Beware the Labels

So are you a ‘conservative’ or a ‘liberal’? Perhaps you are a ‘wingnut’ or a ‘moonbat,’ yet you could well be a ‘moderate.’ Do you know one of those ‘left-wingers’ actually was seen conspiring with a ‘right-winger?’ The ‘neoconservatives’ are blasting the ‘libertarians’ while the ‘reactionaries’ applaud the downfall of the ‘progressivist’ who fell victim to that ‘socialistic’ orator who suddenly championed ‘constititutionalist’ concepts yet failed to explain which constitution they referred to . One can imagine how the ‘capitalist’ collapsed under the scrutiny of ‘modernistic’ correctness combined with the compassion of ‘sociatalist’ caring. Did you notice that group of ‘radicals’ waving their signs? I suspect them to be ‘pacifists’ who are up to some tyranny or another. It shocked me to hear the one person state clearly, “oh boy...” which indicates what a ‘racist’ they are, probably some ‘neo-Nazi’ ‘communist’ gun toter. If nothing else we should be able to stick to proper party support, be it ‘democratic’ or ‘republican’ instead of waffling between the two, wouldn’t you agree?

The art of modern labeling, in history, has its roots in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It was based on where people sat in the French National Assembly. Over the past two plus centuries however labels have been morphed into pejorative rhetoric used by many to describe, categorize, and confuse people about the subject or person being discussed.

The other day I was inviting someone to a rally for a Presidential Candidate and I mentioned the person was a Republican Presidential Candidate. “Oh, I’m a Democrat so I have no interest in any Republican,” was the reply. My fault, I used a label which sparked an immediate response based on a belief of what the label meant by the person I was speaking with. In an instance they believed they fully understood what would be said and that they would find no grounds for agreement with the person, they walked away.

I couldn’t help but think back to the 1960 Kennedy campaign and how very Republican it would be considered today yet it was the Democratic thought then. Meanings change with time yet our perceptions often don’t or what you believe to be ‘liberal’ and what I believe to be ‘liberal’ can, and probably are, quite different yet we assume we understand each other. Political labels are ambiguous in nature and through this ambiguity they are dangerous.

Confusion and disconnection are direct results of using labels. If used skillfully the media, politicians and others can easily cause large groups to dismiss issues or opponents simply by attaching a label to the issue or opponent. A magician uses misdirection much the same way, we know what we see and believe yet it is merely an illusion of what is real. Mark Skousen states, “Categorizing someone's ideas as either "liberal" or "conservative" is often used to avoid real thinking about actual issues.” Labels are often used to subjugate critical thinking. When reading, discussing, or contemplating any person or ideals please do yourself a favor; beware the labels!

Link into a good glossary of terms here.