What’s Your Label?
Written by: Kim Sawyer
Yesterday, I was reading Time magazine and I came across a little blurb. It gave the definition of a new word: cyberchondriac. According to Lexicon, a cyberchondriac is someone who needlessly fears the worst after using the Internet to self-diagnose an ailment. After reading this, it got me thinking – we, as a society, sure do like to label ourselves and others, don’t we? Think about it, we usually have a label for everything and everyone. Some of the labels are nice and some are not so nice. For example, someone who diets is a dieter; someone who lives is New York is a New Yorker; someone who has a strong fashion sense is a stylista; a woman who is extremely opinionated or strong in her convictions is a witch (but substitute the w with a b); or, according to a character on Boston Legal (which, by the way, has been cancelled by ABC, but was one of the best-written shows on television), someone who has a habit of making popping sounds during conversation is “a popper – that’s what you are.”
Do you see what I’m getting at here? Why must we label each other? Is it really necessary? And, why do some labels stick and others don’t? For instance, a person born in America is an American, but someone born in France is French. Why not call them a Francian or something along those lines? Also, when women get older, well, we just get older. But when men get older, they become distinguished. WTH???? Now, if I were to assign a label or labels to myself, here’s what my labels would be: First, I am a Christian, second, I’m a wife, and now (thank you Jesus), I am a mother. I have to say, I’m cool with all of those labels.
Lastly, why must some labels be created to make something or someone sound important? I ask this because there is a commercial that is shown in Mississippi for Virginia Tech College, touting the success of people who previously graduated from the school. There is this one particular graduate who says something like, “thanks to Virginia Tech, I am now a surgical technologist.” WTH???? Please, someone, explain to me what a surgical technologist is!!!!! Everytime, I see that commercial, I’m like, what is a surgical technologist?!!!!!!!! Seriously, I would really like to know what this means.
Tags: descriptions, labels
December 17th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Call me something negative and I will reject the label – call me something positive and I will say thank you. That is human nature. Most labels are negative to hold people down; this is done unintentionally and intentionally.
Sometimes, people who are wildly successful and happy are the ones who will not accept a label that will keep them from doing what they really want to do.
Tom Sawyers last blog post..The Other Shoe Was…Thrown!
December 17th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’m a Hoosier, that’s a label I will never reject and always be proud of. In my line of work we have many labels all of which are positive. Labels shouldn’t define who we are. And as stated by Tom you call me a negative label and we got a problem. So keep it positive America!
December 17th, 2008 at 10:13 am
The funny thing is, I believe, 100% of the time, we never see ourselves as others see us, thus some labels can be very surprising to our ego and other very flattering. And life goes in cycles. Sometimes what one might call us/label us, won’t be true of us 10 years from now. I say, like Tom, no thanks on the negative and thank you on the positive. Uplift me, don’t tear me down!
I just wanna be me!
December 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Hmm..I also have the label of Hoosier!
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