For many people, memes are seen as funny little things that make individuals laugh. They can be about almost anything and they can come in all different sizes. Although most memes are not harmful to the public, there are some problem areas when it comes to particular kinds of memes.
Mental health stigma is one major issue with the use of memes in today’s society. Mental health problems are common in our world today but when these issues are constantly being used for laughs or to put down other individuals who have mental illnesses, this topic needs to be addressed through talk therapy and an open dialogue about what these topics mean to us personally so we can learn to accept others who may have different opinions than ours without shutting them out entirely or putting them down.
Mental health stigma is found in many kinds of memes. From poking fun at black women to mocking individuals with mental illnesses, memes are still questionable when it comes to the damage they do to society and social acceptance.
Mental Health Stigma Attached To Memes Through Mental Illness Mocking And “Black People” Memes Mental illness has become a very prevalent topic within our world today, especially because more individuals are speaking out about their personal experiences dealing with mental health problems on an almost daily basis due to the Internet; it has become easier for people who live depressed lives or feel like nobody can understand them to speak out and find support groups online through blogs or even other sites like YouTube where individuals can find comfort in simply talking about what they are going through ( Mayberry, Mental Health Memes ).
Some of these individuals find comfort in sharing their stories and even making jokes about their daily struggles to help them cope with what they are feeling on the inside. Mental illness has become a sort of “cool” topic within today’s society and this is where the problem begins. Mental health stigma has become an issue throughout our world because of how memes can be used as a method for instilling fear into people who may not understand that everyone copes with things differently, especially when it comes to mental health problems.
A prime example of this exists within the black community where many people see themselves as more than just regular humans but as very strong and almost godlike beings. This is why so many memes exist within this community about “strong black women” who can face anything that comes their way. Mental illness is often seen as a weakness in the black community due to the stigma that surrounds these problems, but there are many individuals living with depression or bipolar disorder in the black community alongside other mental health problems who are afraid to speak up because of how they will be viewed by society.
The use of memes has only made images like this worse. We have seen memes where individuals have drawn faces on their fists or depict themselves punching people in the face when they are feeling angry instead of giving into their feelings and hurting somebody else (Mental Wellness Memes).
2 types of memes you should know
- “Black People” Memes: African Americans have been the subject of many memes and images through the internet, mainly due to the fact that racism still exists within our world today. Many of these memes depict African Americans as gangsters who are only concerned with doing hoodrat things like fighting one another or making fun of their own community.
- “Feminine” Memes: The use of memes to depict girls as whores who will sleep with anyone or label them in derogatory ways when they are acting feminine has become very popular among the internet, especially when dealing with black women ( Black Women Memes ).
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