Labels do not need to be used despite the fact that they are everywhere. From tv and books to the words we use every day. As children, we learn labels through our observations. Words. Images. Sounds. Smells.
1. What is a label?
Dictionary.com describes a label as "a word or phrase indicating that what follows belongs in a particular category or classification”. This definition accurately describes a label and is also the problem with labels. Labels result in specific classifications regardless of whether or not they are accurate. Not only does this apply to people but also items. When we see a coach purse we label it as expensive and we view the person as rich, even if they got it from a yard sale.
2. Where do labels come from?
Society places these labels. Labels stem from the desire to classify things. Classification is helpful but when it comes to people it is rarely accurate. They cloud our perception and convince us that things are supposed to be a certain way. We walk around with preconceived notions of everybody and everything.
3. Why do we live with inaccurate labels?
Not only do we label others but we are also labeled. People fear standing up to these definitions. When we are labeled we are defined. It is easier to stay quiet than to stand up and tell people they are wrong. These classifications are urging us to fit societal molds. With these expectations set on us, we feel pressured to either live up to them or spend our lives fighting them.
Fight the labels. Correct people when they make false assumptions. Correct yourself when you categorize somebody you barely know. Advocate change. For every time a label has hurt you, there is also a time you have hurt somebody else. Break the habit. It will not be easy but think of how free you would feel without those words branded to you.
4. What if we never learn differently?
We risk living our whole lives thinking people are something they are not. Thinking that we are somebody we do not want to be. Each and every person knows what it feels like to be incorrectly labeled. Why would you want to do that to somebody else?
5. How do we fix this labeling issue?
Remove the labels. Get rid of all those expectations. Stop looking at people through the warped lenses of society. Do not gossip. Stop helping these harsh words find people to define. Let people show you who they truly are through their actions. View everybody as an equal.
Discard the labels from yourself and from others. With no labels on race, gender, age, religion. socioeconomic status, education, or anything else, we are all simply people.
