Let's get controversial for a second.

We have a serious problem with equality in this country. There is an obvious disconnect between people. The latest example of this is the whitest Oscars ever since last year and the year before that. We hear all of these different stories of cops shooting unarmed black men. Stories of gay humiliation leading to suicide. It's all one big, twisted jamboree we all live in. These are real problems and it's time we recognize it. Let's start with the barebones of the issue: the labeling of people.

Why do we label people? In my eyes, all that does is separate us as opposed to uniting us. I can't speak for everybody, but I have friends who hate being called African American. They said if they were to be called anything, they would prefer to be called black. My issue is, why should they be called Black, African American, Colored, or N!****? Why should people who are attracted to the same sex be called Gay, Homosexual, Fag or Dyke? Why do we feel the need to call them these things? If I were to punch one of them in the face, would they bleed a different color than I would? Unless they have been swimming near a nuclear power point, they would bleed the exact same shade of deep red.

The reason people do this, in my eyes, is to separate themselves from a group; to claim individuality or separation. Even the government is guilty of this. I get sick every time I fill out a form and see that they want people to identify themselves by the color of their skin and sometimes their sexuality. It's as if we are one big grocery store and we all are in different isles. This is so problematic. We are not apples and oranges. We are people.

Allow me to pose this question. If we were all to wear a name tag on our chest day in and day out for the rest of our lives, would it read our skin color or sexuality? No, it would have our name. That is the only thing that truly defines who we are and what makes us different. Unless we have the same name (I'm sure I'm not the only guy named Justin Gordon).

What this boils down to is, if we stop labeling each other, we could be making progress with equality. Will this end racism and hate? Hell, no. But it's a good first step in a bunch of important steps forward. If someone were to say, "Do you see that black guy?" or "Did you catch what that gay guy did?" I will always respond with, "No, I saw Josh" or "No, I didn't see what Gerry did." They are people, not products.