Labeled

It's the age old question, is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable. This discussion can go on by most anyone arguing both sides of the coin. And really it's a toss up, but it seems that most people will engage in the trivial debate. I think that it is a love of labels that drives it. It would seem that we are all constantly looking to label everything around us.

In the past few days I've been aware of labels. I'm not sure what started me thinking about it, perhaps just something sparked my curiosity. What I'm beginning to notice is that the label seems to give the importance rather that the thing being labeled. The easiest example to see this in is clothing. We see certain brands of clothing to be better than others. Tommy Hilfiger making a hat and putting his name on it will draw much more money and prestige than a hat of the same material branded by JC Penny. What kills me is that the price changes because of how it's perceived not for any physical difference. People pay more because they in turn want people to think that they are more valuable or sophisticated. It just seems wrong and materialistic. And I know I play into this system as well, though I fight with it in my mind.

But really the labels are everywhere. I think that where I'm most disturbed by them is where it comes to people. It seems far to easy to label someone in my mind before I know much about them. And the labels have a huge range: old, clingy, woman, sassy, straight, bitchy, friendly, cute, shy, indian,  funny, annoying, gross, black, gay, bitter, queeny, stupid.... the list goes on. It's not a conscious choice it's almost instant somewhere in the back of my head. How do I not do that? It's amazing that it happens. And I am objective about it. I am aware of it and so I can look at that label that pops up and say to myself, "that's not necessarily true. You don't know anything about them so you can't decide that." And it helps me be open and realize that for all I know the pissy person I just met was just laid off and has a right to be upset. But I don't like the labels.

I don't like the labels because I don't like to be labeled. I can fit into dozens of labels I'm sure. And yes they may apply to me in some ways but I don't want to be defined by any one of these labels. I am not just a teacher. I am not just a man. I am not just gay. There is so much more to me and I'm always afraid that people won't get to know me as a whole because of a label that they have stuck on me. I think that this fear of someone trying to wrap me up in a box is why I don't like to label others. Why do they need to have those tags stuck on them? Cant' they just be a person? Why is it tough to just get to know Douglas or Sue without looking them over and having a bunch of labels get printed in my head about them?

I hope that I'm not the only one that struggles with this. I know that being aware of the fact that I do allows me to be objective. But is it possible not to think these things though? Is it possible not to try categorize everything and just experience it in the moments for what it is? How do you get to know people without the labels that seem to dominate the mind?

Does it matter if the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? Will knowing this definitively make the world a better place?

Note: even as I'm writing this post I have a box constantly beckoning to me at the bottom of the blog to type in words with which to "Label" the post.

"Everyone's a little bit racist today.

So everyone's a little bit racist ok.

Look around and you will find, 

no one's really color blind,

maybe it's a fact we all should face....."

-Avenue Q