labeling is something people do to help associate themselves in the world. it is usually biased, unfair, and unmitigated. Sometimes you pass someone on the street and subconsciously say something mean about them or pass a judgement that they look like a freak or dress like some rich snob…it is something that will probably never go away. the best thing you can do to deal with these labels is to know yourself and be comfortable with yourself…keyword being comfortable with who you are. If you like to dress in bondage pants and wear purple in your hair (just an example), you have to be okay with it and the reactions you will get. I myself tend to not pay attention to it, because it’s expected and I understand it’s a necessary evil. Some people do dress a certain way to stick out, but some people truly want to dress a certain way because they like it, because they are comfortable with it, and if they dressed any other way, they wouldn’t be themself. I studied some about this in a college class, how people will use stereotypes to help them associate and group others. it’s a human need to group or pair something together…like if someone is italian, you instantly think of spaghetti and you instanly try to place certain traits upon someone…and that is wrong in many senses…but just know this, and you should have an easier time not taking it personally.

as a teenage grl who has never done anything bad, anything that could get me sent to jail or grounded i find social labeling unfair. people look at me and because i am a teenager they think i am incapable of do the job right or i drink and do drugs and have sex and am a bad person, when i truly am not. i get good grades i have a great reputation and i respect everybody, i do not judge people before i know them because i find it an unfair judgement. i hate social labeling!

_Ash

Isn’t it what advertisers and people in the media do all the time – lump us all in categories and we’re supposed to “fit” all the characteristics of that group. You mention children and teenagers but I resent being called “middle aged” just because I’m past my 20’s. You’re right in that too many of us place people in groups automatically and most of them don’t give a flattering image of the “real us.” And they leave out so much!

Let’s resist the trend to see people as “types” (they belong in the world of the theatre and tv advertising after all!) and open our eyes to who people are – quite a mixture of different things in reality.

Yes i know this feeling. It is completely out of order to label people. There is a place in my town, leeds, called the corn exchange. It was a place where lots of people who are labelled ‘gerbos and moshers’ got to hang out with each other as we all had same taste in music, clothes etc. But then they put a ban on the place saying we were all being anti social and would recieve an asbo if we were to hang around there. It was completely and utterly stupid as no1 was doing any harm. It was appauling and i feel we were all discriminated because of what we wear and listen to!

If you were at a party filled with “preppies” you don’t know listening to whatever it is they listen to nowadays and you see another “mosher” there, who would you feel more comfortable around? For that matter, could you even picture yourself choosing to attend one of these parties (barring anything like, “I wouldn’t even be invited!”).

Initial reactions and first impressions happen. You will perceive nearly the same thing entirely different depending on who it is coming from. It’s not a big deal. It is actually a good thing sometimes as it gives you a good, generalized people skill. It’s making sure that you keep an open mind and understand that these genralities are in no way concrete and that you can easily like or dislike ANYONE, regardless of “labels” you may initially and unintentionall give them, that is important.

Social categorizations and defined roles are good. We can never achieve a perfect uptopian society in which we all the same. People dress like that to be “different,” and to not exclude them would be to do injustice to the distinctions they have carved out for themselves. Identification and unification of people is only possible when there is division… may seem paradoxical, but the world did not operate that way then we would all be clones of each other similar in every way!

for me, i think labelling is imature. it’s somthing that started in middle school. i remember in elementary where everyone were friends with eachother, and once middle school hit around 7th grade for me, everyone start spliting up into small groups. i never got a label, so i was left out. i barely had any friends left, because everyone thought it was wierd how this little girl would have so many different types of friends. goths, to preps, to skaters….i was a no name. labeling is somthing to me that should have been left behind in middle school.

xXxtiffxXx

When people make generalizations about each other it is an educational process. They look at a bunch of people with common traits and name them something. They are taught this in taxonomy. Why not apply it to human social relationships? I know dozens of goth-like people who I call goths. Not because they believe in any gothic faith but because they decide to dress with black lip stick. They are different people, but it is those defining physical characteristics that give them the name “goth” and not religious or personality traits.

Certain groups gain stigmas to them. The goth group is associated with political and recreational violence. They are recognized with close ties to certain types of music. Although most listen to these types of music, it is once again that it is not this music that defines them, it is how they dress. If a person does not want to be tied in with a certain group, then they should not dress or act in the ways of that group.

For if a person is running around the streets yelling “Death to the Bourgeousie, revolution of the proletariat” you call that person a Communist.

It is physically impossible for all people to get along. It is a part of life that we all have to deel with. Losers isolate themselves from the popular people and vise versa. Goths do not hang out with the preps. I am sure that you do it too! POPULAR AND LOSERS ARE JUST LABELS!!!! There are more so called “Losers” than popular people, so losers are literally more popular.

Although I know there is not much people can do about this, I feel it is a strong topic and I’d like to hear people’s views about it. My opinion is that people should be treated the same, no matter what race, what age, what sex, and what music they like.

At my school the “preps” do more drugs than the outkasts. They are the people that go around hating people and starting fights. They just rub me the wrong freaking way. But then there are “punks”, who by the way get screwed by name, that are totally cool most of the time. Because people that are different are more likely to accept people no matter what or who the people are.

So in a way I guess i am discriminating, but people will always do that, its a defense mechanism. Also I hate rap and i can’t stand people that like it, there’s no originality, its all about relinquishing identity. All I’m saying is if an adult is looking at a “punk” and a “prep” who do you think they would judge?

And that’s wrong, that’s the same as racism or sexism. People need to realize that the 19th and 20th centuries are over, and start accepting people for who they are. And I’m including myself as one of those people, because lets all admit that we have been guilty of little empathy, humans can’t be perfect.

I labeled myself as a flamboyant-anarchist/gangstist-street-rapper, and everyone hates me! Hate makes other people’s lives great, they can enjoy the death penalty. You can’t fix these problems, the best thing to do is kill yourself.

I’m guessing that this “label” thing has been around since the begining of time. But now in this age it seems it has reared it ugly head with vengeance. All I can say is the very first person who started labels must have had nothing better to do other than to point out the supposed “faults” in other people that were different from themselves.

Some people make me sick…thank you steps off soapbox

It doesn’t piss me off the fact that people are judging me. Just the fact that they share their views. I don’t need to hear what I am. I know.

........me as funny how folks will sometimes develope their appearance to stand out from the norm and then complain when they tend to get singled out.

Is it right, no I do not think it is right, is it going to happen, yes it is going to happen. From now until the end of the human race there will be those who will challenge the norm, and there will be those who step up to the challenge. That is how society evolves.

You cannot go through life expecting everyone to be politically correct. It’s just not going to happen. Adults sometimes act more like little kids then children do. A good judge of character is when you do not lower youself to another’s childish ways when they resort to calling others offensive names. One of the hardest body parts to control is the mouth.

Well i had social anxeity...But now im ok, and sometimes people look at me, but i dont give a F! If they dare to call me names, i'll make sure they will not do it again! =) People must learn to respect eachother! AND YEs, im a Raver....and people look at me as some wierdo sometimes, but hey, i am weird! And people who do everything to fit in, need to see thier own qualities, instead of following others! ^^

I think we all label one another knowingly or unknowingly, at one time or another. It is always present and will always be so. But those who label another for the clear intention to hurt are the ones who have big problems somewhere in their own life, so they label and get the frustration out. Some who label are just good for nothings who have nothing better to do. But if I have a good image of myself then I wonder who can get underneath my skin? Who knows maybe getting labelled and feeling bad is another way for us to waken up and start feeling good about ourselves!

Everyone thinks that just because I dress the way I do and am a little quiet and shy around people I don't know, and how my facial expression seems... flat... when i'm around strangers that i'm going to come to school and blow them all away in a psychotic killing spree. I listen to everything from rock(all types, hard, punk ect.), Metal(thrash, death, black, ect.) and various types of goth, and am frequently laughed at for what I listen to by the "popular" culture just because I don't like 50 cent or dmx or whatever, and I get dozens of stares, hushed whispers, fearful looks, and the occasional scream when I walk to hallways because of the way I dress. I bounce around from goth to death-rocker, whatever I feel like wearing more that day, dark clothing, the occasional dark blue or green shirt, chains, and a black hoody or trenchcoat, and just because of that people think i'm going to go nutz and kill someone. Alot of my friends consider me one of the nicest people they know, I love to joke around, help out my friends and all but it seems no one cares about what your actions are these days, it's all first impressions and appearances. I dress the way I do because I like it, it suits me, and last year I got into this big thing with the police and the school board over it. Some idiot had spread rumors that I was going to blow up the school or some crap, and all of a sudden theres police at the door step at home, the principal gives me 2 administrative days off for my own safety, the school goes into lock down, people get arrested and questioned, all because of some idiot who associated my dress with violence and murder and columbine or some crap. In the aftermath the school was like a Civil War, with teachers afraid for their lives and telling their students that "those people are killers, they'll be the death of us all". Everyone that actually knew me, friends, teachers, people i'd talked with stood up for me and others like me and it was like the school split into 2 rival factions. This year we've got a new principal,and everythings cleared up, but this memory for everyone isn't just going to go away, and it was all caused because of some idiots view of me and people like me. It's stupid beyond all imagination...