People around the world are suspicious about the information that reaches them. For example, the 32% of Americans who say they trust the mass media “a great deal” or “a fair amount” to cover the news fully and accurately ties Gallup’s lowest historical reading, previously recorded in 2016.

Another 29% of American adults have “not very much” trust, while a record-high 39% register “none at all.” The latest figure is the highest in Gallup’s five-decade history of tracking these metrics by one percentage point and 12 points higher than the 2016 number, which came amid sharp criticism of the media from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, making the current assessment the grimmest we’ve seen.

Image credits: stefan_reevezsky

However, many believe the situation isn’t that much better even if we take a step away from reporting. Last week, Reddit user Stefan_Reevezsky asked others on the platform “What things are claimed to be ‘stigmatized’ in [the] media, but actually aren’t in society?” and folks have thought of plenty.

#1

Doing stuff by yourself. Some people here get almost hysterical when they describe eating at a restaurant or seeing a movie by yourself. I guarantee you that if you’re behaving normally, no one else gives the tiniest of s**ts if you went out by yourself.

Image credits: doublethink_21

#2

Blue-collared jobs sometimes are looked down upon in media, but in reality, skilled trades are often in high demand and well-respected.

Image credits: Minute_Chemist7325

#3

Being Average looking, it seems like social media loves to see *supermodel like people* and forget that most of the public is average and or unattractive sometimes, and that’s alright. I like that there are more people on social media that are vocalizing this issue and letting us know that normal is ok, Flawed is ok. ( No shade to attractive people, they’re beautiful and everyone loves to look at them but my point is they are not the only ones that exist).

Image credits: Wanttodate1995

#4

Maybe wanting to stay single. Media portrays it as a desperate cry for love, but in reality, it’s pretty liberating!

Image credits: Marvin2212

#5

I have to say wearing glasses and having braces. No one called me four eyes. No one called me tinsel teeth. Believe me, I was made fun of as a kid, but those weren’t the reasons.

Image credits: tiny_book_worm

#6

Men who are nurses. Nobody cares irl.

Image credits: legoclover

#7

Everything.

The media likes to blow things well out of proportion to get a good story for people to follow and talk about.

Most of the time, it’s because of the media that many big problems are as “big” as they are.

Image credits: closetmangafan

#8

Being a nerd. Yeah nerdiness might get you bullied in school depending, but a lot of nerd culture has just become part of…well, culture. I find this most annoying with elder millennials who still act like they’re some sort of oppressed elite because the dare to like Mario.

Image credits: phillillillip

#9

Dads going to parks alone with their children.

Image credits: Lefaid

#10

High school stereotypes, they scared the s**t out of me until I got to high school.

Image credits: Free_Ad3119

#11

Being short (as a man). Especially online, people have made such a mountain out of this particular molehill over the last few years. I’ve never met a woman who strictly dates men 6′ and up, and my short mates get plenty of action.

Image credits: DifficultMath7391

#12

Going to college when you’re older..theres tins of adults over 35 trying to reinvent themselves..theres even an old guy who made school a lifelong career.

Image credits: Professional-Truth39

#13

Inlaws, most people I know get on pretty well with their inlaws.

Image credits: anon

#14

Slightly niche perhaps, but my kids always had trouble buying Fathers Day cards for me because I didn’t spend my evenings down the pub, fish or play golf.

Image credits: hazps

#15

Voting for the other party.

I blame the news for the political divide.

Image credits: Animegx43

#16

I’m a dude. Grew up rather sheltered and had to follow all the rules.

Recently I questioned my entire existence and long story short my self esteem is getting fixed and I have purple hair, piercings and painted nails, usually with a cute little pattern like lightning or something.

My parents are old world Indian, they aren’t able to process that I can get high level corporate jobs looking slightly punk. I have a tattoo full sleeve but apart from classy earrings and nail polish and purple hair you don’t see anything even remotely non corporate. Except maybe backpack instead of briefcase. Because duh.

Image credits: ss0889

#17

Wearing socks with sandals—media might mock it, but let’s be real, comfort is always in style, even if it’s not runway-ready!

Image credits: Exciting-Border-9920

#18

Media acts like the internet is just cyberbullying, predators, scams, and dangerous/illegal Tik Tok trends.

They also act like a 12yo playing GTA is suddenly gonna want to actually steal cars and shoot people.

Image credits: Avicii_DrWho

#19

The use of the word “f**k”.

Image credits: Karash770

#20

The “bad guy” in a lot of relationship movies is often the one everyone goes for in real life whereas the protagonist is often who people avoid

the villain is often the stiff, responsible, high power job guy

the hero is often some free spirit, quirky type, no life plan, extremely expressive, etc.

Image credits: f_ranz1224

#21

Boomers, hands down

The vast majority of boomers are sweet elderly people who are nice to talk to. Not racist caricatures that spout nonsense all the time.

Image credits: Turnbob73

#22

Discussing mental illness. “X illness is taboo to talk about. We need to talk more about X.” It isn’t taboo and in fact it’s now trendy to wear your particular flair of mental illness with pride.

Image credits: DukeAsriel

#23

Couples with very different attractiveness. Happens all the time irl and nobody actually says stuff.

Image credits: Redqueenhypo

#24

Enjoying pineapple on pizza. It’s the secret handshake of the culinary brave.

Image credits: NotThatTypeFruit

#25

Being from Ireland, use of the word “c**t” in everyday parlance.

It’s like kryptonite to Americans…

#26

Avocado toast.

Image credits: motivatedsinger

#27

Karens. Hear me out!! It went from being a thing of recording and judging actually rude and often racist women who complain just to complain. But as more videos popped up, people are recording and sensationalizing situations where if you were in her shoes, you’d be mad too! Karen isn’t synonymous with “old lady you find annoying”.

Image credits: theaterwahintofgay

#28

Saying Merry Christmas.

Image credits: Brickwater

#29

There are a lot of posts here saying “Normalize eating out/getting coffee/seeing a movie alone.”
Seriously, no one cares. Do those things, they are normal.

#30

I would say it’s having tattoos, piercings, etc. If people around are split 50/50 – those who just glance and those who don’t care – it doesn’t mean that there is a stigma.

Image credits: stefan_reevezsky

#31

Being a traditional nuclear family.

Image credits: skywalker777

#32

Having freckles. When the fake freckles makeup trend was taking off, tons of people came out of the woodwork to complain about how “unfair” it was that they got teased for having freckles and now it’s a trend. I’m sorry, but unless you were physically and socially perfect in the eyes of your peers in elementary school, you probably got bullied for something arbitrary. For me, it was my big ears. I’m not going to sit here and whine about people stretching their ears and making them bigger. It’s such a fake problem.

Image credits: IrwinLinker1942

#33

Owning a firearm

Everyone with a gun isn’t a racist militia redneck or a black inner city gangbanger.

#34

It’s a mixed bag. Everything has varying levels of stigma. For example, mental health, we are now at a place in society where we can talk about it and some people will call you a fruit loop, as I was called once, and some people will shower you in empathy and support, as I once received.

So is mental illness stigmatized? Eye of the beholder.

#35

Recent trend seems to be the “blue bubble/green bubble” debate with iPhones and Androids. People apparently HATE green bubbles and refuse to communicate with anyone if they have to send green bubble text messages.

Have not met a single soul in person or even online who gives a s**t.

Image credits: swanny246

#36

Older women dating younger men.

#37

Not wearing makeup. The media and Internet are full of all the pressure to wear makeup but I work with HUNDREDS of women and maybe a third of us sometimes wear lipstick or eyeliner? I can count on one hand the ones who wear foundation. Nobody says anything. Even the college president was barefaced giving a plenary speech and at commencement. There’s no stigma for me wearing some color when I feel like it either. It’s just not relevant to anyone’s interests.

#38

“Plain” girls.

#39

Bullying, unfortunately. Despite all the negative coverage, anti-bullying campaigns, and other efforts to tamp it down, bullying will always occur in some form with the perpetrators tending to be among the more popular persons within social groups.

#40

Being conservative or voting Republican.

Turn on any streaming tv show or movie and you’d think nobody in America is right of center.

#41

Nuclear power has been stigmatized by the environmentalists and now guess what… it appears to be reliable, very cost effective and to date the safest form of energy.

#42

African American representation in media. .

#43

Periods.

#44

(Celebs) being gay (in western europe)

Most of us don’t give a s**t.

#45

Christians.

#46

Speaking 2 languages. Maybe it was 50 years ago but now bilingual speakers just adopt that oppression. I’ve never heard it not been praised.

#47

Nudity.

#48

Not wanting to have kids. Besides direct family members(which I mean, kinda makes sense why your parents and grandparents might want you to have kids of your own), it seems like the stigma of not wanting kids is extremely overblown. I tend to see WAY more posts and media about people feeling special/rebellious for not wanting kids than I ever see for others demanding that people have children outside of fringe alt-right types, and they tend to only want “certain people” to have more kids.

The “no kids forever” crowd seem to be like inverted vegans, they actually do bring it up all the time and act as if they are hated for their choice when in reality the vast majority of people don’t care or see the benefits of said choice.

#49

Diversity in general (sexuality, ethnicity, gender). When I see some articles and videos about this it sometimes feels like a parody. I’ve never seen discrimination in real life being that much of a problem on a scale that media shows. Of course, there are some cases when it’s a problem and I don’t try to marginalize it, but society nowadays isn’t really that racist/homophobic/sexist like the media portrays it (I’m not talking about countries where it’s a big issue still, but USA or Europe for example where this problem is really not that common).

#50

I do not think promiscuous women are judged that much.

At a certain age, people start thinking you are odd if you never smoked pot, been drunk, or had sex with more than one person.

People talk down to you like a child if you are sexually inexperienced.

American culture is not prudish at all.

I do not even think people are all that judgmental of people’s sexual behavior.

Then again, I live in a liberal part of the country.