INTRODUCTION

When I say “label,” what do you think of? Most likely, you thought of a tag that tells you what something is. Humans have these sort of stickers, too, but unlike a name and price on some produce, these carry with them a lot of controversy. They come in the form of religions, races, genders, sexualities, any ways people define their identity. The main questions: Are labels good? Why? Why not? Where do we draw the line between good and bad? We as a community talk a lot about labels, but since the word carries a lot of negative connotations, we generally don’t say, “These are labels.” Now…why?

ON LABELING YOURSELF

Labeling yourself is very hard. I’ve struggled with labels in the past, and I still am today. In fact, I think I will struggle with them for my entire life, and so will most other people. Recently, I’ve found I may be happier eliminating labels completely. But how can this be done? Can other people accept this? Is it efficient? Humans like to be able to see something and know what it is. It’s how we stay alive. Labels are just another part of that, stemming off of our primal instincts. However, sometimes you’re given a label that doesn’t fit, and that’s when there are problems. Sometimes people will find that no labels fit them, but they keep searching for one, just to satisfy that inner hunger for a definition. It’s harder than someone saying, “Just be you.” It’s a journey, and it can take a really long time to find something that fits.

THE ARGUMENTS

There are many arguments both for and against labels, both of them strong, neither one necessarily wrong. These are the main arguments and points brought up when discussing this topic.

The Argument for Labels

Labels bring a sense of peace to a person, like putting the last piece into the puzzle. They:

• Help people to more quickly understand your identity
• Help hold on to customs and traditions
• Assist you in everyday life
• Are important to some occupations, education systems, physical activities, etc.
• Allow a person to have a community to go to whenever they need support
• Follow the human’s natural instincts

The Argument Against Labels

Labels are limiting, suffocating, and while they can be helpful, are very commonly not.

They:

• Limit people to what has already been created instead of allowing them the freedom to find a new way to define themselves
• Can trap people, lead to bullying, etc.
• Can be forced onto you, especially in religion
• Create a strong definition between “normal” and “abnormal”
• Split up the world into different groups rather than just allowing us to view humans as one species

Now, I am not saying either one is correct. I don’t know what I believe, and I think it really changes based on the person, their values, and the aspect of identity being discussed. For example, defining race lets people connect with their ancestors, while defining gender creates boxes that people need to fit in in order to be viewed as valid.There may not be a way to eliminate labels completely, but trying to accept as many people, be it labeled or not, is really the main idea here. What do you think we should strive towards? A label-less world, a world defined by labels, or somewhere in between? Follow the crowd or break off? And finally, let the dictionary define you, or make up your own words?