Our nation is currently in a state of turmoil and tragedy. The unjustified shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile followed by the horrific attack on police officers in Dallas show how divided our country has become. It seems like we’ve been split up into two camps: one that blames all cops and portrays them as racist, trigger-happy villains, and the other that accuses all blacks of being dangerous criminals who hate law enforcement. The one thing these opposing sides have in common is that they are both wrong.

The truth is, there are good and bad people everywhere. However, the bad people are often scrutinized to disproportionate levels. People are more inclined to interact with negative news stories, and as a result, a majority of the news we see, whether on television, social media, etc., ends up being unfavorable. The events and circumstances change, but the one thing that does not change is that more often than not, the news will be negative. This has percolated from the media into our daily lives: we are in a full out culture war. If you don’t believe me, just look at the rise of groups like Black Lives Matter, born because a disproportionate amount of African Americans are being killed by the police. Although there is no equivalent group on the other side of the argument, there are plenty of people who believe Black Lives Matter's protests are encouraging police shootings, as the number of police officers killed this year is up 44% from last year. But what both sides tend to ignore is the fact that violence on both ends is rising. And the violence isn't stemming from hateful institutions, the violence is stemming from the hateful rhetoric that continues to stereotype and condemn whole demographics, instead of the single person that is responsible for the wrongdoing.

The solution to this problem is simple: we must stop blaming entire swaths of people for the actions of a few individuals. Just because one black male killed five officers in Dallas doesn't mean that all African Americans are cop-hating thugs. Just because a few police officers erroneously killed two black males doesn't mean that all cops are racist pigs. These statements are ignorant and incorrect. We can’t allow a few bad people represent the entirety of a group. The media may tend to emphasize the ugliness in human nature, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the beauty of it, either. The next time a tragedy like this occurs, and unfortunate as it sounds, there will be a next time, let us put our anger aside and stop accusing entire groups for the behavior of a few individuals. Instead, let us come together, as individuals, and try to solve the issues that divide us in order to prevent further conflict.