War on Labels?

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For a while now, there has been a “war on labels” flowing through the internet. Whether the labels determine a person's race, religion, or sexual orientation, there has been a rise in people wishing to disregard the labels and just be themselves. Even Raven Symone told Oprah, back in 2014, “I'm an American; I'm not an African-American. I'm an American." (CNN). However, what does it mean to be “just yourself” and how can we define ourselves without a label?

While everyone is attacking labels, it can be hard to see that not all labels are bad or restricting. For instance, just being a dog or a cat person is a label. Even the type of music a person enjoys is a label in itself. However, the problem arises when people start to use simple labels, like music interest, to start defining every aspect of a person. Just because a person’s favorite music genre is pop-punk, that doesn’t mean that they will grow up to become a bank robber. The connection of these two things is crazy, and comes from a place of ignorance rather than logic.

In the same way that a person’s musical interest does not correlate to their criminal history, neither does any other label connect to other aspects of a person's life. Just because a person is visibly black on the outside, that single factor gives no other insight to who that person is. They could really enjoy painting, or they could own 15 cars. There is no way to tell by simply looking at the color of their skin.

It is sad that race has to be a thing people want to pretend doesn’t exist. Race can be a beautiful thing, especially when connected to culture. A person's race could give insight to cultures that have since gone extinct, yet have beautiful traditions which should have the chance to live on. Yet, because a few people can not seem to see past the narrow views they have about people and race, we must all be color blind and forget about the wonderful differences that do exist in each culture.

When it comes to religion, people should not be afraid to speak their mind. The main issue people have with religion, is that most people have a very defined stance on what they believe, and people are unsure of how to disagree without letting hatred for a person’s beliefs get in the way. Everyone should be allowed to express their thoughts and beliefs, however, those beliefs should never be forced on another person. It is okay to have disagreeing viewpoints on any topic in life, and it is okay to talk about those differences, especially since those differences make us who we are.  However, just because we have differences, doesn’t mean we can not still love the people who see differently than us. You would never yell hateful things at someone just for owning a different car than you. Same with religion.

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In regards to sexual orientation, whether a person chooses to be labeled is solely up to them, just as their sexual orientation is up to them. If an issue has no personal effect on another person’s life, then that person really has no right to attack them for it. It is okay to disagree, but at the end of the day, it is their life, not the other person’s.   

Labels are a part of everyday life, whether they are about a person's interest, or about a person’s life choices. However, these labels should never be used to define more about a person then what the label clearly states. If they say they like dogs, then that label means simply that, they like dogs. Not that they are more likely to cheat in a relationship. Labels don’t need to be taken away, people just need to stop using them to determine more than they blatantly state.  

What do you think? Should labels be used, or do they have no place?

• For more information about Oprah’s Raven Symone interview:      http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/showbiz/raven-symone-gay-labels/index.html

• For more information about the problem with labels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc

Racial Awareness

Throughout history there has always been a group of people who were fighting to get equal rights as everyone else, mainly because there have always been a race, gender, or another socially dividing factor that has cause one group to be superior to another. It makes sense, that if one group is contently considered dominant over another, the weaker of the two groups would eventually stand up, and say enough is enough, and try to put a stop to it.  However, many people still get surprised or even infuriated when people try to stand up for themselves, as if it has not been going on for decades, even centuries.

For example, in America, Black History Month has happened every February since 1976, and before that, there was Negro History Week, every second week in February, since 1926. Why then, do people seem so surprised and offended every year it takes place? Some people have even gone as far as to say “White Live Matter Too”. Obviously most people can see how this can be very offensive to many people, since black people have had to overcome many obstacles in this country through the decades. Only until recently have they had mostly equal rights, considering that segregation only became illegal in 1954, and that was only truly for education, in the Brown V. Board of Education trail. True integration didn’t happen until much later. One of the main reasons for things like Black History Month is to inform people of facts like this, and of all of the amazing and courageous people who fought to make everyone equal. Without knowledge of these events, younger generations will never fully understand all the obstacles that people had to go though to make America the way it is today, and they will take for granted all of the freedoms that they have been given. The goal of any event that raises awareness is not to take away other people's rights, or to try and make one group superior over the other, but rather to help preserve the legacy of the people, who fought and even risked their lives, to create a better country for us to live in. Without awareness of theses people and events, all of their hard work would have been for nothing.

Obviously there are many more issues than just this one, such as: gay and transgender rights, feminism, Mexican immigration, stigmas about Muslims, the list could go on and on. However, the only way that any of the issues can find a solution is by raising awareness, which would allow everyone to realize that there are still issues that need to be fixed. Without the awareness of the issues going on around us, people would never get to look outside of the walls of their life, and see the disheartening amount of discrimination still going on in America alone. I understand that not everyone will agree with what everyone has to say, and that maybe what one person is standing up for is not something that you believe in. However, there is a difference in saying your opinion and deliberately trying to hurt someone else just for stating facts. I beg everyone to open up their hearts and their minds to, at the very least accept that, for one, some people are going to have different opinions than you, and also, the world is changing and the only thing you can do is hold on and hope for the best.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Rachel Dolezal: Why is Race so Important?

Hello everyone. Many of you may recognize the name Rachel Dolezal. If you don’t, she is the women who was born white but says that she identifies as black. She also used to be the leader of the NAACP, but has since stepped down since this whole scandal started.

 Many people are very upset by this. Truthfully, I feel that a person should be allowed to be whoever they want to be. And, it’s not like this is the first time we have seen this. For example: Michael Jackson. However, I think what lots of people are upset about isn’t the fact that she chose to change race, but the fact that she lied about it. When asked if she was born white, the first time, she denied it and later went as far too even denied her own parents. Her doing that makes me, first, feel sorry for her parents and, second, make me feel like she is hiding something. Honestly, I don’t understand why she wouldn’t just tell people. It’s not like people would hate her for it, and if they did, who cares. People hate others just for breathing.

Later on she did and interview on the “Today Show”, where she admitted to being born white and changing her race. In the interview she said, “I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon, and black curly hair.” Maybe I just don’t understand the feeling of wanting to be another race, but I don’t get how a person can feel a certain race. I am a biracial person, yet I don’t ever really feel myself identifying with one race more than another. However, like I said before, maybe I just don’t get it.

One thing that upsets me is that some people are saying that if Caitlyn Jenner can be a girl then Rachel Dolezal can identify as black. However, and this is in no way Rachel’s fault, should race be that important? I mean gender is very important because in today society women can do certain things that men can’t, for example wear makeup, dresses, and other “girly” things, and vice versa. Not to say that everyone follows those strict guidelines, just society’s norm is for girls and boys to be different. However, I thought this country was over viewing races differently. I mean, that is what I was taught in school; people are people no matter what skin tone. I understand that there is and always will be racism, but in most situations, one race is never excluded from doing something another race can. I just think that it is sad that in America today, people feel that race is so important. Why does there have to be things that black people do, and white people do. Why can't we just look at people as people; not the color of their skin?

How do you feel about this? Does Rachel Dolezal have the right to change her race, or should she have to identify as white? Comment below.

And as always, THANKS FOR READING!