Stigma: Necessary Social Mechanism or Barrier To Change?

Most of us have been told that your shouldn't do certain things or behave in certain ways because others will judge you for it due to social stigmas, which effectively keeps people in check.

I argue that social stigma is meant to be broken because it is a powerful tool to keep societies in check, while seemingly logical, it's not conducive to change.

In tonight's meeting, we will discuss the role and affects of stigma on individuals, groups, and society as of whole.

Questions:
1. How do you see stigma being played out in our world? (Examples?)
2. Are stereotypes true? If so, why and how should we go about them?
3. What are the consequences for showing your true colors in different situations?
4. Are you happy with how you're being perceived by others?
5. Why do we value how others perceive ourselves so much?
6. Do you believe that stigma is a necessary mechanism in human societies?
7. What stigmas are the most common across the world and why?
8. Should all stigmas be viewed as good or bad?
9. Is there a correlation between collective morality and stigma?
10. What is the role of stigma?
11. Does stigma cause social divide? How? (Examples?)
12. Who created stigmas? Individuals, Groups, Society, God?
13. What's your personal example of stigma played out which you didn't know existed and found out the hard way?
14. How does stigma reenforce social hierarchies?
15. ***How social stigma affect individuals with mental health problems?
16. How are men viewed when they cry in public?
17. How are women treated when they cry in public?
18. Are stigmas keeping people "fake" in social settings?
19. What is the main reason people tend to refuse to pounder the reasons for existence of certain stigmas in the first place and just go along with it?
20. Can you think of a time which you stood up against a stigma in public or family settings? If so, what was the context and how did it go?
21. Should we really see depression as sign of lacking self-motivation?
22. Is it right to view an angry raging person as a danger of society?
23. Is stigma reenforcing self-sabotage due to fear of speaking up?
24. What are some ways we can break social stigmas?
25. How do we determine which stigmas to be kept in place?
26. Should we judge a "book" by its cover?
27. How stigma is affecting minority groups in housing, healthcare, education, and justice?
28. Should schools teach more about the pros and cons of social stigma?
29. Are classes like Critical Race Theory creating unnecessary stigmas on race relations?
30. Is empathy the long term cure to stigma?

Guidelines:

• Hand raises are required.
• There will be a 3 minute timer for every person. However, in this group, I do allow a brief back and fourth interjection from others if it's something that's related to the person who was just speaking. This is a way to prevent the group from feeling too "robotic" in style and get your pressing question asked to the speaker and get the answer right away without waiting all the way back to your turn again.
• Be authentic & civil!
• Please refrain from using Ad Hominem (personal) attacks. Instead, please attack the points from others.
• Severe Ad Hominem such as racist behavior will result in being removed from the meeting.

Zoom link will be posted 10 minutes before the meeting.