Millennial, Queer, Asexual, Bisexual, Demisexual, Introvert, Extrovert, Feminist, Social Justice Warrior, LGBTQ, Skinny, Thick, Narcissist, Real, Fake...
What do the above words all have in common?
They're all labels. They're labels we give each other and ourselves.
A few years ago, we were screaming to be let out of our boxes. We refused to be labeled because being labeled meant being defined. It meant being restricted. We didn't want anyone telling us who we were.
Now, times have changed, and we crave the label. From a sociological point of view, it's fascinating. Understandably, people want to feel a part of something bigger; they want to fit in. It would seem these labels now give us that sense of identity we so desperately crave.
We want explanations to the parts of us we don't understand.
For example, after taking the Meyer's Brigg personality test, I found the answers to questions I never even thought to ask about myself, as well as the questions that pressed on my heart my entire life.
Who am I?
Why do I act/think the way I do?
Meyer's Briggs told me I was the combination of four little letters-- INFJ (Introvert, Intuition, Feeler, Judger), and I've clung to it ever since. It gave me insight into the inner working of my mind and the core of my very being. It has been an invaluable asset, and the beginning of my acceptance of labels.
Then, I began wondering why I was so different from everyone in terms of my love life (or lack thereof). I thought I was an anomaly...different and weird because I don't like to date around.
When I stumbled across the term "Demisexual," I felt understood. I began to understand other people. It's defined as, "a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone."
It made me start considering a new perspective, and asking myself, "How much is too much?"
At what point do these labels do more harm than good? At what point do they start separating people and creating "teams" instead of bringing us together in understanding?
At what point do we stop saying, "Us vs. Them" instead of just a universal "Us?"
Different social movement were created in order to bring about awareness, but are we going too far? It certainly feels like we're drawing deeper lines instead of erasing them.
Instead of being so concerned about being politically correct all the time, we need to focus on respecting people and acting like the humans we're supposed to be.
Instead of drawing more lines in the sand and dividing ourselves, we need to look at our similarities. I'm willing to bet that if two people who vehemently disagree online met in person, they would find common ground.
If a person finds a label and it helps them understand themselves and the people around them better, I will readily admit there is good to it. But, when we start letting the labels define and divide us, therein lies the evil.
Just like a name is a name, a label is a label. It's up to us what we do with it.
At the end of the day, we are much too complicated to be confined to a simple label.
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?"
