat to their security(Staples 6). Staples and
Cohen have had a different approach toward inequality. Cohen points out on the current bitter
truths of reality where homosexuals are called 'gays' and 'lesbians'. Homosexuals are not given
the same space and respect that the heterosexuals receive in society today. For example, there are
many who are against same sex marriage and do not agree with homosexuals having the
opportunity to live together. On the contrary, Staples has attacked men and women separately.
He points out as to how women have always been vulnerable to street violence and men being a
major cause for such violence. This shows the gender inequality where women in the twenty first centuries are still not safe. For example, in the past women in many countries including U.S.
were considered inferior to men. In the United States women had to fight for their rights to vote
Women were not provided with equal rights to work and wages as men in the workforce. This is
even seen today. According to the article Gender Inequality and Women in Workspace, "Women
have made great strides in the workplace, but inequality persists. On average in 2010, women
only made 77 cents to every dollar a man earned. There’s still a gender gap that needs to be
rectified." (Gender Inequality and Women in Workspace 1).
Lastly, the "othering" of discrimination and violence is created through racial profiling,
by determining a person's skin color. According to Cohen's IV Theses skin color plays an
important role in society. " From classical period into twentieth century, race has been almost as
powerful a catalyst in creation of monsters as culture, gender, and sexuality. Africa early became
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the West's significant other, the sign of ontological difference simply being skin color"
(Cohen18). Cohen states that Ethiopians were not treated well because of their skin color. They
were considered sinners. Sinners were compared to Black men and were seen as a sign of
violence. " Dark skin was associated with the fires of hell, and so signified in Christian
mythology demonic provenance" Brent Staples in his essay Just Walk on By Mistaking the
reporter for the killer, police hauled him from his car at gunpoint and but for his press credentials
would probably have tried to book him. Such episodes are not uncommon. Black men trade talks
like this all the time. "( Staples 11). This is an incidence that Staples shares with his reader to
show racial profiling against the 'Blacks'. Staples himself came across two incidences where he
was first mistaken as a thug, rapist by a women and the second time he was thought to be a
burglar.
Monsters today are humans who create the othering of bringing terror ,threat
discrimination and violence in society. Brent Staples essay Just Walk on By, along with the texts
from the book Monsters by Cooper and Blake such as Seven theses by Cohen, Gothic Realities:
Impact on Horror Fiction and Culture by L. Andrew Cooper and Parasites and Perverts: An
Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity by Judith Halberstam show how these othering is created.
My old definition of a monster as inhumane creatures with fangs and claws has changed to
creatures who create the othering of horror, inequality, destruction and injustice. Monsters bring
in the creepy feeling making humans unwilling to think about them.
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Work Cited Page
Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. "Monster Culture ( Seven Theses)." Trans. Array Monsters. . First
Edition. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2012. 132. Print.
Cooper, L. Andrew. "Gothic Realities: The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture ."
Trans. Array Monsters. . First Edition. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2012. 132. Print.
"Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace." Blog News and Events. Harvard Summer
School, 13 09 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.summer.harvard.edu/node/22741/workflow>.
Halberstam, Judith. "Parasites And Perverts: An Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity." Trans.
Array Monsters. . First Edition. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2012. 132. Print.
Staples, Brent. "Just Walk on By." 1-2. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/staples just walk on by
text.pdf>.