Labels and Personal Identity
Len Flack on March 10, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Have you ever noticed that people say they don’t like labels? “Don’t pigeon-hole me!” “I’m more complex than your label!” “Calvinist or Arminian? I don’t play that game!”
Clearly, people are indeed complex. We each have intellectual convictions and personal identity constructs that won’t always fit snugly into the confines of a metaphorical box. We’re all unique, just like everyone else, and no one better affix a label to us, because we’re just too darn different to be grouped with “those people!”
The thing is, it’s all talk. We do like labels. The creation and use of identifying terminology is simply a part of the human experience, and that’s okay. Labels help us to make logical order of our universe. Just like on Sesame Street, labels allow us to process information, and determine that “one of these things is not like the other, one of these things doesn’t belong!”
Even God uses labels, and sometimes he has his people use them too. He had Adam name the newly created animals in Genesis 2. They weren’t nothin’ till he called ‘em! Later, God called his chosen people “Israel”, and set them apart from the rest of humanity. Today’s followers of Jesus Christ are called “the church”, “the Bride of Christ”, “Christians”, and a gajillion other labels, some of them applied by God, and others applied by people.
Within the church, we love to throw labels around; perhaps even more so than those outside the church. Here are some examples: Calvinist and Arminian, charismatic and cessationist, covenantal and dispensational, Baptist and Methodist, emerging and emergent, relevant and traditional. There are plenty of other examples as well.
Let’s look at pop-culture for a moment. On Facebook and Myspace people join interest and affinity groups for the purpose of social connection. Musicians, gamers, bibliophiles, democrats, republicans, and the LGBT community all have groups one can join and thus label oneself as affiliated with those subcultures. We put graphics on our blogs and profiles the way we put, stickers on our notebooks in gradeschool.
Less digitally, we sometimes wear certain brands or types of clothes as a visual label of who we are. Sean John for those in the hip-hop culture, Carhart for workmen (and Linkin Park), Columbia for outdoor sporting enthusiasts, Wrangler for cowboys (yeehaw!), BigDog for fat guys like me, and ThinkGeek for, well, geeks. It goes on and on, and it’s not just limited to clothes. We buy coffee at certain places. What does the difference between Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts say about a person? We get food from certain places, enjoy certain genres of entertainment, and support certain political ideologies. All of these can serve as or lead to labels.
The second I apply the labels “Calvinist” “charismatic” and “Baptist” to myself, I’ve alienated a large section of American culture, both in and out of the church. However, I’ve applied those labels to myself, so it’s “okay”, and I’ll have to deal with the consequences. If someone were to come along and call me a “fundamentalist” it might bug me a bit. If someone were to call me a “heretic” (and mean it, as recently happened) I’d certainly take issue with it. (As an aside, all comments on this post calling me a fundamentalist or a heretic will face immediate and forceful retaliation! ;-))
As I think through this, I’ve come to the following conclusions. Labels help us figure out who we (and others) are, which can be a really good thing. However, labels also open up the possibility for the polarization of people based upon perceived differences. I think people naturally give themselves labels, even unintentionally. However, what we really rebel against is when other people assign certain labels to us. I think this is due to a fear of discrimination. People want labels, perhaps even need labels. We just don’t want others to label us, because then we lose the perception of control over our self-identity.
The problem is, if a label is accurate, it’s accurate. Right? Somebody pick holes in my thoughts, please!
Filed in Thoughts |
I think that we largely dislike labels only when we don’t agree with the label being applied. For instance, I have no problem being labeled male, or dashingly handsome. I balk when people label me fundamentalist (which, of course, no one does anymore), and I have a slightly less severe reaction when people call me “liberal” (which I hear far more often than fundamentalist). But I don’t mind people labelling me things. I don’t want people to label me inaccurately though.
I think that’s some of what you’re getting at, but I’m not sure its only the issue of control over ourselves, as much as it is a desire to be heard and understood.
Len,
I think you’re onto a very good point. I often tell people how I am completely justified in judging a person by their appearance. In our culture what you wear, how you wear it, how you groom yourself, if you groom yourself all are forms of communication where you are trying to me something about you. I have a sleeve tattoo, wore my lip-ring for years and still wear band shirts and hoodies to communicate to people I belong to a cultural subgrouping that wears those kind of things. Emerging folks wear those thick plastic glasses for the same reason. I could go on and on, but I say all of that to say you’re correct. We like labels.
I find it interesting though that we, as Americans, are far more concerned with negative labels than we are positive labels. We rarely hesitate to call someone a fundamentalist or liberal when we’re trying to communicate how they are wrong, but we rarely spend time coming up with positive labels to communicate what a person REALLY IS.
oh, and you’re a fundamentalist heretic.
Earl
@Calvin - I think that the “desire to be heard and understood” is, at the root cause level anyway, just part of the desire to present oneself in a certain light. Maybe this is too pop-psychological, but I think we try to “market” our public image based upon our internal self-identity, whether we market our positive traits, or try to cover up our negative ones.
@Earl - You are absolutely right about personal appearance. On to a related thought process: I currently have a secular job in a field (healthcare) that doesn’t allow me to show the sort of appearance (visual labels) that I might otherwise do. It’s funny, I could be myself in my church, but not at work; that’s sort of atypical from other experiences I’ve had. I think if I allowed myself to be more honest, I’d probably not wear my staple clothing: khakis and a polo shirt. I’d probably have more than the single tattoo I currently have. I’d keep my head shaved all the time. I’d grow my goatee longer. I’d consider one or two strategically placed ear and face piercings. But these are all prohibitive. And those are just the most visible things… (By the way, this isn’t a complaint about a dress code or something like that. I’ve chosen to adhere to company standards by choosing to be employed there. No angst, just thoughts.)
And Earl, retribution will be forthcoming!