All these labels are becoming polarized. The whole tendency to become more polarized is reinforced somehow by our media.
Liberal simply means being willing to consider new ideas. Conservative simply means being resistant to change. Depending on what area of life you want to consider, everyone has a little of each.
If we continue to entrench around the labels that the media makes available to us, we will end up fighting each other.
A house divided cannot stand. Is it possible to resist the labels and focus on the fact that we are all human beings with a range of interests, motivations, and situations? Can we cross the barriers and encourage dialogue?
2006-12-02 06:48:13 · 5 answers · asked by just me 2 in Social Science ➔ Sociology
Are you a post-modernist? Avoiding labels? It's a good concept, but I think a lot of people feel comfortable with categories into which they feel that they can fit. Those of us who are in the middle have a more difficult time with it. We can appreciate nuances and the fact that no one group owns the truth. However, a lot of people aren't ready to think on their own.
2006-12-02 09:09:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree that I don't like being labled since the lables never 100% fit. However I don't think we will ever get rid of them. They are a handy short cut. If we know someone labels themseves "conservative" we can guess some what how they are going to side on certain issues. Also it seems that people get incredibly uncomortable when someone does not fit into a catagory. Just think of Pat from SNL, people really want to know if Pat is male or female and are unable to interact normally with s/he because they do not know. So sadly it might be something that we are stuck with. I would just suggest encouraging open minds, so that if you know someone is labeled a certain way you don't make lots of assumptions with out getting the facts first.
2006-12-02 08:29:24 · answer #2 · answered by presentego 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes of course we can overcome the barriers no matter how difficult they seem. the brain is a problem solving device, the labels we attach to things just help us to organize and evaluate information. that's why people are more comfortable with the labels. if we stop viewing labels as barriers and instead look at them holistically for information not present in our own minds, we can better appreciate them and their contribution towards progress. also sociology is about categorizing or putting things in boxes. the more boxes we have, the more we can build with. we just need to figure out how to put em together first. lol
2006-12-02 09:50:55 · answer #3 · answered by paradox 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I feel the same way, however the country was always like this and it is never going to change. It is healthy that we have these differences.
2006-12-02 07:17:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but unfotunately we don't realistically have an alternative.
2006-12-02 08:40:31 · answer #5 · answered by shermynewstart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋