User blog comment:Polly021105/Labeling/@comment-8-20160404181615

I always try to connect blogs to a wiki and its community, because this is Community Central and so all about that wiki communities. But I'm stumped on this one - anyone?

I'd say that not everything you mention is labeling, sometimes those things are facts. For example someone saying who smokes crack saying "I smoke crack" is not labeling themselves, it's a reality. But if they are saying "all I am is a crack smoker" that is a label.

Or "I'm gay" might just be a simple truth for one person, but for another it might be hiding a more complex reality "I'm currently attracted to members of the same gender as me, although my sexuality is still evolving"

So I think (and this is just off the top of my head) labels are things we stick on ourselves that hide our full selves: "I'm more than just a crack addict"; "my sexuality doesn't fit simple terms".

Labels help us hide, and even if they are bad labels, that can make us feel safer. Safer is good when you need it, but be aware of the labels you hide behind, so you can take them off with those you trust