The Catbird Seat by David J Birnbaum and Brent Staples' Just Walk on by: A Black Man Power to alter Public Space.
David Birnbaum’s short story is based upon the goings on in a disabled man’s life. He is initially snubbed and ridiculed by others but eventually is afforded almost royal treatment at the cinema making him turn to some form of petty crime. These include smuggling of costly cigars and beers into sports events. However he also has a sort of crisis of conscience when he realizes that several people are far better than him due to his disability. The incident regarding the elevator is pretty shocking since he spitefully runs over a man’s leg creating disdain and unhappy looks from his companions in the elevator.
In Just Walk on by: A Black Man Power to alter Public Space, Staples is quite direct on the power a black man has when it comes to affecting the public space. He describes his experiences in walking through the city streets at night and how he encounters white men or women who almost run away when confronted with his imposing appearance. This compares quite well with Birnbaum’s story and there are similarities in the way the disabled man confronts the public and in the way in which the black man makes people run away from him.
The moral of both stories seems to be that disability or race should not be used as a weapon for inverse discrimination. If one is disabled it is good to get help and assistance but this should certainly not be used to one’s advantage to become corrupt and gain power over others. Positive discrimination is important but then it seems that the disabled person here takes the issue slightly too far with his attitude.
“That was the first time I felt my place in society” (p 227). This is what Birnbaum states in the story after the elevator incident. It seems that as a disabled person he could not continue to accept the fact that he had to stay at the end of the queue. The story is a powerful one in more ways than one and one can only believe that Birnbaum is intent on portraying the message from a disabled person’s point of view. Compare this to the following quote from Staples’ story:
“She cast back a worried glance. To her, the youngish black man – a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket – seemed menacingly close. After a few more quick glimpses, she picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest” (p 240).
This statement demonstrates the power of the author’s impression on the woman. Although he meant her no harm, her first reaction was to get much distance between him and her as possible. This is a clear indication that Staples had altered the public space since he literally made it his own with a simple glance.
However Staples also knows that this sort of attitude is not without disadvantage. He mentions the fact that some black boys who took their authority on the street literally ended up being arrested or even killed without any excuse. He acknowledges the fact that the black man is not innocent when it comes to violence.
Staples story is an interesting first-hand account of positive discrimination in this respect especially where young black males are concerned. His personal experiences add fuel to the fire as do Birnbaum’s.
