korona, etching, 05/18/08 its just a loss, hearing that ka crispin beltran just died after falling down from a roof. nonetheless, this post is not about him. but i just couldn't contain it. probably i'll blog something about him soon.
anyhow, when i was in my last year of college, that was doing my thesis, it occured to me how life could be so complicated, without you even really seeing it coming. how the c(o)urse of time and modernity could greatly affect and pioneer various modes of lifestyles. and how men have utilized and and lived with it.
But it was just the other day, over a brief text conversation from a fellow blogger, that i have realized a simple but unnoticed concept of life: labelling.
basically, labelling is categorizing oneself based upon physical features, socio cultural contexts (class, race, ethnicity etc) anbd preferences. this determines the position of an individual in the society, s/he belongs.
after me and my thesis partner, dianne, finished our thesis, i realized that the worst thing you could do in your life is to label yourself. simply because if you label yourself, you're constrainting yourself from your potentialities and other possible things that you could do and explore in your life. in addition, it also opens yourself from the vulnerability of being stereotyped and discriminated. for every labels happens to have its own derogatory stereotypes.
probably, it is the reason why most people are not comfortable in answering questions that refers to their class, race, ethinicity and even gender. especially if they belong to what are called the "marginalized group". thus, sometimes they tend to either conceal it or device other labels that would move them away from the connotations and derogations of the label or group that they belong.
now, i am thinking. is it inevitable for one to label him/herself? is it vital to have a label to have something to start with in life? is it true when they say you need to label yourself, meaning to know yourself so that you could have order and directions in your life? is knowing one self actually labeling?
here now, even blog post needs to have labels on it as well. tsktsk.
anyhow, when i was in my last year of college, that was doing my thesis, it occured to me how life could be so complicated, without you even really seeing it coming. how the c(o)urse of time and modernity could greatly affect and pioneer various modes of lifestyles. and how men have utilized and and lived with it.
But it was just the other day, over a brief text conversation from a fellow blogger, that i have realized a simple but unnoticed concept of life: labelling.
basically, labelling is categorizing oneself based upon physical features, socio cultural contexts (class, race, ethnicity etc) anbd preferences. this determines the position of an individual in the society, s/he belongs.
after me and my thesis partner, dianne, finished our thesis, i realized that the worst thing you could do in your life is to label yourself. simply because if you label yourself, you're constrainting yourself from your potentialities and other possible things that you could do and explore in your life. in addition, it also opens yourself from the vulnerability of being stereotyped and discriminated. for every labels happens to have its own derogatory stereotypes.
probably, it is the reason why most people are not comfortable in answering questions that refers to their class, race, ethinicity and even gender. especially if they belong to what are called the "marginalized group". thus, sometimes they tend to either conceal it or device other labels that would move them away from the connotations and derogations of the label or group that they belong.
now, i am thinking. is it inevitable for one to label him/herself? is it vital to have a label to have something to start with in life? is it true when they say you need to label yourself, meaning to know yourself so that you could have order and directions in your life? is knowing one self actually labeling?
here now, even blog post needs to have labels on it as well. tsktsk.
27 comments:
OMG! I didn't know KaBel is already dead. Since I left the country dami ko ng hindi alam na balita. May his soul rest peacefully. Or pwede niya ring dalawin si Gloria paminsan minsan.
On the other note, I believe labeling is not that vital. We simply label things, people or ourselves to gain individuality - of which you can also do even without labeling.
may pros and cons naman ang labeling.its really up to us kung pano natin i-hahandle.
patay na pala si ka bel. :(
"for every labels happens to have its own derogatory stereotypes."
So true.
The question is: Why do we need to label ourselves?
Labeling people, somehow, discourages us to talk to others, to share things and idea with them, and to enjoy each other's uniqueness.
but then, labeling occurs all the time, everytime, except that the human race is extremely unaware of it.
if we don't do it, there'll be chaos in society. we are no longer like birds, grasshoppers or monkeys (?), whose security rests on the laws of nature and they are satisfied by it.
heto na naman magquote rather paraphrase: to judge one-self is the hardest thing to do, and if we will be able to judge ourselves rightly, then we are men of true wisdom (conversation ng king to the little prince/ the little prince by antoine de saint exupery)
labeling oneself is just like saying u dont know who u really are. its like asking where u should place urself. one who submits to labeling is insecure of himself. labeling and individuality is a contradiction. i think.
Maybe labels keep us in place and keep us organized. Being organized can save us a lot of time.
lad: yup he died and i know by the time you read this you already know the reason. since its all over the news.
hmmm..individuality as a singular entity. but labelling would always refer to a collectivity of entities. but i got interested in deciphiring the relation of the two...
kurisujae: oo sad...
keitaro: i am thinking that it could also be read the other way around...just being pessimistic i suppose.
dabo: thats why were eshuming it for people to be aware of it. because sometimes its our unawareness that drives us to be insensitive with others.
second, yes this could hold true. the choice of lesser evil: anarchy or discrimination.
third, wala ka talagang kupas sa pagququote. panalo!
the tripper: i think we are going in the same thinking on this topic. exactly my point!!!
bino: choice of lesser evil: discrimination or anarchy... hmmm... this is something i really need to think about...
we really shoudnt be afraid of labels if we are secure with our own identities or are confident of the life choices we make.
what we label ourselves is our choice naman, yun ang importante. di naman absolute and permanent ang most labels. pwede rin magbago yun.
ewan ko, i think contra yung sinasabi ko.... pero i guess it depends on how you look at it.
odin: actually i really appreciate it and i think your comment is something most of us needs to consider. it spiced up the topic, seriously.
but there are instances in which people make use of labels for various purposes and shies away from who they really are.
there are instances in which there are people who don't want to be identified as one because of the derogatory connotation of their label ie. a boy aeta who doesn't want to be called aeta.
some make it as a form of a defense. a gay guy who hides in the cloak of the label of bisexuality.
a rich filipina businesswoman who denies that she is pinay in the us because she thinks that most americans think pinay as domestic helpers only.
"it occured to me how life could be so complicated, without you even really seeing it coming. how the c(o)urse of time and modernity could greatly affect and pioneer various modes of lifestyles"
pasok na pasok ang paggamit mo ng parenthesis! hehe
many clean righteous people deny themselves as people who put label to people they see... we all do, all the time
yun lang
it's really sad na ganun nga ang nangyayari kasi nga nagkakaroon ng negative or derogatory na panghuhusga.
with labels come all the things attached to it, good and bad. kaya a lot of people try to avoid it. unfotunately, it's already innate to us.
what can we do? we live in a society full of stereo-types. still, in the end, it's just that - labels.
we label ourselves? I thought we label other people, or the people label us...
he he he..
tse..
labeling i think is part of man's attempt to create order when there is actually none. its a good starting point for the sake of definition but people can always attach new connotations. a label today could mean different years from now.
labels are human invention. we decide how we use it. so i guess we become victims of labels only if we choose to be.
label?
to ba yung tinatawag na -
next label na!
Patawa lang. =)
This comment is just a responce on your comment on my blog..heheh
**kaya nga..ehehehe I followed my own conciense and realization (na naman!) in trying to obey your ten commandments on blogging, so okey lang un. I am new to the blogging community and so I really needed those kind of advices. Nice talaga kc blog mu..I have already read almost all the post in your archieve! There are just really few blogs that are worth reading and worth keeping - it's sad though that my blog is not one of them. hahahaha ***
labeling is stereotyping right? or is it just me?
mel and jm: i am not saying that i am a righteous person. but i think, the integration of labelling in ourselves can still be deconstructed. one good example is the liberation of the blacks in the US. although, not completely liberated but atleast in the process of it.
lawstud: when it comes ot this, i am still optimistic that reeducating can atleast make a change re stereotypes rather than accepting this bitter reality.. sorry, i didn't mean to sound mellow dramatic. hehehe
aracir: actually we do. the moment we fill in infos in our resumes. that is already labelling my friend... hehehe
kris: strict definition, not necessarily. its just how people perceive it.
ahh ok...confusing kasi yung labelling, parang ang daming meaning..
pahabol lang... yung sa resumes kasi or "label" mo sa iyong sarili, based on facts and experiences mo that u are just stating. while ung other people's "label" on you tend to be stereotypical. it's up to u if you want to be influenced by them.
aracir: example in resumes may religion di ba? mag isip ka ng stereotype if somebody answered the same religion as you are. then think of a stereotype if they will answer muslin, latter day, iglesia, aglipayan, atheist, agnostic o wiccan kaya.
pero tama ka, it would alwasy depend how you will take it...
very interesting... I always thought it was the other way around, people label people not themselves. But If people do label themselves it's not necessarily bad, it must be something that they are proud of if they are telling the whole world.
Labels are used not only used to help you find and figure out where something belongs people use it to place people where they think they should go. It makes them feel comfortable and convientent because after all aren't we all afraid of the unknown... just a thought
cory
Post a Comment