I’m putting the UK to rights

[Ponderingme]

Does anyone agree that we are labelling everything and everyone too much? And by doing this we are segregating ourselves even further, the more we label?
Race, gender, religion, age, class. It’s become crazy. The less we label, the more connected we will all become, right? Because the more we point out our differences, the more people are looking to find flaws and blame their differences for the misfortune that arises in everyone’s life.
We want to be equal, we are all humans. We are not going to get equality by pointing out and labelling everyone and everything. We are all aware of our differences.

Get that chip off your shoulder, stop living your life as a colour/gender/religion/age and start living life as the human that you are.
Please someone more articulate come along.

[ButchyRestingFace]

Sorry, don't have a clue what you're talking about.

Can you give examples?

[Bombardier25966]

You might not feel like that if you were a "label" being discriminated against. Try getting a job as a disabled person. Try getting fair treatment from the justice system if you're a black male. Try getting justice if you're a victim of sexual assault.

But hey, we should all just carry on being treated like second class citizens because it makes you feel better. Blame the victim not the perpetrator.

[Merryoldgoat]

No. I’ll not be taking your advice thanks.

My ethnic origin, sexuality and gender are important to me and shape the human I am.

Trying to ignore the differences is utterly unhelpful.

[DancingLedge]

Thing is, if your colour/gender/age/ ethnicity affects how people view you/treat you/ make assumptions about you , you have every right to challenge that.

That's not having a chip on your shoulder, that's standing up for yourself.

Ime, "chip on your shoulder" = person of privilege talking down to someone else.

[ghostyslovesheets]

but we ARE different - recognising and celebrating that is not a bad thing - pretending race/sexuality/physical and mental health/gender etc are unimportant have no impact is to ignore the experiences of thousands of people for your own what? Comfort? Privilege?

[Bombardier25966]

Blame the victim not the perpetrator being the OP's viewpoint.

(Nice first post BTW )

[Glumglowworm]

Yes PLEASE someone more articulate come along because the OP is full of mindless drivel

[RoseWhiteTips]

You make a very good point, OP.

[Merryoldgoat]

@Dancingledge - you’re so right about that phrase. I wanted to articulate exactly that but couldn’t find the right words.

[user1471517900]

You've got to search for the hero inside yourself. Search for that secret you hide. Search for the hero inside yourself. Until you find the key to your life.

Socrates I believe.

[StickThatInYourPipe]

I would agree with you about people putting themselves into boxes (think goth/townie/'alternative') bit race / age etc is just something you are. We need to segregate in terms of stats etc so we can understand the inequalities experienced by people.

[MIdgebabe]

Where discrimination exists, it is better to make it explicit, give it a name. This helps us both individually and as a society understand and tackle it.

In effect we are deliberately highlighting a hidden, implicit concept that people are using in their every days lives but often in a discriminatory way, making it public, explicit so that we can consciously tackle the subconscious, fast, lazy brain thinking that leads to discrimination.

If we didn't have discrimination, we would not need the labels.

It's pretty clear that the discrimination and subconscious labelling came before the explicit labels. take away the labels leads to worse discrimination

When labels are in the subconscious, people think they are being fair but it can be shown that they are not.

My favourite example of this subconscious bias is the orchestra that was predominantly male. The auditions were considered totally fair, with only the best players being selected. It was evidence that men are just better at some things than women. Until they went to blind autitions when suddenly many more women were selected.

[ButchyRestingFace]

You make a very good point, OP.

She made several points. Which one in particular did you think was good?

[DuchyDuke]

OP you clearly haven’t been discriminated against.

[Idontdowindows]

Get that chip off your shoulder

Ah yes, people who are being discriminated against have SUCH a chip on their shoulder.

If only black people would stop emphasising that they're black, so they can be normal like everyone else.

If only disabled people would stop being disabled, they would be normal just like everyone else.

If only women would stop going on about sex-based discrimination and identify as men, they would be treated fairly!

[DairyisClosed]

Agreed. I say this as a minority. I would rather not go there. I never felt much affinity to my race. I don't see why others should get to decide whether it is relevant.

[Idontdowindows]

Dairy, the OP is saying YOU should not get to decide that.

[DancingLedge]

user14etc thank you , I was trying to recall that Socratic lyric just the other day

[CuntPuffin]

Sounds like someone speaking from a position of privilege to me.

[RoundaboutSnail]

I don't think the answer to intolerance is making everyone the same, or making every part of the world fit the same mould. Yes, we're all human and most of us want the world to be a decent place. However, tolerance is about appreciating people of all kinds, with different beliefs and ways of life, in different countries, cultures, and of different ages, appearances and backgrounds. It's about embracing, valuing and respecting differences, not ignoring them or trying to erase them.

Even we were all the same religion, race, sex, age, class and the world was all one country with one leader, that wouldn't make people inherently more tolerant. It would just mean humanity lost its rich variety, and freedom to differ. People would still find just as many other things to argue about instead. If they were allowed to, that is.

Talking about the characteristics of a person isn't "labelling" in a negative way. It's just giving a neutral, factual description. If I was to say I have a friend who's a mixed-race, 35 year old, Hindu woman, am I really "labelling" her, or just describing her? Should I refer to her as Human 7,326,520 instead?

[DancingLedge]

Come on OP, if you're going to put the UK to rights, you're going to have to, at the very least, participate on your own thread.

[Ponderingme]

I am a Bangladeshi woman with a wandering right eye and thick accent. I did not get the job I interviewed for today. My family and friends keep making excuses and pointing out my differences as a reason why I didn’t get the job. If I appeal and kick up huge fuss and blame my differences, say I feel they discriminated, they are right I probably would get a job in that company after reapplying.
That is my problem. I feel people are using discrimination card too much to get their own way, too often, when it simply is not the case in most situations. This creating the professionally offended, which creates more labels, which creates more segregation and unfortunately the minority (the professionally offended) shout the loudest to get what they want.
Yes it is our identity, that’s great, but you’re segregating yourself on your strive to let everyone know about it.

[Noqonterfy]

user1471517900

[RoseWhiteTips]

Chip on your shoulder means being resentful of others who are wealthier etc than you.

[DancingLedge]

You know what real labelling is, Pondering: when you are NEVER going to be interviewed, because of your name, your age, your address.