Labeling

I recently had an art project come up in school. The outline of the project was to express your thoughts on something political, or a topic important to you concerning society. 

Let me tell you something about myself. 

I hate art. 

I don't mind occasionally sketching, or doodling, but the actual class of art? 

Forget it. 

I wasn't really looking forward to this project, especially considering that it'd be turned in, graded, and account for quite a large part making up my grade in the class. 

Not to mention the part about the outline of the project being fairly vague and me originally having no idea what to do for the project.

My mind was blank for a bit, mulling over problems in my local community more than society.

And then an idea hit me. 

A featureless figure holding a sign, scrawled with condescending words. 

I edited the picture I took because A.) It was horrible quality & B.) I'm still not terribly happy with how the finished product turned out. 
Don't get me started on how wrong the hands look. 
So not a professional, over here. xD

I'll admit. I was a nervous wreck doing my drawing. 

I feel tremendously strong about society, and today's people. Don't get me wrong, there are people capable of doing amazing things and being sincerely kind, but honestly, a lot of people now are quite rude and have lost sight of morals. 

I feel like something a lot of people do nowadays is label. 

I think all of us have been called something; put into a box with others.

For example, say somebody calls you crazy. Whether or not you agree with this (I know some of you may proudly say,"Yup, I am!") it's still labeling. Still being put into a box. Not to mention the fact that being called something can be painful, hurtful, and lead a person to question themselves. 

In most cases, the words used to label people are harsh, cruel, and don't often nearly represent the person who is being judged. 

And anybody ever notice how the words used are often coming from a personal view?

Somebody who may seem fat to you, could be perfectly fine to another. 

Someone who you think is introverted could be the life of the party when they're with their friends.

 Why does society judge people so harshly?

I doubt people were raised to do so. 

And I'm sure the people who judge, label, and mock others are acutely aware of their own flaws and how they're not perfect. 

So why the heck do people do this to others?

I understand it's often others venting their frustrations/insecurities out on others, but still. 

Can we not leave others alone? 

Let them be who they are, with no need for putting them into groups, sections, & boxes. 

I don't know when in time people became so cruel. 

So willing to judge others.

To hurt them. 

All in an effort to make themselves feel better. 

I don't think perhaps everybody will ever realize how much words can hurt. 

What labeling can do.

Maybe one day, majority will. 



I turned in my project a few days ago and received my grade today. 

100%.

And a comment from my teacher that read,"Outstanding. I can relate to your message." 



This art project made me think a lot. 

Made me write this post that most of you will probably skip over. 

I wasn't planning on writing this but I felt the need to write down my thoughts. 

I think I'm easing more into blogging. 

The Halfling Writer is going to become more of a journal for me this year, I think. 

My thoughts are going to be so much more disjointed than this, but that's okay. 

As long as I'm writing them down, I don't mind. 


Let me know your thoughts on this, society, or anything else. 

I'm curious to know what y'all have to say. =)




Comments

  1. I agree with you. Even if it's not to me, it kind of hurts me when someone says that they are dumb because they are blonde, even if they are just joking (I'm a blonde). I don't know why blondes are put into that "dumb" category, but it's totally not true.

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    1. Exactly. Those stereotypical assumptions drive me nuts.
      I can't even remember where I heard it, but I remember hearing that the whole,"Dumb blonde," thing occurred because of a woman a long time ago who wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. She was blonde and I believe that's how dumb blonde things came about. So stupid that because of one woman the dumb blonde stereotype came about. :P
      ~Adi

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    2. It was Marilyn Monroe, I think, and she wasn't even a natural blonde!

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    3. It was further back in history than that, but still. The stereotype of somebody being dumb because of their hair color is ridiculous. :/
      ~Adi

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    4. Yes! I'm blonde and that is like my worst pet peeve. blondes are ALWAYS dumb (in like movies and books) or thought to be dumb! (In real life) I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by this! I mean, do I sound dumb to you?

      ~Lydia~ <3

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    5. I am more of a dirty blonde, but I can still relate to this stereotype. I have heard girls call themselves dumb because they are blonde when they are actually very smart. This stereotype is so far from the truth that it might as well be on a different dimension.

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  2. this post was so true. so true. i really think it's messages like these that a lot of people need to hear. especially what you said about the introverts. i'm an extrovert, and in real life, i fail at small talk. i don't strike up conversations super easily, and i don't always draw every single ounce of my strength from other people. so why are people so shocked when i say i'm an extrovert? really...really.... i loved this post so much, Adi <3

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    1. Thank you Autumn. That means a lot to me. I say I'm extroverted as well but sometimes being around people drains me. Nobody fits perfectly into any label. It's unfair to use them.
      ~Adi

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    2. Yeah. Even with skin color, people still act weird or mean around African Americans. They might even make fun of their beaded hair for it being different, but I think it's pretty.

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    3. Woops I didn't even realize I replied under the wrong comment. Sorry! -_-

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  3. *why are all the people on the internet not like you*
    Holy cow, this is perfect. This is something that needs to be said and has needed to be said and probably will still need to be said in the future because people are cruel and awful and unsensitive. Thank you so much for this, Adi.
    This kind of reminds me of one of my very closest friends. He has epidermolysis bullosa, and because of that all the boys in my class treat him like dirt, say "Ugh, he smells." or "Ugh, can't he, like, get surgery or something and become normal?". He has to change his wraps multiple times a day (which is extremely painful), he can barely walk, and he has to live with the knowledge that he'll probably be living in a care center for the rest of his life, and they KNOW this yet still call him "stupid" and "inferior" and "gay" (unrelated much?) and "wrong". Because there's something about him he can't help. They shove him into the "disabled and stupid" box and kick him into a corner and keep him there. And his best friend? His best friend is apparently "stupid" and "gay" and "weird" and "demented" for hanging out with him. You can see he's tried to build up a thick skin against it and not let it get to him, but sometimes you can tell he's seriously hurt. Dang, he's cried. Bloody cried. Because to the rest of the world he isn't a funny, intelligent, clever, level-headed unique person, he's just "disabled". Just a label.

    - Ellie

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    1. Lord, Ellie.
      I teared up at your comment.
      Gay is the worst insult I have ever heard. I support people who are gay, and it ticks me off when people use the word as an insult. People who truly are go through hell and fire for being themselves, and yet most still manage to be such nice, regular people. Calling somebody gay would almost be a compliment to me. Somebody who can't help who they are, is insanely strong for being themselves and who are all beautiful people.
      You tell your friend he is amazing, so much more than words, and that he's such an inspiration to me. Because he is. <3
      ~Adi

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    2. It seriously is. Like half of my mom's friends are gay, and they come over all the time for parties, and they are honestly some of the most witty, intelligent, humble, considerate people I have ever met. They go through so much, and society treats them so horribly. A kid at my school literally once said they deserved to "go to concentration camps for sinning so much". It's absolutely horrible and absurd and sickening. How is it that a heterosexual couple holds hands in public and it's "adorable", and a gay couple does it and it's "perverted"?
      "Gay" as an insult is completely unacceptable. It makes a person feel ostracized and unwanted and wrong, and there is literally nothing to the insult. If you ask someone what they mean when they call someone else "gay", they'll just be like, "uh, um, well, ya know". It's totally pointless and ridiculous. To not believe in gay marriage is fine - that's someone's opinion, that's probably their religion, so whatever. People have opinions. But that doesn't mean you go and victimize people you've never met. At the end of the day, it's not you who can't go anywhere with their spouse and feel safe. It's not you who is denied public services and basic rights. It's not you who will always be looked at differently and never accepted. It's absolutely ridiculous.
      And I shall. <3

      - Ellie

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    3. Exactly.
      And I wish people would realize that they didn't ask to be this way. They didn't ask to be a person looked at so differently by others and so hated on. I understand if it is against your religion, but do not use that as an excuse to hurt them, mock them, or treat them like crap. They are people. They live, they breathe, they have feelings, *they are just like you and I*.
      They feel love, and I commend them on being themselves. I hate the fact that they have to "come out," about it to others, because they're scared to be themselves, in a society that is so unforgiving and plain evil. It is horrible that we live in a world where we cannot be ourselves.
      ~Adi

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    4. I know someone who got so angry that people use the word "gay" as an insult that she started calling everything around her straight just to show how unacceptable using the word gay as an insult is. 'Gay" isn't and shouldn't be an insult. It's just a part of life.

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  4. Labels. They don't define who I am. SO many people label me as innocent, little, unprotected and crap like that. They act like because I am short and blond that I am dumb. Or that I have never heard a cuss word in my life. I always hate it when I get a solo in dance-some of the other dancers say it's because I look like a little girl, not that, you know, I might actually be a good dancer. *Sighs*
    ~Emily

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    1. Exactly. Because I wear a Frozen shirt, do not assume for one second that I'm immature, or childish. Looks don't define anybody, and labels given to them certainly don't either.
      ~Adi

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  5. I love reading life journals, so if thats what you want to write then do it! I'll read 'em.

    also I so agree with this post. labels hold so much power. I spent so many years suffering under the labels I had been given, and there are days when I still do struggle with it, but Im not suffering anymore.
    I think the best we can do is try to treat others with more respect and to incorporate that into our lives. one positive comment can lead to another. you could change the world.

    thank you for sharing these thoughts. I loved your picture too. Im an art freak so I love love loooooove it! so much symbolism! very well done.

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    1. Glad you'll read them. I think I"ll be doing more of them. =)

      They hold SO much power and I wish people could understand their effect. It can be shattering to a person.
      Exactly. Positive comments can do so much.

      Aww thanks. :}

      ~Adi

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  6. Wow Adi! Just WOW!! *Applause!* More to come in an email :D

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  7. I totally understand where you're coming from, Adi. The ideas that society puts into peoples heads about how (or who) we should and shouldn't be, about how we should live and look and act—it's absolutely ridiculous. And it's extremely irritating watching people's lives turned upside down because of it! Labeling, stereotyping, etc. is a big part of that, and I think you chose an excellent topic for your project. :) By the way, your drawing is so much better than I would've done, don't put yourself down about it lol!

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    1. It's almost comical really, the things society tries to get others to believe is wrong and right.
      Thanks, Eve. I've gotten a bit prouder of it over time, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and not a very great drawer which doesn't mix well in my case. xD
      ~Adi

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  8. Yes. So much yes.
    I think everyone can relate to this post.
    And it really hits home to me because I'm different.
    Just because I wear lip gloss doesn't mean I'm shallow.
    Just because I like Frozen doesn't mean I'm childish.
    Just because I'm smart doesn't mean I'm stuck up.
    Come on, society.

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    1. Exactly. At my school I'm the "smart girl" and nothing else. Once, when we were assigned splits for social studies, everyone who wasn't in mine cheered because "we might actually have a chance to win academic competitions!". Like seriously. I'm a person, you know. I'm smart, but I'm also quirky and humorous and caring and whimsical.
      I think sometimes what people do is they define people by what sticks out to them first and most. Like, if they see an overweight person, the first thing they'll think is, "Wow, she's fat," and then from then on only think of that person in terms of "fat". "Oh, there's the fat girl." Or like blondes with makeup. "Popular girls." Or chipper girls. "Wow, they must be into Starbucks". Or like my friend. "Disabled." It's awful. Because no one's recognizing that those people have lives and personalities other than their most noticeable feature.

      - Ellie

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    2. Ugh, yes. Yes, yes, yes, to everything you just said Ellie. It irks me so badly. People are so judgmental, and I just. *tugs on hair and screams*
      ~Adi

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  9. This post is true. I have been asked if I am mute and why I don't talk much all my life. Just because I am quiet at school doesn't mean I am quiet elsewere. When one of my friends was little something happend and she can't easily answer questions, so she will laugh if she is askec one. People at my school call her dumb and stupid when she really isn't. People should stop guessing what people are like based on looks.
    -Shannon

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    1. That's horrible. I hate that people judge based on appearance or when they know next to nothing about someone. >_<
      ~Adi

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  10. Oh my gosh. This is so darn true. You wrote this perfectly and just bravo. I truly love your art. Labeling is just so wrong and hurtful.
    ---
    I started a blog party for bloggers to find/meet new blogs/bloggers. Would you check it out by chance? And maybe link up? Thank you!
    - June
    http://weezasjournal.blogspot.com/2015/02/friday-friends-2.html

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    1. Thank you June.

      I'd love to check out the link up. Thanks for letting me know about it, and commenting. =)
      ~Adi

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  11. This is so dang true and inspiring. I hate when people say someone is "Gay", "fat", "Ugly" "Stupid", and such.
    They treat those people like crap when they honestly can't help their physical appearance.
    'Retard" is a popular insult at my school and it makes me cringe. When kids use Retard as an insult it's because someone's "stupid." When it really means you have a mental problem.
    I'm glad you posted this.
    ~Ella

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