1. Question: Do negative stigmas drive shame and prevent social cohesion?
  2. Possible Answers: Yes and no, this really isn’t a black and white answer. Both Hallward and Epstein touch upon stigmas in very different ways, and Hallward doesn’t do it very clearly. In Hallward’s ted talk she discusses how people don’t want to talk about their seemingly shame ridden stories because they’re afraid of what people will say or how they’ll act towards them. We see this example in the LGBTQ community or with mental illness. People don’t want to speak up and get that weight lifted off their shoulders because they’re afraid of the stigma that been placed around them. Things run through their heads like, no one will accept me, people will think I’m crazy or, no one can relate to me so what’s the point? This is a really scary thing because these stigmas that society’s placed upon people are so strong to the point that it’s preventing any kind of social cohesion from happening at all. Stigma’s are definitely a huge part of shame and people not opening up to others. They might even be the backbone of it. In Epstein’s article she writes about the AIDs epidemic and how it’s being handles in Africa. Stigma and the negative affect it has on social cohesion is introduces here when talking about the people who already have the disease. They’re seen as less than and are avoided by the younger, healthy population. They live in extreme poverty. No one gives much thought to them and AIDs prevention programs use the money they get to start discussion about safe sex, instead of, or in agreement with talking about how to help people who already have the disease. Because of the negative stigma around the disease and second handedly, the people who have it, no one wants to talk about the disease or do anything about it really. This prevention of social cohesion isn’t seen in Uganda however. Because the people are literally living closer together and know family members or friends with the disease, they are hungry for more information about it and want to stop the disease and bring help to their communities. People in Uganda have overcome the negative stigmas AIDs in enveloped in and social cohesion is occurring because of the close relationships they have with each other due to being family members and living close together.
  3. Position: Overcoming the negative stigmas society has placed upon different experiences or orientations would rid any shame associated with them, or at least minimize it. When people come together and share their stories their creating a type of bond that can be an extremely powerful political force. Social cohesion can only happen if the negative stigmas are transformed into empowering, positive ones. Social cohesion cannot happen if people aren’t willing to talk about their hardships and bring them to life. Doing this humanizes everyone and levels the playing field, casting out shame and negative stigmas.
  4. Thesis: Social cohesion can only occur if the negative stigmas that feed into shame are changed to positive ones through open conversation and mindsets.