In light of the Paris attacks, politicians have been refusing to accept Muslim Syrian refugees and talking about taking serious action on immigration. People throughout the nation have become violent, defacing mosques, assaulting people, and much more. But, this is not the only case of generalization occurring today.

Generalization has been a big problem for some time now and has continued with the help of the media. Here’s the thing, generalization is just a quick tactic people use when talking about all the problems in the world. It is brought up in conversations about race, terrorism, and basically all the problems we face today as a nation. However, there are times when it is inappropriate.

Race

Inappropriate:

When people generalize that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is too radical. Mind you, this movement comprises all people. It is also inappropriate to generalize that all white people are racist.

Appropriate:

Institutionalized racism exists because the people who deny that it exists are the same ones who benefit from it. This society was built for the white middle-class and while not all white people are racist, the system built for them, is.

Terrorism

Inappropriate:

Blaming all Muslims for terrorism is completely wrong. Islam is a religion and all religions have had their share of violence. Terrorism is both domestic and foreign, let’s not forget South Carolina or Sandy Hook. These men were terrorists: people who use or advocate terrorism which is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for (but not limited to) political purposes. It is also inappropriate when a terrorist turns out to be white and is automatically labeled as someone with a "mental illness."

Appropriate:

Terrorism is a problem for all nations and in order for it to stop, those who do wrong need to be condemned, regardless of religion or personal agenda.

Instead of jumping to conclusions and condemning every single person for what one person or group of people did wrong, just stop and think for a second. Generalization is just another excuse to use stereotypes and it oversimplifies issues.