 Whites who viewed blacks as being "uppity" would often impose quick and harsh retribution against them.As immigrants observed how white Americans treated blacks, they began not only mimicking such treatment, but also distancing themselves from blacks geographically and socially.For example, in the particularly distressed economy of 1908, many European immigrants opted for unemployment over taking jobs that perpetuated stereotypes of them, or taking "nigger jobs" that would associate them with blacks.