The need to blame someone in the COVID-19 pandemic: a personal reflection

Social stigma is a damaging phenomenon. It occurs when people are associated with negatively viewed events, beliefs, and social phenomena that lead the community to infer harmful stereotypes and assumptions about a specific population. 

Unfortunately, stigma is a social construct that takes many forms and has existed, essentially, from a new civilization’s dawning and the first organized societies interacting with one another. 

This all transitions into how people treat each other regarding health issues and their decision on behalf of their health. Amid COVID-19, my wife and I have experienced outward aversion from family members and people we considered friends. 

Much of this has weighed on my mind for many months….