Smurf is a kid at John Bowne Public High School in Queens who once pulled a gun on Kendi on the school bus and then attacked an Indian kid who unknowingly took his seat. In his chapter on bodily racism, Kendi argues that racists frequently use the existence of dangerous, violent people like Smurf to justify a generalized fear of and hostility towards Black people. This combination of fear and hostility prevents people from responding to or fighting racism.