When you think of mental illness, what pops into your head? Is it a deranged psychopath seeking nothing but genocide as portrayed by Hollywood? And when you think of lawyers, do you think of them as corrupted humans justice bought with money? We don’t really know where all of these assumptions came from, nor why they stuck so well into societies minds. However, when you take the time to take a step back and see history as a whole, you can see the catastrophic effects of stigmas and the mystery that comes with their origin.

One of the cruelest moments in history was due to a huge stigma. Under Hitler’s influence, he got people to blindly believe this way of thinking, ultimately leading  to one of history’s most tragic events to have occurred. And, the worst part about it was that anyone who tried to debate or argue this stigma would only fall victim to its ignorant abuse. Upon doing some research myself, Hitler apparently got it from existing ideas that originated from the antisemitic mayor of Vienna. However, the enigma comes when you call into question why the mayor fell into this ancient and despicable way of thinking.

More modernly, male abuse victims are finding it increasingly difficult to come out and ask for help. Not only would they be met with disbelief, but are also looked down upon. People are finding it hard to believe that wives can have it in them to make errors and be abusive. In 2016, the Pentagon’s survey exposed that 6,300 men had been sexually abused, but due to social stigmas, hardly any of them came out and attempted to seek justice. But when in society did we accept the fact that men could not be victims of abuse?

While we cannot explain or find the origins of every stigma out there, it is still important for us to never succumb to any form of sheep thinking ever again. It is what is keeping mentally ill citizens from seeking help due to fear of being called crazy or seen as inferior. It is what is keeping students from pursuing certain careers because of not factual generalizations made in all forms of media.

In times where the internet opens the floodgates to expose our minds to cesspools of information, it is critical that we stop and truly think before we observe. The minute we lose the ability to think and act for one’s own self will be the minute individualism will come to an end.