Stereotypes can be a lethal weapon against someone’s mental state, but can they  actually cause physical harm? All groups come with labels, some of which have negative repercussions. However, some of these labels have spiraled into paranoia in the communities and eventually into violence. African Americans are one group that have faced prejudice and violence for centuries, and recently there has been an increase in police shootings involving African Americans. In light of the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, who was seventeen when he was shot and killed by a local watch captain, the movement Black Lives Matter was created. The movement has continued to grow with additional deaths like that of Michael Brown and fueled the movement’s focus on the  importance of African Americans in society and their resilience in the face of oppression. The 2014 U.S. census released that at least 101 unarmed black people were killed by police in 2015, eight of which were charged. They also released that unarmed African Americans were killed at six times the rate of unarmed white people. Police were so overly afraid that these people were armed  that they shot them without being sure. When trained police go in with assumptions and bias, like that young African Americans are armed and dangerous, those labels become physically harming and dangerous.

  Another harming stereotype pertains the the Islamic community and the recent acts of terrorism. This stereotype has lead to paranoia that has influenced the term islamophobia, which is the prejudice or dislike of Muslim or Islamic people. Islamophobia has leaked into political discussions on Syrian refugees with such political figures as Donald Trump telling people at his rally in South Carolina they could be, and probably are, a part of the ISIS terrorist group. This statement means means shutting out hundreds of thousands of innocent people based on fear they are all terrorists when in reality they are just as much a victim to terrorism as we are. Islamophobia has also caused violence on a smaller scale in the form of hate crimes, such as shootings of mosques, armed protesters, threats, assaults, and other violent acts. When a group is attacked as a whole, more innocent are punished than guilty.

 No one is born knowing stereotypes; they are taught and heard. We as an American society have to stop allowing stereotypes to be taught and teach truth: nothing applies to an entire group. When stereotypes are accepted and continue, we let the violence and cultural divides to grow deeper. Stereotypes have lead to such paranoia that violence occurs, making it painfully obvious a change needs to be made. Every individual has the power to fight stereotyping for themselves and the next generation. Until all people are seen as individuals instead of a labels, stereotypes will have the power to be a weapon to the mind and body.