OPINION: LABELS

Written by: Ho Mei Xin

We interact with people everyday. Be it our friends or strangers on the street; we tend to judge people on what they wear, how they look like, or simply because of a personality trait that catches our attention

The categories or labels we use against people are anything but comprehensive and fair. The labels we use against people might not be true at all.

Labels shape more than our perception of things - placing people into categories make it difficult for us to see anything beyond that characterisation. Some examples of labels people often use on others are "selfish", "lazy", "problematic" and more.

When did we start seeing labels as a negative thing? In the past, making comments like "fat" could just be a passing remark. However, with modern society, people tend to be sensitive now and we will feel judged. Each time somebody is mean to you, you will take that as a hint to label that person as a bad person.

However, labelling is not always a cause for concern, it can be useful at times. It is impossible to not use labels to describe a certain object or feeling - be it positive or negative. I guess humans have the tendency to label in an attempt to understand things or people better.

Labels used against people usually fail as every individual is so complex, making it hard to put all characters or personalities into one category. There is not one person in this world with just one personality type.

It is impossible to avoid getting or giving labels. The world would be a better place if people just stopped using labels negatively against others. Otherwise, we should all take it easy and not be too sensitive when others use certain words to describe you. To make things easier for everyone (and life too), just act like how it was in the olden days - treat any labels used against you as a passing remark.