As for war, some people would argue that there is no us vs. them, that we’re all the same, and we shouldn’t fight anyone. I think it depends. I don’t think the U.S. needs to launch an us vs. them war against Canada, but in WWII it was important to make sure we were fighting the right people.

Definitely a thoughtful post with some great examples. (Great comments here too!)

It’s been a couple years since I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, but I found his arguments interesting in regards to his concept of thin-slicing–that creating generalizations is part of how we handle the information overload with which we’re bombarded.

We’re always quick to take short-cuts (and it’s probably what allows us to function), so I don’t think labeling and categorizing will go away any time soon, but there’s no denying that many labels (especially applied to people) carry negative connotations that can be downright dangerous.

When you get down to it, every war in history has been based on us vs. them. If we couldn’t label them, how would we know who to fight?

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I watched a film by Eckhart Tolle recently in which he asked you to imagine the world if you didn’t have a name. Close your eyes and try it, it’s quite interesting.

Look forward to seeing your future posts Hunter

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@ Cath, illness labels can be very bad, because people often don’t understand the illness very well. Like if you have to explain that you can’t catch ADD by kissing! Well, that’s not a real example, but people often have misconceptions of what people with an illness can and can’t do, or whether they pose any threat.

I’ll be the first to admit – labels truly suck – especially when it comes to illnesses – particularly mental health issues, or child illnesses such as Attention Deficit Disorder or Dyspraxia.

But, I guess labels are a necessary evil, as they allow the majority to have a basic understanding of people without delving too deeply. But at the same time, they’re dangerous because they can lead people to make assumptions about folk who fall under a particular label. And the truth is, most people just aint the same.

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