Based on what we have to read for this week it seems that labels and other issues seem to run rampant over our discussions. It is clear that labeling is probably one of the first problem society has with trying to keep things in perspective. It is worng to label something just society can cope with something that doesn't really fit into their mind set or schema if you will. We seem to think that labels just as important as title for a job or achievements in events. When in fact it is labels which degrade the very foundation that is the humanity of an individual. I would bet money that no returning member of the arm services who was honorably discharged from the services due to loss of limb would want to come home to a country filled with people ready to consider his new shape as a character feature. I feel that with society giving up the power to label everything then and only then will society be able to understand what it means to simple be human. That is the real issue, the moment someone has a label, they are not seen for their humanity; they are seen for their label and nothing else. However, the problem seems to fall into the category of gays in the military who lost a limb. That is all society truly cares about anymore, even in a positive aspect. For example, society can't name a single member of seal team 6 the people who killed Osama bin Laden, but society knew that one member has no job and is in a trouble marriage. So things can go both ways. Labels in todays society are like the plague of medieval Europe, once you have it you might as well have no hope of being considered normal ever again. However, if you think there is a positive label in society right now, please tell me it and describe it in detail to make sure I completely understand why it is a positive label. So, what do you think?
-William Webster
I agree with your opinion greatly. Labels in society are unavoidable and are caused by an individual who wants to portray themselves as an individual with a higher authority than the person being labeled. Individuals who produce labels are trying to cover up the "imperfections" of society. In reality, each person has their own imperfections and would definitely fit the label of another human being. Like you said how society giving up the power to label will ultimately lead to realizing the imperfections of humanity is essential to this topic.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I think labels are not as static as you describe them to be. A label can change from being negative to positive or acquiring a positive label can change people's outlook on you. For example, if someone is labeled a drug abuser due to their actions, this is negative. However, if they clean themselves up and do well for themselves, they have acquired the positive label of ex-drug user and additional admiration for their courage. While this example is of limited use, it shows labels aren't inherently negative, and that people can twist and use them to benefit themselves.
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