Labels

I am really put off by labels. They are everywhere and people wear them with such pride. Scroll your timeline and you'll see a few memes letting you know how crazy the poster is. Is it attractive to be crazy? When did it become favorable to be outside the norm? Isn't crazy the same as deranged: not logical? You cannot be a contributing member of society and be crazy. Moreover, you cannot be crazy sometimes. We must refrain from putting ourselves in these groups defined by labels because it is fashionable. There is a social responsibility that we all share and the first thing that we have to do is shed the labels.

Nevertheless, that's just a transitional thought. Look at a few of the big labels: Democrat, Republican, Democratic Socialist, Feminist, LGBT, White, Black, Caucasian, Atheist, Bitch, man, woman. It is hard to believe how much effort people are willing to exert in order to fit squarely into a category and be clearly defined by that label. Have you talked to a Crossfitter lately? If so then, for God's sake, don't tell them that you ran any further than 800 meters this morning.

As a white man, I am in the majority. I always have been. Presumably, I have gotten every loan that I've ever asked for and I didn't even have to pay interest on it. Certainly, I've had every opportunity available to the masses presented on a menu prepared just for me. Therefore, I cannot identify with anyone else other than rich white men. I wear that label. However, I didn't pin it on my shirt. I didn't have to because I was born this way. So, point and laugh. Throw some rocks or something. You can because of my label. Oh, and by the way, if you call me a Caucasian then you are subscribing to a derogatory term given to non-Aryans by a German in the late 1700's. I've never been to the Caucasus region. I don't know anything about it and I don't have any ties to it.

Politics, parenting, or just getting through the day; we are all facing the same struggles. But we can't admit it because we are so divided. It must be my team, my label; you can't understand because you are not like me. You can't feel the pain that I feel because you can't understand me. Empathy is hard to understand but it is really the key to breaking through the labels. It's the closest that we can hope to get to understanding, but it's good enough.

Here's a thought, an actual thought that didn't come from a meme: let go of the label and understand that when you create a team you also create an opponent.

Unless you are a horse, fuck your team.