People obsessed with labels

[elzober]

I've had conversations and seen a lot of social posts recently where people seem so wrapped up in their own labels: non-binary, vegan, neurodiverse etc

I get that these things are part of peoples identity and they want to discuss them but it seems to be all they can talk about and completely defines them.

Non-binary friend brings every topic of conversation back to being non binary. Neurodiverse colleague talks of nothing else at work and don't get me started on vegan family member

AIBU to think people are so obsessed with these labels and seem to construct their entire sense of self around them?

Yanbu. People are very self obsessed

Reminds me of that joke...

Q - How do you know if someone is a vegan?
A - They'll tell you.

Thought this was going to be a discussion about people who were into Gucci and Balenciaga.

Anyway.... YABU. People can talk about whatever they want - if you find it boring, get new friends.

It isn't accurate or respectful to place neurodiversity in the same bracket as he choice of veganism.

This. I'm sick of these ignorant threads about ND that keep popping up lately. It's offensive and ableist to bang on about "labels", like this is just something people fancy calling themselves, when what you're referring to is actually a diagnosis of a Neuro-Developmental condition. Would you describe Diabetes or Epilepsy or Cerebral Palsy as a "label"? No, I bet you wouldn't. My child's disability is not a "label".

I don’t tell anyone, unless I’m doing campaign work.

However, what I have found is that when I order a vegan meal in a restaurant, meat eaters often feel the need to lecture me on my ‘unhealthy ways’.....they’re usually drinking beer and ordering something not too healthy at the time. The irony. I say nothing though. 😉

I fundamentally disagree with that idea. Veganism is not a "lifestyle choice" if it's done in the knowledge that it's obscene to consume animal products.

It's defo a choice, unlike ND which was the point.

I didn't choose autism - yet I am autistic

I didn't choose veganism - im not a vegan

100% agree. Old fashioned tripe.

I am vegan. I have never posted about it on social media and only a handful of people know. I never bring it up in conversation. It's my personal choice and while I will silently judge people who eat meat I never mention it.

To me I see it as similar to labelling yourself as a Christian, a Muslim, a Sikh or whatever. No need to advertise it in any way.

I don’t find that any of these people use labels for themselves any mire than anyine else does. When talking about certain aspects of life everyone will usee some descriptor to situate themselves in the conversation. My dad’s a vegan—it comes up when we discuss dinner. My nephew is trans—it comes up if we are discussing politics or social life. My friends are often mothers—their identity as mother often takes precedence over other parts of their identity as doctors, lawyers, cleaning ladies etc… at least during some discussions. So maybe what the OP sees as a problem is just that her acquaintances sometimes feel like including parts of their experience that she doesn’t share. If Op would sincerely like to be friends with people perhaps she could muster just being curious and interested in their expertise on their own lives?

If someone had cancer and posted about having cancer would you be fed up of them going on about their "label"?

No? Then don't be so fucking offensive about neurodivergent people.

Most of them shouting about being ND are self diagnosed. And many of them also claim it's not a disability.

Anyone else think this was going to be about designer labels?

Sometimes people who are new to an identity, a lifestyle change or a diagnosis are still using a lot of headspace to process it so I think they raise it in conversation as it’s on their mind. People for whom it’s an established part of their life generally feel the need to mention it less unless strictly relevant to the situation.

I completely agree OP. Sadly I believe we are living in the age of labels and the medical model. There's not a single person out there that we couldn't find a diagnosis for if we looked hard enough. It's sad that people feel they need a diagnosis in order to access support, or to be understood, or to justify who and how they are, or to feel acceptable to themselves or others, or for whatever other reason. It would b nice to live in a world where we just accept individual difference and understand that most people are the way they are due to a combination of their biology and experience, and that's ok, no need for a label.

This was my point exactly

Talking about struggles is one thing.
Making it your whole personality is another.

This was my point exactly

Weird point to try and suggest peoples personalities are made of something other than their actual genetics.

Anything to have a dig at disabled people though, huh?

Drives me bonkers too. We live in the age of identity politics.

Half the people on here seem obsessed with their child's ASD, ADHD or SEN labels.

Bunch of hypocrites.

What's the hypocrisy?

People do generally become fixated btw, it tends to be all consuming living with disabilities. It's not a stick to beat them with.

I'm assuming there are people answering YANBU who have obsessed over the labels they apply to their own children. Those are the hypocrites.

People base their personalities around all sorts of inane shit.

I wonder why it's gender, sexuality, etc. that riles the mumsnetters up so much?

I though this was going to be about handbags

You got deleted only yesterday for spiting the same shit about disabilities.

The non binary thing is trendy nonsense but most of the time when it comes to ND conditions it’s helpful to be labelled so the person can receive help or awareness of the difficulties that come with that, as well as the fact that some people find comfort in knowing they have a name for something they’ve struggled with for years.

Having said that, I know some people just like to self diagnose and label themselves.

I have a neurodiverse, non binary, vegan friend ... I know, the full extent of op's comment in one person, yet my friend manages to talk about other things! I do get some people only want to talk about their world view