Why do people hate labels?

What kind of labels? Labels in clothes make me itch. I’m allergic to polyester. I wouldn’t say I hate labels, but I really, really dislike them.

People hate labels because society is insanely over-sensitive these days.

No, I mean all this “Don’t call me an emo.” Or whatever else.

Once you turn 19 or so, you stop thinking of the subject entirely.

I like labbels.

This is something I ask myself @LezboPirate.

We need labels to get proper therapy for a few of my loved ones. Labels mean nothing beyond getting help. They aren’t tangible. Without them, insurance won’t help with the bills.

We’re not ashamed of our labeling. My son openly discusses what he’s working on for therapy for the week, to anyone that will listen. We’re teaching him to own what makes him, him.

We have many family members (and had a few friends) that despise labels so much, they no longer associate with our family. Or if they do still visit with us or invite us over when the labels come up, they completely change or ignore the topic completely.

My personal take on this: Some people prefer to stick their heads in the sand.

Too bad for them. I refuse to reside in delusion.

I’m 22. Almost 23. I just have to see a lot of children. And immature adults. All the time.

Because calling someone an “emo” or a “hipster” or whatnot is usually used in the perjorative, then? Do you work with teens?

Sometimes. And two of my siblings are still teenagers. I’m a sub custodian, so I work wherever they send me. I’m not allowed at high schools, because I look like a high school student and my boss doesn’t want them to put me on step for not being in class. I work middle schools sometimes though, and that’s all I hear those kids talk about. It’s just weird to me, because it has never bothered me.

Because people see labels as restrictive and missing the “whole picture”. Labels come with a set of characteristics and traits. If you call someone an “emo”, that means they dress a certain way, listen to certain music, are depressed, and in general a “bad thing”. If you label yourself “homosexual” that means you’re never ever attracted to the opposite sex, but some people may have a slight attraction to the opposite sex, so they see that label as problematic.

Labels box you into a stereotype and takes away personal freedom.

Well first off labels don’t truly exist. They can describe a person, but they are not exactly the person. Americans love the idea of individualism, I think many people across the world do. To be singled, out, is kind of rude, it’s saying like, “You are this!” and that’s that. Then it becomes for the victim, “Then what are you? Better than me?” It’s all ridiculous but humans are very taxonomic.

Well, sister dear, I don’t believe that people need to be grouped into categories.
Everyone is an individual, so trying to put them all into a group of “Hipsters” “Emo’s” “Preps” etc is just annoying to me. Why do people feel the need to try to tell everyone else exactly who you are?
It’s ridiculous. Just because I wear black doesn’t make me Goth. Just because I wear a lot of color doesn’t mean I’m a scene kid. And if I feel like wearing funny glasses, I don’t need to be called a hipster. :)

Jeez! Is that all it takes to get a label these days? In my day, a label meant something!

Label Haters. Damn them.

My “label” in high school was “Twinkle Toes”.

I have never told this before.

Where did that label come from? I do not have a clue.

I was generally annoyed growing up by people assuming that I should act a certain way because I’m black. Maybe that’s why people hate labels. Not all of us want our personality and actions predetermined by other people.

Labels irritate me because in high school people would go something like, “you’re a jock, you’re here to pick on us nerds!” Uh, no I’m not. I may do sports but I’m no jock, I may be good with cars but I’m no grease monkey, I may play Warhammer 40k but I’m no nerd. I’d be fine with labels if immature brats didn’t suddenly believe that labels defined who you hang out with as well. That’s what irritates me about labels.

@King_Pariah Immature Brats. Damn them.

I don’t know. I couldn’t recognize a bottle of ketchup without one. well, maybe ketchup, but how would I tell peanut oil and corn oil apart?

The true reason is that we categorize any way we can to differentiate people and thus make it easier to cope with our social group, no matter what that is. Obviously it’s a simplistic approach, but it suits simple people.

People want to feel like they are unique.
Labeling them in a category breaks that delusion.

Many labels are essentialist nonsense, essentialist nonsense is annoying. Some labels are helpful for defining, clarifying, condensing, collapsing broad subjects, categorizing… blah blah blah and can prove to be useful.

Labels that are not useful or helpful are tedious and stupid. :D

Note here that the terms tedious and stupid are useful in describing labels that are not helpful or useful.

I think many people just don’t like the label someone else hangs on them.

Most of my life I felt like I was alone and unique. Discovering that I wasn’t—that other people shared many of the traits I was ashamed of—was such a relief. Now I assume that even if I’ve never heard of anyone else being like me, there are probably many who are. That makes me feel not so weird and ununderstandable. Even in this—feeling weird, I realize now that I have so much company. Is there a label for us? The misunderstood? Oh wait. That probably encompasses 95% of us.

I guess it’s just me. I don’t care what people “label” me. It doesn’t necessarily make it true, so why would I bother to care? That..and..most of the time they’re right and I know it. I am a nerd. I am a loner. I am a weirdo. I am gay. And a lot of other things.

I label you “Best sister ever.” True? True!

There’s a bar I go to where they’ll sell you “brown bag” beer. It’s cheap. They sell everything from miller lite to Stella Artois at this bar. You never know what you might get if you order the brown bag. Some people enjoy that kind of gambling. For them, they don’t need to see the label. They’re willing to get acquainted with whatever is inside.

Most people, I think, like to see the label on the bottle before they’re willing to put it to their lips.

Of course, people aren’t beer bottles. Some of us are proud of our labels. Others try to wear a misleading label. Other people can’t seem to hide their label, and hate the way others respond to it, even if it is the truth.

Why do we hate labels? Mostly, I’ll bet it’s because the label people see is not the label we believe they should see. They see us wrong, and there is nothing we seem to be able to do about that.