How Far Will You Go For Your Label?

This is a pretty easy to follow thread, and the question is quite simple.

Labels.

Yeah most people have them. You can call yourself a democrat or republican. Religious or non. Cat or dog, it doesnt matter. What does matter is who or what you represent when you choose to label yourself in such a manner.

How do you, or can you, distinguish yourself as an individual with a label. Oh and please dont say Im a _____ and I dont represent so and so. Yeah, you do. If I walk into a job interview and say that I am a police officer, with a christian religion, who loves cats, and eats eagles. I am pretty much standing up and backing those things.


Do you feel that people have the right to judge you, if they do not like or agree with your labels? If so, why? and if not, why not? The separation between the masses is not a blind subject, we even have forum where we can label a subject, not a person but a particular subject that we would like to discuss, and if its in the wrong place, its moved.

Why is it that we cannot see ourselves as people, individual people with different beliefs, but with respect for one another? Our labels is the only thing that divides us, and believe me this is fully intentional.

Id love to hear some opinions on this, and I hope that I made this clear enough as not to be "labeled" with others misunderstanding.

Peace, NRE.

I do not 'give' people the right to judge me. You made it seem as if I have a choice. My label is older woman, first. This label is not one of my choosing, but one I am assigned because of how I look. My label means I am invisible, as soon as I am seen, I am dismissed. The best I can hope for is 'she looks good for her age'. Other labels I have given myself are moot, no one cares.

Here on ATS I have chosen kind, Christian, encouraging and funny. I am American by birth and proud of that, although less so these days. I don't care what people think anymore really. I try to live by what I think. What matters is if I can look myself in the mirror at the end of the day.

I guess I did not really answer your question, I would go all the way for my faith and my country. I have little to lose, so I am not sure how much it matters. I will spit in the eye of those who seek to take my freedom too. I am not to the pitchfork point, but it is getting closer everyday.

reply to post by Iamschist


I wasnt trying to offend, obviously age doesnt factor into what I stated. Unless your trying to buy beer and get carded, and forgot your ID and you want to be labeled.

This is about self promotion, and self representation. This is about identifying yourself.

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by NoRegretsEver
reply to post by Iamschist

 

I wasnt trying to offend, obviously age doesnt factor into what I stated. Unless your trying to buy beer and get carded, and forgot your ID and you want to be labeled.

This is about self promotion, and self representation. This is about identifying yourself.

Peace, NRE.

lol I am not offended, merely stating facts. You will see when you are older. I am sorry you did not hear what I said, I thought I did a good job of answering.

reply to post by Iamschist


Thanks for not taking it the wrong way, but since you answered and stated your "representation" do you do it as a whole? Or do you stand for different views?

Peace, NRE.

Ok you added.

"I would go all the way for my faith and my country."

Is this your label? And if so, do you think that this is a window for people to label you as a "whole" with faith and country? What I mean is, is if I dont like your faith and country (which I am not saying that I do not) do you think it gives me the right to disagree with you without knowing you as a person?

Peace, NRE

NRE I wont go one inch for a label. I prefer my life with as least labelling as realistically and practically possible.

reply to post by AthlonSavage


Do you feel that avoiding it, "defines" you? How do you subscribe to yourself as a person?

Peace, NRE.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver

Do you feel that avoiding it, "defines" you? How do you subscribe to yourself as a person?

Peace, NRE.

A citizen inhabitant of Z block in the twilight zone.

Originally posted by NoRegretsEver
reply to post by Iamschist

 

Thanks for not taking it the wrong way, but since you answered and stated your "representation" do you do it as a whole? Or do you stand for different views?

Peace, NRE.

Ok you added.

"I would go all the way for my faith and my country."

Is this your label? And if so, do you think that this is a window for people to label you as a "whole" with faith and country? What I mean is, is if I dont like your faith and country (which I am not saying that I do not) do you think it gives me the right to disagree with you without knowing you as a person?

Peace, NRE

edit on 19-8-2013 by NoRegretsEver because: (no reason given)

Of course you can disagree with me! I respect and yes would defend your right to do so. It is one of the fundamentals of the republic I live in. I actually don't see what knowing me as a person has to do with anything. I hold my beliefs because of my experiences etc and I would think the same of you. I guess another of my labels is that I respect people, knowing them is not required.

reply to post by Iamschist


Oh absolutely right, knowing someone should never be a reason to label, and is kind of my reason for writing the thread. Yet, can we agree that not knowing someone is the reason for division?

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by NoRegretsEver
reply to post by Iamschist

 

Oh absolutely right, knowing someone should never be a reason to label, and is kind of my reason for writing the thread. Yet, can we agree that not knowing someone is the reason for division?

Peace, NRE.

If people get past labels, and down to the basics of what it means to be human, the experience of knowing someone can at the very least lead to agreeing to disagree. Knowing someone is being educated about them and education is a powerful weapon against division, imho.

It seems that to label is natural but I can't see labeling a forum or the contents of a jar the same as the label a person chooses or is given by others.

It's fine for a person to say to me, "I am a republican," but does that mean that all they are is a republican? I don't think so. A person could say "I am a republican" as a way of quickly conveying their general political views without having to take an hour or two to detail them but I would not want to presume that I now know everything about this person and can judge them as a whole by that information alone.

It is important to know others/ourselves as much as we can.

reply to post by zetaM7


"It's fine for a person to say to me, "I am a republican," but does that mean that all they are is a republican?"

It absolutely does.

Thats what labeling means. You have chose to take a label, other than your name to be identified by others, based on beliefs/structure/faith.

Peace, NRE.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


I can't see it that way and I wouldn't want to see it that way.

I see labels like republican, pagan, black, straight and so on as one facet of the whole.

Im a human being .. beyond that could care less about labels or what people think . far better things to occupy my time with and to ponder over .. maybe one day humanity will outgrow its childish antics and move beyond such things as labels along with all the other nonsense that has kept them divided for millenia ...

Originally posted by zetaM7
reply to post by NoRegretsEver

 

I can't see it that way and I wouldn't want to see it that way.

I see labels like republican, pagan, black, straight and so on as one facet of the whole.

Black, straight, my point exactly. The first labels we get are about how we look, if we get past those, to hear someone say republican, pagan etc... then those kind of labels matter, but we have to get past the packaging first.

reply to post by Expat888


Yes that was the reason for the thread, but if I may ask a question to the posters.

Does being 'unlabeled" in your own eyes cause confusion? We all say we are human, and should never have to deal with certain scenarios, but is this possible? If I say that I am "starving" and yet your starving for real, dont you feel you have precedence because you now how it really feels?

Is this not a label?

Peace, NRE.

"Black, straight, my point exactly. The first labels we get are about how we look"

Actually its not. Its about how we feel about the person that we look at, and thats very different. We are conditioned to this so called reality. When we are born we know no such things, we are taught.

Boys play with trucks, girls play with dolls, etc,. What I am saying is that our labels mean something, and that our perception of reality is so distorted that we may not be able to mend it.

Peace, NRE.

find it far easier going through life without trying to live up to any labels .. if had to follow / fit in to a label it would be limiting and hinder growth as a human being .. still have much in this life to learn before move on to the next one .. tend to look at things from an unusual perspective rather than the " normal " ways people view the world and life ..

Originally posted by NoRegretsEver
"Black, straight, my point exactly. The first labels we get are about how we look"

Actually its not. Its about how we feel about the person that we look at, and thats very different. We are conditioned to this so called reality. When we are born we know no such things, we are taught.

Boys play with trucks, girls play with dolls, etc,. What I am saying is that our labels mean something, and that our perception of reality is so distorted that we may not be able to mend it.

Peace, NRE.

This is getting difficult. I am female, when young, this has no meaning for me. As I age I am told because I am female there are certain expectations of me and how I behave, this is my first label. I am shocked to be different and additionally to have rules put upon me. It is my choice to accept this label or reject it, you will be able to discern this by my manner and way of dressing. All of this is external labeling and not under my control. If I choose feminist, this is a label I choose, but you may or may not discern it by how I look.

I must label others to a degree for my own safety. I believe labeling developed probably as a survival mechanism. If I perceive you are different, you might be a threat. The problems arise when I limit my experiences of the world by my adopted or assigned labels. I do believe we can mend our labels or change our minds.

A bit long, we'll label it a Garth answer shall we?