Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Labelism (Swiped)

Labels. There are labels for everything. And no, I don't mean labels like on a can of soup. I mean labels like Democrat. Republican. Feminist. Hip-Hopper. Underground. Indie. Hipster. Scenester. Skater. MC. Photographer. DJ. Gamer. Nerd. Sneakerhead. Artist. Vegetarian. Jesus-freak. Black. White. Hispanic. American.

We label people according to how they dress, what they eat, what they listen to, what they watch, what they do, and how they think. The true spirit of a label is to simplify things. You can say you listen to A Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr, Wu-Tang Clan & Aesop Rock, or you can just say you listen to hip-hop. But the problem is when people begin to associate you only with that label. It gets to the point where you're walking down the street and as you look at people, that's all you see: "He's a hipster". "She's a punk". "That guy has got to be a Republican".

Nowadays, most everyone I know is into lots of different things. I mean really, who is just one thing now? I personally like lots of different music, I'm into all different clothing styles, and enjoy a number of different activities.

What would be so wrong if labels just went away. If you actually had to explain what it is you're into as opposed to just spouting a single word. If you're going to take the time to ask someone what it is they're into, what it is they're about, then don't expect them to sum it up in one simple word for your consumption. And if you can't deal with that, then you must not really want to know.


It's a new year, so instead of all being the multitude of labels that we already know and hate, let's all be one label. Labelists. Labelism is the idea of not ascribing to any labels. The no label era is upon us.**








**Cred to: D.K. of Organology

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