They’re everywhere, on everything. Perhaps more prominent in some places than others.
Yet it's done. To varying extents. They are used to give us information about the object they reside upon. We rely on that information to educate ourselves as to the value of the product for ourselves. Why is it human nature to want to apply labels to one another? Is it that we're trying to identify those who we find compatible with our existence and eliminate those who aren't? Do they help us to place these individuals in a mold of sorts so that they are easily identifiable to us?
Everyone is given a name at birth that identifies him or her. Within family and friend, business and social acquaintances, we learn those names and use them. We do sometimes apply a label of our own to them that separates them in favor, disdain, or some personal value system but they remain part of our inner circle. These labels would be termed nicknames.
For those we don't know, our observations determine how we categorize them. When we speak of them to another, since we don't know their names, we refer to them based on the observation. The observations however are often tinged with personal opinion, feeling, or prejudice formed from life experience. In other words, if you met me and didn't know my name, when trying to describe me to someone else the words you'd choose would determine what image of me the other person formed in his mind. That is all well and good if you use enough characteristics to form a valid image. The problem comes in when people choose to describe using limited words.
I have several multi racial friends, some which I have known since I was in my university years. I have a friend who is “black”. If I was talking about them and said, "You know, the black guy." you'd not get an impression of him but could lump him in with all the blacks of your acquaintance. If I said, "You know this “native”, again you would form an image culled from your own experience. I suppose that's okay if I've no desire to share the person with you but it's totally a disservice to him. There again, nothing wrong with that, I suppose. The words are descriptive, but they don't give a wrong impression; they just don't give one at all. However, when it comes down to it, it is wrong. I've take away that person's individuality and allowed him to become just another nonentity. Every person living on this planet is an individual and to take away that individuality shows nothing more than a lack of respect for that person and for myself. In seeing someone as being lumped into a category we don't really see that person at all. When we fail to see the individual, it encourages misconceptions and furthers prejudice. We allow our opinions to remain biased and shortsighted.
I cannot, in good conscience, look at a black man and call him a black (insert the N word here for the system changed it automatically) any more than I can label someone a towel-head, chink, spick, or other. Please excuse the terms used....
These areas are not apart of my diction. Never will be and it seems to me in today’s society certain geographical locals will still adhere to the old principles. I just don’t get it. And then again each culture will have people that I am sure would label me. Pending who they are and what they are. I never lived according to those terms even when I had a friend that was obviously gay, but a very good friend. Typecasting and labels devalue any person. There are labels for good use and there are labels that are means for association and then there are labels to place or degrade.
The only labels that I believe in are the ones that are on containers that include soup, fruit, and food items. I believe in seeing each and every person in accord to which they are rather than typecasting labels. We all are guilty of labels, by means of association, as well but they're usually born of the person's own actions.
Labels based on personal knowledge of an individual.... Are they any better than those applied so callously to those we don't know?
G’day Jack,
ReplyDeleteGood point , I suppose I was lucky growing up in a young country that never had many different races residing here, or maybe it was being children of a farmer we were protected from labelling as such, ok we were bushies & there were townies or city folk, it wasn’t until coming to the city at high school age that I learned there were names given to people from over seas, but to use those names meant one hell of a hiding (before it was against the law to discipline your children physically ) That learning still holds strong today, I cringe when I hear it used by others. A good example was at our son’s 7th birthday party, 14 X 7 year olds running amuck in our back yard, a knock on the door revealed a gent to collect his daughter, on asking which one was his, I honestly couldn’t understand the look he gave me until he replied, “she is the same colour as I am” yes she was dark skinned, so with beetroot coloured face I went & got his little girl. Leads to another question, was it exhaustion, apathy or just plain acceptance had me seeing him as just a parent of our son’s friend?
There are labels for good use and there are labels that are means for association and then there are labels to place or degrade.
ReplyDeleteFlorence Nightingale-Angel of Medicine they call her
Princess Di--Princess of heart
David the Lionhearted
Many others
There are some people who do not like labels. Usually these are individuals who do not want to be characterized as subscribing to a particular point of view, though they do. A label isn't supposed to tell you everything about a person's life. It tells you what is responsible for that person's beliefs. So , certain labels tell us what is responsible for the beliefs and decisions made in an individual's life. Let's consider for a moment our lives as crates. What we have in our crates are our beliefs and decisions. What label would we put on our crate?
Some would have to put the label "hypocrite" on their crate. The outside of their crate appearing pure, but the inside being full of wickedness. This is what Jesus labeled some of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess." Hypocrisy had become the characteristic that was most responsible for how these men lived their lives, and so they were labeled.
Some would have to put the label "lawless" on their crate. Seemingly there are more and more individuals in society today who behave as if there are no standards of decently and morality by which we must live. For these individuals, lawlessness had become the responsible characteristic by which they lived their lives, and so they were labeled.
Some, however, could put the label "honest" on their crate. Some individuals have the integrity to listen and respond appropriately For these individuals, honesty became the responsible characteristic by which they lived their lives, and so they were labeled.
Some also could put the label "faithful" on their crate. . For these individuals, faithfulness became the responsible characteristic by which they lived their lives, and so they were labeled. I have been called that by loves, I call my dog that--and that she is.
There is one label by which I wish to be recognized when my life is done: Christian. If it can be carved upon my headstone, "She was a Christian" – that will be enough for me.
Some labels describe people perfectly. And they earned them.
Rather we like it or not.
But it is also true--Avoiding the consumption of assumption ... When we apply labels to them, we often (but not always)put on blinders and see only a narrow view
Interesting blog--very
whoa!! labels or not we need to name to be understood... and because as you said too, words are limiting AND limited! we are often misunderstood mislabeled or come out negative. but you see its all in each one's vantage point as you said too, jack... the name/label will have a negative meaning depends on our point of view!!!
ReplyDeletetake our rebels here for example.. used to be that the Islamic faithful in our country find it degrading to be calle "Moros" but now the rebels proudly call themselves Moro Islamic Liberation Front! and it has a sense of pride in them when they say that they are fighting for a Bangsamoro (literal translation bangsa - ship/country; moro - moor)...
i dont kow how it changed from demeaning to pride but reading the history it was probably because when christians hear the word moro they shiver with fright and that in the long run gave pride to the Muslims....
history, environment, and vantage point... these gives meaning or demeaning to a label or name... guess what ..it is in my short stint in the United Nations who is supposedly colorless that i realized that I am colored and that the world is ruled by whitemen... i grew up on a family that intermarries, spanish, chinese and Malay and colors of skin is just that, colors of skin... but in NY, na-ah... you can be sued for describing a black man black...
Naming and labelling is necessary within a complex society. Imagine the total chaos that would ensue if nothing in human society were labelled. The only way that society could function without naming/labelling is if humans communicated by, say, ESP. Were that to be the main form of communication, then a mental image would be all you need to convey. However, humans communicate in the audio/visual range, therefore to convey information, names and labels need to be applied. If you had no word for, let's say, a stone, how would you convey to someone the idea of a stone? Carry one with you? Possibly. Carry a picture of one, another possiblity. In a simple society that might just work, but in a hugely complex society like ours, it's just not possible.You'd have no way of carrying with you all the ideas you'd need to convey. Verbal language, and therefore names/labels, is the logical progression.
ReplyDeleteThe kind of labelling you refer to is not linguistic, it is cultural. They are dependant on how a culture develops within itself and how it relates to other neighbouring cultures. The kind of discriminatory language you refer to is self-perpetuating. One generation learns it from the previous one. Breaking that kind of cycle is difficult, it won't happen overnight, as much as you'd wish it to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name
Good topic, Jack. My area (western Florida) is a huge melting pot of Asian, Cuban, Island, South American, Bosnian, and various other groups. There is some intermixing, but basically there is a "live and let live" philosophy here. Some of the youth seem to want to separate themselves along ethnic lines, but overall everyone just gets along. Ethnic labeling serves no purpose here.
ReplyDelete"The kind of labelling you refer to is not linguistic, it is cultural." Yes but no. I think Mitch it has more to do with the individual and how they are brought up and in what kind of society. That is not an ideal, but in some areas of all our countries there is labeling, and it's great to have a belief in heritage, but it's another to congregate within one's own ethnicity. We have come far, but I think there is a long way to go. Maybe not as much as we think. I was married to a Columbian American which I found within parts of New York were frowned upon, not all but some.
ReplyDeleteOne of my good friends that workes within the government is of black decent (name/label) but respect with it. In the last three years I have found that there is less of this from where I reside, and as well in other areas and countries I suppose. Thank you for the write.
Very very interesting writing. Had you have hit on some elements that expand on this in clarity within the sub categories of this write. Yes we need labels. Something I just am thinking about. What happens in a thousand years from now? On an ethnicity/cultural level. Or is it that something that people are scared about.
ReplyDeleteCertainly we do label, but to blemish someone or a society without knowing of it in person - we are all being presumptuous aren’t we?
In real life does one say to refer to another human being by way of their name or the color? For that matter does someone do that from where the person comes from?
I am no saint but it does not happen within my sphere of life.
If I want to get sneakers I am going for the label Nike, but that is by way of choice.... hmmm thinking as reading this. Interesting write - very much so.
I would think that it was plain old acceptance but I could be wrong. Wendy could it be that Australia is more of a globalized country by nature? Or possibly this is the manner in which you were raised...
ReplyDeleteLorna I know, especially with Cuba. Florida is a melting pot as it thrives on tourism and as well it's been a base for a long time for Cuban exiles...."Live and let live", it a great way of being, another thing that comes to mind is that within even our own cultures. We have what is called a casting system.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is why they say that mankind was not created perfect.
I remember Vero Beach, and it was not down in Miami, not Ft. Lauderdale, it's right in Ft. Pierce. All different people but of couse everyone was on vacation.
We all are one is an ideal, but I think in life respect and non segregation is a key element but as Mitch metnioned it will take some time, I find it won't ever completely be gone. But I do believe that it's more in the person than within the culture.
I find that it's interesting on different views on this. As I love that I have the few friends I have now, but more so the friends that I have had over the years that had nothing to do with labeling. Florida has always been a state that was was different. I think that is primarily due to it being sought out as a haven. As it was the colony that came into the USA much later time in history compared to the original 13 colonies. A small write Lorna but most interesting one, could be expanded on so much. Florida compared to Missippi? Or Florida compared to Mexico....just thinking.
Sharon we all are a mix at this age take two more generations and what do we have - more of a global melting pot. Ironically the concept of the United Nations was already in place in Iran 5,000 years ago. But within those 5,000 years we did not see significant changes. Maybe this is the time that we find it by way of what we write and our views.
ReplyDeleteWhat will it take for segregation to become illiminated? Or is that just an ideal?