Psycho
Originally published on social media on June 4th, 2023
Typically, I review films. Today, I need to discuss an element of this film that genuinely concerns me (Spoiler warning).
This film is a force for the toxic stigmatization and stereotyping of people tortured with living with mental illnesses and disorders. Norman Bates clearly had mental disorders and trauma, and he murders people. Norman deeds are evil, psycho in fact, and he deserved to be punished by the justice system. However, I want to discuss how maybe Norman wouldn’t have become evil if someone stepped in, saw his suffering, and helped him early on in his life. Norman lived in a small town, and clearly the sheriff at least knew something was off about him. Yet, no one stepped outside of their comfort zone in order to help a suffering person.
Granted, this film was made during the time when mental disorders and illnesses were improperly and inhumanly treated and diagnosed. People knew very little about them, and are only starting to learn about them now. Yet, it doesn’t excuse the fact that this film set the foundation for Hollywood to stigmatize and stereotype mental illnesses and disorders as well as use them as a tools for creating villains.
By using mental disorders to create villains, Hollywood teaches people that everybody with a mental disorder or illness has evil within them. This belief enables people to fear individuals with this disorders, disregard their pain, mock them, and or use them as a scape goat.
Don’t get me wrong, I have someone in my life who suffers from a mental disorder, but has also brought me repeated harm. I had to block them from everything in order to keep me physically and emotionally safe. I’m all for boundaries and protecting yourself, but I’m also for trying to help people when you can and refusing to see anyone as a villain because of something they cannot control. This person who I blocked is not a villain, even though they did many evil things. I have to consciously differentiate this person from their actions, and I am not always successful, but I’m trying.
I hope you all join me in choosing to view people with mental disorders and illnesses differently than Hollywood says to.
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