Labels are a good thing

In a single word you can understand the whole of a human being simply by the label he or she applies unto themself. This is great, right? How more convenient could it be than to be shown your enemies and your allies by a single word. A single word to preconceive every word, every thought, every point of contention between you and another person.

But, we love labels, don’t we? Why else would someone label themselves a feminist, a tea-partier, a communist, a socialist, etc. People don’t want to spend a lifetime explaining their particular view of the world, and certainly no one could really stand around long enough to listen to their boring drab.

So, I’m a label. And so are you. And we love it. We eat up the chance to label someone to create a conflict or to create an ally. We need this kind of drama in our life. It always needs to be ‘us vs them’. Such is always and until we evolve will always be the human way.

And you can label me or try to label me. That’s fine. I’m constantly asked, “Are you a…?” No, I’m not particularly… Sure, I agree with some of the ideas behind labels, I would never label myself, because doing so sets you up for failure. “I’m a democrat” crushes everything that makes you an individual. It makes you a cog. It makes you a mindless drone. “I’m a Christian” does the same thing. It makes a person bond with you or detest you. This is the human way.

I’ve tried my hardest to avoid someone labeling me, but I find it is quite easy to gain a new friend by implying that you’re of a certain label. In a constant barrage of ‘us vs them’, allies with labels are easy to come by. But so are enemies.