NeonBlue Dreams
Labels

A couple of weeks ago I was talking about disability, and what it actually means. I came to the conclusion that labels are often just a shorthand for something, something that saves a long, detailed explanation. When it comes to disability, and how I describe myself, it’s a lot easier to say “I’m disabled” rather than “I’ve got X, Y and Z”.

There are any number of labels I can use to describe myself - I’m female, I’m British, I’m thirtysomething, I’m disabled. Those are labels that describe me, or something about me. I can use labels to describe what I do and my interests - I’m a local government officer, I’m a web designer, I’m a student, I’m a writer, I’m a Brokie. All of these are labels I apply to myself; I self-identify with them. In a way they’re a useful form of shorthand. As I said a couple of weeks ago, I describe myself as disabled because at times it’s easier than going through the whole saga of which bits of me don’t work.

Labels can be pretty useful things. Without labels for example how would a parcel find it’s way to you without a label with an address on? How would you tell the difference between a can of beans and a can of fruit cocktail if they didn’t have a label on them? I can’t say I’ve ever tried it, but I’d imagine baked beans and ice-cream wouldn’t go down too well, and fruit cocktail on toast would certainly be a novel meal choice! Even if you can’t read, the label on a can of beans or a can of fruit cocktail will tell you what’s in the can. On the side of the can there’s a graphical/pictorial representation of what’s in the can (usually) that gives you a clue as to what’s inside. We apply labels to people all the time - both to ourselves and others, but the same doesn’t hold true from the label we place on a person.

For a start, there are any number of labels we can apply to ourselves and others. In line with Gestalt theory where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, the label we attach to someone doesn’t necessarily correspond with what’s in the tin. Describing myself as disabled, there’s a danger that some people might not see past the label and make assumptions about me, based on that label. Some of those assumptions may be correct, others may not be. Back when I was debating what disability meant, in a conversation on a web forum someone said that she didn’t like to define herself as disabled because then she might impose limitations on herself and it may affect her belief in her abilities. I guess that goes back to whether in labelling something you make assumptions based on that label.

Equally, a label can give you a sense of identity. A label can be something you use to describe yourself and associate yourself with others with the same sense of identity, or label. A label could describe a physical attribute about yourself - “I’m female” - or a factual aspect of yourself - “I’m a web designer” - or say something about your interests or your beliefs, perhaps a way you describe yourself as belonging to a particular community.

So what’s the point of the labels discussion? Well labels can be very useful - they can provide a shorthand description of something that would otherwise be very difficult to put into a concise form. They can be enlightening and can tell you something about what’s in that can, or what a person is or what they believe, and give a sense of identity. They can also be limiting though because they can cause you to make assumptions about something, or miss part of the bigger picture.

Just recently I’ve been getting rather wound up about some worrying symptoms I’ve been getting for a few months now. My doctor’s also very concerned about them and he’s referred me to a neurologist for some further tests and stuff, and I’m waiting at the moment for an MRI scan. I was talking to a friend about it the other day though and what’s been going on with me health-wise, and she said something interesting, about whatever “label” they give it. It was that conversation that set me thinking about labels, because whatever “label” the doctors eventually come up with, it doesn’t fundamentally make any difference to me having a name to put to it. Just because it has a name doesn’t mean that the symptoms go away.

By having a label on it you might know whether you’re getting baked beans or fruit cocktail, but if that’s the only tin you’ve got, you’ve still got only what’s inside that tin to eat, just as if you’ve got a collection of symptoms having a label to stick on them doesn’t mean they go away, and you’ve still got to live with them just like you’re stuck with fruit-cocktail on toast for tea. That conversation made me realise something; it doesn’t matter what the label says, I’d be better spending my energy getting on with living with those symptoms rather than worrying about the label.

Filed under Generally random, Health, disability — Subscribe, Trackback,

Bookmarking Links » del.icio.us | Digg | Furl | Reddit | Google | Ma.gnolia | Simpy | StumbleUpon | Technorati | Help |

These posts may be related:

On disability