Labels: Pointless or not?

[Mini_Medic]

underweargnome

Generalizations make the world go around. What is a tree? You could say a tree is a tall thing. Buildings are tall, are they trees? Of course not! Trees are plants- does that make a berry bush a tree? No, it has to be a tall plant. So then, a tall berry bush?- still not a tree. Are all trees tall? No, some are smaller.

So then, it isn't exactly easy to accuratly narrow down what trees are- but does that mean with every single large plant, we have to look at it and think 'what is this?' No, people have a good general idea of what trees are- and that fits the generalization pretty well. Sure, two trees- even two of the same species- are different entities- but they carry most of the same characteristics. If you see a dog, it will probably have teeth and bark, ect.

People carry this over towards humans. If you see someone who looks what you could consider angry, they might mean you harm. If you see someone who looks "goth", they're probably going to act... like goths.

Of course these generalizations fit much less with people, because people strive NOT to fit some generalizations, but strive TO fit others- but they are still formed.

If you really don't like being 'labeled', stop dressing like the label, emo kid.

you have a good point too. i like the whole tree thing. its a good way to look at it. I dont mind label that much but when they're used in a negitive way, such as cutter or antichrist, it ticks me off, but i expect it so therefor it doesn't bother me.
Thank you for your post! smile

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

Personally I think labelling is win-win situation but at the same time a lose-lose situation. Because those put in the more popular class of people don't mind being put into their labels because they get all the fame and all the attention. But nobody wants to be a Goth kid, a Freak, a Misfit, Society's Failure. Nobody wants to be called that. With most people, including myself, they thrive on those very words, they use that to label themselves and therefore being stuck with that name their entire life.

Let me give you a little inside information, I was born with a form of Dwarfism, that on its own is a painful experience if you've ever encountered something like, emotional and physical. My body can't produce enough natural hormones so that means I'm stuck at 5'3" for my entire life. I've reached maximum height. I won't get any taller. I live with having the natural jokes about me, I'm Frodo, a Keebler Elf, a Hobbit, a Pocket-sized gnome. Yeah its fun to live in my shoes. I also got stuck with the last name that comes from England, Hobgood, now just off the bat how many words and insults can you come up with right off the bat?

Now I live with being called a freak every day of my life, sound funny? I should think not, the only people that accept me are the people that know who I am. Most people at my age would be dead or in an insane asylum from attempting numerous accounts of suicide because they've been made to feel inadequate amongst the others. Doesn't sound like it'd be too fun, now does it? Of course not. Who wants to be told they can't be a part of someone else's social form because they're not what everyone else wants them to be. Now things don't just stop at my height, I'm full-blooded Wiccan, sounds cool doesn't it? I bet over half of you would love to be able to say that one every day of your life. Now you get to live with Devil-Worshipper and Satan-Spawn because of your religion, now its the ignorant people who don't understand.

And thats what people dow when they don't understand, they insult you until you've either killed yourself or you've moved away. Because they don't want faulty people living around them. They don't catch the 'Weird-Kid Disease'. Now I'm not trying to discourage anybody from using labels or anything, but its not always fun to label a person because you don't know how they feel about it. Now I'm not giving some sob-story about how my life sucks and all that BS because I hate people's pity more than anything.

Now it does make it easier by defining a person like saying "Rachel, the emo-kid?" yeah I bet theres 1000000000 Rachels in your high school and out of all of them one probably does dress like your labelled 'Emo-Kid'.

What I'm preaching is that watch how you label a person because its really brutal on the other people.

[RAWR-for-a-lion mule]

labels can be good and bad...they can describe what you like what you don't and it gives other people a chance to know more about you.
it depends on what kind of labels you use and how you label a person, that might be offensive.

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

Yeah, thats it in a nutshell.

[underweargnome]

Oh jeeze, Hobgood? That's just shitty luck man.
[edit- I've got the most plain name around- might as well be called Jack Johnson or something. I can definatly relate to having a name given to me that I don't neccessarily like- but come on, that's just ******** HORRIBLE luck to grow up with a shortage of HGH and have that last name. If I were you, I would've been fighting people constantly]

[Mini_Medic]

Project Nemisis Number 13

Personally I think labelling is win-win situation but at the same time a lose-lose situation. Because those put in the more popular class of people don't mind being put into their labels because they get all the fame and all the attention. But nobody wants to be a Goth kid, a Freak, a Misfit, Society's Failure. Nobody wants to be called that. With most people, including myself, they thrive on those very words, they use that to label themselves and therefore being stuck with that name their entire life.

Let me give you a little inside information, I was born with a form of Dwarfism, that on its own is a painful experience if you've ever encountered something like, emotional and physical. My body can't produce enough natural hormones so that means I'm stuck at 5'3" for my entire life. I've reached maximum height. I won't get any taller. I live with having the natural jokes about me, I'm Frodo, a Keebler Elf, a Hobbit, a Pocket-sized gnome. Yeah its fun to live in my shoes. I also got stuck with the last name that comes from England, Hobgood, now just off the bat how many words and insults can you come up with right off the bat?

Now I live with being called a freak every day of my life, sound funny? I should think not, the only people that accept me are the people that know who I am. Most people at my age would be dead or in an insane asylum from attempting numerous accounts of suicide because they've been made to feel inadequate amongst the others. Doesn't sound like it'd be too fun, now does it? Of course not. Who wants to be told they can't be a part of someone else's social form because they're not what everyone else wants them to be. Now things don't just stop at my height, I'm full-blooded Wiccan, sounds cool doesn't it? I bet over half of you would love to be able to say that one every day of your life. Now you get to live with Devil-Worshipper and Satan-Spawn because of your religion, now its the ignorant people who don't understand.

And thats what people dow when they don't understand, they insult you until you've either killed yourself or you've moved away. Because they don't want faulty people living around them. They don't catch the 'Weird-Kid Disease'. Now I'm not trying to discourage anybody from using labels or anything, but its not always fun to label a person because you don't know how they feel about it. Now I'm not giving some sob-story about how my life sucks and all that BS because I hate people's pity more than anything.

Now it does make it easier by defining a person like saying "Rachel, the emo-kid?" yeah I bet theres 1000000000 Rachels in your high school and out of all of them one probably does dress like your labelled 'Emo-Kid'.

What I'm preaching is that watch how you label a person because its really brutal on the other people.

I'm sorry. i shouldnt have brought up this topic. I'm sorry that people say that about you. That makes me feel like crap for moping over people saying i practice witchcraft and calling me a cutter. I'm so sorry if this topic offended you in any way. god, i feel like a jerk. im sorry

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

Its no big deal. I've been through so much that people telling me I cut myself and I'm so emo is nothing to me. I mean I've heard more hurtful things from my own siblings, things that are a bit deeper than people making fun of me because of what I look like.

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

I don't see why people mope over someone else's ignorance. I usually just give them the finger and walk off. And then if they really feel like pushing their luck then I've already had this scenario before, one guy picks on the short kid and the short kid shows him whose got the real muscle.

[Mini_Medic]

Project Nemisis Number 13

I don't see why people mope over someone else's ignorance. I usually just give them the finger and walk off. And then if they really feel like pushing their luck then I've already had this scenario before, one guy picks on the short kid and the short kid shows him whose got the real muscle.

crap. sorry again. didnt know if you would read the thread thing again so i sent a message. my bad. i tend to feel apethetic. its stupid i know

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

Theres no such thing as stupidity in apethy. No reason to feel dumb. Really, your an all right person, you know that. I'm used to the people that just say 'Oh well' when they actually insult someone else. So with you apologizing that just shows that your more humane than the rest of the people I know, trust me, I took no offense to anything.

[Auntie Proton]

TwilighterEmbraced

Every one knows that labels seem to big a big part of the average teens life, so answer me this; if there is a point, what is it, and how harmful can they be?

Pointless. They remove useful information from a person's description.

[Nemisis_Leviathan]

They don't tell you who a person is. They tell you what they look like. And what really gets me and its one thing I'll never understand is, the difference between an 'Emo' kid and 'Scene' kid. (Those are the stereo-types I've heard, its not how I describe people)

[fruitcaked]

Labels aren't the bad things, it's the stereotypes that come attached to the labels that do the harm.

The human brain is built to classify and identify things, so it's natural for everyone to 'label' the people around them.

[im teh gay man]

Well, allow me to put it this way. A "label" usually is attempting to associate yourself with something, if I'm correct. By putting a label on yourself, example how I have the anime = crack signature, you can meet great people just by getting a PM saying "Oh you like anime? What kind? biggrin "

On the other hand, said label can be used to dismiss you as a "Anime obsessed teenie." OF course, with my example it's not half as extreme as wearing all black to school everyday with eye-liner. Results that come from labeling people are far too mixed to say their good or bad.

[boxbunnykaru]

The point is to group people together so it'd be quicker to address people and so you can call them something without knowing their name? I don't really use them.

They can really hurt people, though. It matters on the person.