Ross Beattie
Labeling-
Faggot,
Dike, Gay, Bitch, Slut, Stupid (etc..) All senseless and horrible labels
which we use freely in our society. All
humanity is taken out when someone uses hurtful labels.
Hatred is born with ignorance and I’d like to
point out that our media and pop culture is ignorant and spreading hate when
using hurtful labels. I believe one of
the biggest problems is how our media and pop culture spits out these senseless
labels on TV, magazines, movies (etc...)
When labels, such as the ones
already pointed out are used frequently we start to naturally begin a
resistance to the hurtful phrases.
One of the earliest memories I
recall that dealt with being labeled and made fun of, is when I first moved to
my new school. I was in third grade and
I had been unluckily paired with the class bully in my music class. I remember him making fun of me and calling
me gay. I was old enough to know what it meant to be
gay, but growing up in a strict conservative family, I did not believe it was a
real thing to be gay. I think this was
the first time I had been called gay, and at that point in my life I had
perceived being gay as a negative thing.
He then told me that there was no such thing as gay people but that gay
meant happy. I remember feeling confused
and uncomfortable with the conversation, as a few people from our class were
listening on in. He then asked me if I
was gay, and I quickly answered “No!” He
then asked me “why aren’t you happy?” As I was now becoming more uncomfortable, and
with hopes of getting him to be quiet I answered “Yes, I am gay...” Everyone around began to laugh and call me
gay or a faggot. I cannot remember a
time when I felt so low and uncomfortable.
When children are the ones beginning to use these hurtful words without
feelings of remorse or understanding, is when hate is created. We must stop labeling in our society because
even if the label is meant as a joke, you never know who you are going to upset.
(Just a comment: In no way is this blog meant to portray being gay as a bad thing! I just wanted to share a personal story of when I was labeled and how it was used in a negative way to make me feel bad.)
(Just a comment: In no way is this blog meant to portray being gay as a bad thing! I just wanted to share a personal story of when I was labeled and how it was used in a negative way to make me feel bad.)
I can totally relate to this story! I wrote my blog about how saying 'that's so gay' puts gay people in a negative light. Words are powerful and can do a lot of damage. Way to make this story personal, it really sends a strong message.
ReplyDeleteSo bullying is bad, sure - but why is using "gay" so bad? I feel like this post may not have gotten the idea across that you wanted. I would recommend elaborating on why, objectively, using labels are harmful. You did a good job explaining how it hurt you, individually, but what about how using these labels as derogatory terms perpetuate violence and hatred towards those groups? Stuff to think about.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, labeling is bad and it starts with what we see and hear from others. The media IS the primary reason why we label certain people certain things and it does need to stop, but how? Do we cut out all media from our lives? I dont think that may be possible. Do we just make our own judgements? I wish you would have provided a better solution to this problem. You also make it seem like being gay is a bad thing, when it in fact is not. I know you come from a conservative family, and may not have the same values that others do, but try not to portray how you feel in a negative way. Your blog was well put together though and I could tell you proof-read things. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteKids can be so cruel.. Its crazy how many adults still use these words though. I think many that use these words dont know how bad they hurt others. labeling is abuse, and Im not sure people realize that why they say it. Im sorry you had to go through this as a child.
ReplyDeleteWhat would be interesting to look at is WHY third-graders already have preconcieved ideas about gay being negative. What if one of those students' mom or dad was gay? Now he/she is scared of the hostility of the classroom. Why did you as a child not think "gay" was a real thing? Was a conservative upbringing impacting how you viewed fellow humans? Was this boy trying to embarrass you just to embarrass you? How does one "look" gay? I really like your musings, and I think you can really examine it further! Good work!
ReplyDeleteWhere do these young middle school kids learn this type of language? I agree with you, I think that it is valid to assume that our media is the cause of it. Kids watch these commercials and television shows that show these labels. I feel like exploring the idea of our media exerting negative influence on future generations is a good way to look at this and examine this. I like your story and I like how you use your own personal experience though.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of hard to tell from which angle you're coming at this from, so I'm kind of going to hit both sides of it:
ReplyDeleteCalls for the ending of labeling always make me cringe, as it's typically a privileged person calling for the end of it: A white person saying they don't see colour, a straight person saying sexual orientation doesn't matter, etc...
What's cringe worthy about it is that it's erasing to the marked class who may take pride in their self-identified label: Basically it comes across as another way to silence and marginalize a marked class.
On the other hand, if you're simply calling for the end of labeling other people with their consent, I highly agree with that. Not only is it assuming something about them based on arbitrary characteristics, we're also assuming power over them by assigning them an identity- which in some (probably most) cases is in order to berate and belittle them.
Like Courtney, I think it would be interesting to explore where children learn what labels are "good" and what labels are "bad." From other children? From older people? A confluence of media, personal experience, etc.?
ReplyDeleteI was a little confused about what you were trying to bring up in this blog. Your story was a good example of how kids can be mean and how teasing can hurt, but were you hurt by the teasing or being called gay?
ReplyDelete