“Society” puts a lot of judgment on people’s health. Some health conditions bring on a lot of compassion/sympathy–we’ll even fund-raise for them! But other conditions tend to be viewed as a “character flaw” or “moral failure”, or we may even “blame the victim”.
Question
List two health conditions and answer the questions that follow.
- One that society is sympathetic toward
- One that society has less sympathy for
- Why do people view these conditions differently? Is it fair? How could we advocate for more compassion, or is the public shaming the best way to make people healthier?
- Include links to back up your points (even if it’s an example of bad information). Listing a condition in the “character flaw” category does not mean YOU personally believe it, but you think some people believe it.