The Dangers Of Stereotypes Essay

Stereotypes have burdened society since the beginning of time through their blunt suggestions and detrimental consequences. In many ways, stereotypes are helpful because they inform people of the dangers that they could put themselves in during certain situations or around certain people. However, many individuals and groups have a difficult time understanding that while stereotypes are based in some truths, they do not equally apply to everyone of a particular race or gender. Stereotypes create a feeling of tension and distance that is toxic to society. Therefore, stereotypes are both useful and useless; they allow people to implement caution in possibly dangerous situations, but they also prevent numerous positive interactions in public and

Stereotypes have not just magically appeared out of thin air. They have been created over time from particular events and actions of certain people, animals, and things. Stereotypes have been passed down from generation to generation as children walk down the street with their mother and notice that she walks particularly fast when passing a black man. Stereotypes are useful because they make people aware of dangers that are associated with certain people and places. In his article “Black Men and Public Space” Brent Staples states that, “Women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence” (521). The fact that young black males are greatly represented among the perpetrators of street violence has undeniably made many women stereotype all black males as perpetrators of that violence. However, this stereotype among other stereotypes has saved lives as people acknowledge that perhaps they should not hang out around certain people at certain times of day in certain places. However, stereotypes also cause society much harm and separation because many people are not aware that all people cannot be stereotyped, and even that these “certain” people, times, and situations cannot always be