Words as Weapons

I believe that words can definitely be used as weapons. We can see this by bullies, politicians, and even loved ones. In the case of bullies; calling people fat, ugly, and slow can be instrumental in how they deal with opposition, especially when the ones bullied are in school. Those words would be stuck in the minds of kids all the time, which would cause depression, decline in grades and diet, and increased anger around loved ones. Harmful words can cause children to think they aren’t good enough, especially when they don’t receive support from their family. In the case of loved ones, their negative words towards a family member would have the biggest effect on them. The family is supposed to be the support system, which is why when your family turns on a victim, it will cause harm to that affected victim. Furthermore, it can lead to the affected victims to become a bully themselves or cause them to self-harm. In the case for politicians, they are the elected officials that we, as the people, have voted  to represent us and our needs. When politicians use racial stereotypes, such as “All Mexicans are racist”, these words can harm and bring down a whole group/community of people. Therefore, it brings conflict between groups who agree or disagree with the politician. To sum up,  I believe words are definitely used as weapons against people, whether it is a common saying, racial slur, or negative stereotype. The more a person gets negatively affected by these words, the higher the chance it will provoke the person enough to cause harm to themselves or others.