Labeling is common in a commercial setting. Whatever can be sold or bought- products, a brand name, animals – need to be labeled to make them distinctive. Products and brand names need to be identified by consumers. Animals need to be remembered for scientific purposes.

What happens when we start labeling people, though? Isn’t it common for people to label other people in general? Is it really harmful or not?

Children are most susceptible to labelling early on in their life. Their peers, and even teachers, will label them as being the class bully, or perhaps the best dancer, or even the class diva. Don’t you remember the child in kindergarten who was labeled most likely to succeed?

These labels might seem trivial enough, but what happens when the labels become more serious such as – the asian or black kid? Racism originated from labels. How about the class bully? What happens when the child starts to believe he or she IS the class bully? And what happens when people actually see no room for change for the class bully? Labels are dangerous as they close the minds and views of people to change. This can be hard on a child’s self-esteem.

When people start believing a label, they don’t see anything about the person except for whatever the label is. The rest of a person’s traits are crossed-out by the label. Everyone has a positive and negative side, but when all people can see are the negative traits, it can be hard for a person to change.

When people are labelled, they tend to rebel. They do not want to show how hurt or angry they are but might instead play on these perceptions as a way of getting back. They retreat into their own private world and push people away, accepting they are social rejects.

Once isolated, they become anti-social and resort to other means of making them happy. Perhaps even substance abuse.

So how abot we stop labeling people with their general behavior. Lets accept that people are individuals, unique and too complex to label in general. Labels should stay where they are supposed to – on a can.

See more of this writer’s articles regarding items including engineered hardwood floors and hardwood flooring.

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