"Who would you be, if the world never gave you a label? Never gave you a box to check? Would you be white, black, Mexican, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, Indian? No. We would be one. We would be together."
Labels are at the root of the world's worst evils today. And they need to stop.
It would be wonderful to just say I am a person...that's it. I am often asked, because of my first name, what nationality I am from. I always say Canadian with German descent but humans like to box people in.
ReplyDeleteWe do, don't we? It's so sad, though... Like the video says, labels make us miss out on the person themselves. I do hope one day we'll be able to rise above and see all humans as exactly that: human. Just human.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit, Birgit!
Derogatory labels are not good, but a certain aspect of labeling is helpful and sometimes an introduction. We shouldn't abuse labeling to hurt others. I guess it's mostly how one is looking at the whole concept.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Too right, Lee; it's not the label that hurts so much as how we use it, and the negative connotations we give certain of those labels. Still, I'd love to see a world where the "labels" are stuff like "intelligent" or "great sense of humor" or "music lover", instead of skin color or nationality. Or religion.
Deletemethinks it started people wanting to belong and being proud of the culture or group they come from, but in some places it became the basis of labelling too. Sometimes it becomes illogical too.. like you have awards for black artists but imagine what would happen if you had them just for white ones too.. It's just crazy. Thankfully I live in a country where we have dozens of different nationalities living together and we respect each other.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Dez... In a very real way, this is all just nationalism/patriotism gone woefully awry. And yes, somehow in the chaos of the fray racism has taken some ugly turns. I'm glad you live in a broadly diverse country. Curaçao is like that, too... A micro-cosmos, and a great example that it *can* be done.
DeleteHi Guilie ... what a great video and message. People do just react unnecessarily and so unfairly sometimes ... this is so true ... thank you for posting it and Love Is ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you saw this, Hilary... I was just over at your blog and saw your Saturday post; you're so right, we judge too fast, too soon, with little or—usually—no information at all, standing high on what we believe to be righteousness but is, actually, just ignorance. The world needs a really big dose of compassion. And empathy. Thanks for helping to make that happen with your posts, Hilary :)
DeleteI remember seeing this some while back and it's wonderful to see it again. Thank you. I agree re: labelling, it serves no purpose other than to put people in boxes and create an 'us' and 'them'.
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen it before, Susan, but I loved it. Glad I could bring it back for you :) Indeed, it's that horrible Us and Them — or, rather, Us vs. Them. When will we stop thinking that way. Can we, even? *Sigh*
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