photo by wonderferret
I am very wary of labels and categories.
But let me elaborate on that a bit. Labels, categories, groups — all those classifications are admittedly very integral to how people think. We process so many sounds, so many images, and so much information (yes, even before the internet came along) that we need a way to actually function without drowning in it all.
Take a chair, for instance. When you see an armchair or a bar stool, you know you’re supposed to plunk your ass down on it. When you see some funky orange plastic surface with a back and four legs, you may not have seen it before but you’ll decide pretty quickly that it’s a chair.
Now imagine you were a label-free, category-free kinda person. You go to a dinner party and someone offers you a seat in a mahogany chair with intricate carvings along the back. Well, I’ve never seen one of these things, you think.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” you ask the exceedingly polite fellow dinner guest. Flustered, he quickly informs you that it’s a chair for you to sit in. “Preposterous!” you say. “That’s no chair! I’ve seen a chair before, and it didn’t look like that. That is obviously something else.”
See how ridiculous life would be without labels and categories? You would take 20 minutes poking and prodding the mahogany wonder until you finally decided that it could indeed be some sort of sitting device.
But labels can be dangerous when we don’t allow for exceptions — when we refuse to process individual differences that don’t fit in our categories.
Say you decided after that whole dinner party incident that categories really were the way to go. So the next day, you head over to your friend’s house and while she’s brewing some coffee, you notice this in the living room:
“Funky chair!” you say, as you run into the living room to give that fur-covered seat a try.
Within a few seconds, Fluffy is squashed and your friend is on the floor bawling. “What went wrong?” you innocently inquire. “Isn’t that a chair?”
See? Categories can be dangerous.
By all means, label and categorize to make life easier. But be human. Embrace complexity. Celebrate exceptions.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Categories can be dangerous – but powerful too. Providing an appropriate category for something new and intriguing can permit instant acceptance; as an example, Starbucks started carrying chai. Chai was then categorized as a premium beverage – and has since become more widely available as more people are willing to try it. Introducing someone similarly offers the opportunity to empower that person with the category you apply. Consider for example the difference between “let me introduce you to my friend Zoë” vs. “let me introduce you to Zoë, who is a blogger.”
ejly´s last blog post..A bad process is like a flat tire
Zoe, you’ve done a great job demonstrating the importance of balance. It’s true–we need labels and categories to help us sort through the very big, full world of possibilities. But, as you say, we need to make room for exceptions. That’s the whole idea behind my blog name, Halfway to Normal. Through the stories I tell, I’m trying to help move us all beyond thinking that there is a “normal” way to be a family or a “normal” way to practice and express faith, or whatever it is that we tend to put in a box.
Kristin T. (@kt_writes)´s last blog post..Seder in Farmer City, revisted
Zoe, I’m with you on being label averse. Funny though, in response, what I thought of to do was add ‘exceptions’ as a new category on my blog. The categories are winning.
I’ve found a gorgeous way with the anti labelling desire that we share. Marshall Rosenberg’s the man for us in this regard. His non-violent communication also prefers no labelling because of the fixed and static nature of them.
A seemingly fixed position that you then somehow take on as your way and your belief about who and what you are, and find yourself living up (or down) to and less likely to move out of.
You’re slow, pretty, whatever. You’re a blogger. There you are, labelled, boxed up and sorted. Nice and tidy but not, as you say, noticing the richness and complexity that is also there.
Would you feel differently about, “Here’s Zoe, amongst other things which you may find fascinating, she’s been blogging on ‘x’ for ‘x’ time now”.
Pauline Esson´s last blog post..Brain overclog via books
@ ejly – Categories certainly can be powerful — when they’re dangerous, it’s largely because they are so powerful. What you’ve described with acceptance is very true. People sometimes reject something, or are almost scared of it, if they can’t figure out what category or label it deserves.
I think your examples also outline some of the dangers. When something new is placed into a category to make it more acceptable to a mass audience, it risks being altered or watered down. Labels for people can be both empowering and limiting. On one hand, telling people I meet that I’m a writer helped push me into the “writer mindset.” But I also feel strange knowing that every label I introduce myself with will carry some sort of baggage in the person’s mind — baggage that’s irrelevant to me.
@ Kristin – I love the name “Halfway to Normal”! Pushing the boundaries on what “normal” is. Balance is just what it comes down to — actually, it seems like a lot of my posts come down to that point!
@ Pauline – Ha, the categories are unavoidable! Thanks so much for introducing me to Marshall Rosenberg. His work is so interesting to read about.
I think you’ve touched on the exact thing that bothers me about labels — that they’re fixed and static. I am so aware of evolution, whether it’s my own or in people and societies around me, so it’s hard for me to accept such rigid things like labels.
By the way, I love your introduction for me
.
Kia ora Zoë!
Um, yes. I suppose. Cat egories CAN be dangerous. But that one was dealt with before it caused any problem. So what’s wrong with that?
What other experiences with allegories can you offer?
Catchya later
Ken Allan´s last blog post..What Is Learnt From Community?
Interesting analysis. Really unique content.
For me, the worst ‘label-related’ issue is when we try to label ourselves in an effort to fit in, or live up to somebody else’s expectation of us. There is an inherent inadequacy associated with it that I don’t think is healthy.
Also, labels – especially self-imposed ones – can be inaccurate, so rather than simplifying things, they make them more complex. Sure, a chair is a chair. But it’s entirely likely that a ‘Guru’ is, in fact, not a Guru. Just an example.
Jeb Dickerson´s last blog post..Roots and Reach – a model for us all.
@ Ken – Fluffy got squashed! Isn’t that a big problem? By the way, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even notice the cat-egories pun until you pointed it out — unintended
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@ Bamboo Forest – Thank you
. I wasn’t sure if I should really bring my drawing skills into the mix…
@ Jeb – Yes, words carry so much baggage — other people’s expectations, our own connotations with the word… using them to impose a definition on ourselves really doesn’t seem adequate.
The chair example had me laughing, but the squished cat was disturbing. I guess it shows, however, the danger of labels / catagories.
Labels are useful tools, but like any tool can be dangerous. I like to think of myself as the kind of guy who doesn’t wrongfully label people and situations. Unfortunately, I’ve caught myself doing just that.
I think we need to strive for personal balance and mastery of the tools at our disposal.
James A Woods´s last blog post..“The Music Man” Deserves Higher Slot on Entertainment Weekly List
@ James – Yep, we’ve got to use these tools wisely — I think we’re all guilty of mislabeling or overlabeling at times, even if we don’t want to admit it.