Labeling in the Social Imagination ~ Who Benefits?

We tend to think we are original even to the point of stating publicly that we are radically different from our parents; especially when we are teens. And, so at that tender age of searching for identity, we look for labels to use to describe ourselves, our generation, our group. 

Young adults, i.e. search 'look around at' the 'modern' contemporary society (largely in school/social media/entertainment industry) in which they find themselves and try locate our peers and we grab onto the labels they use or are being told/guided to use as if they tell the truth about who we really are in the place where we are; not every teen lives in California or Chicago or New York. Some live in Houston, Miami, Pittsburgh, and or Louisville and every place in between. But, somehow as teens we see other teens no matter where they are as our group.

The complexity of labels goes back far into history. Alfred Schütz, somewhere in the beginning of 20th century, started exploring the complex called "lifeworld" and society in general. His main concerns were the ways how people grasp the consciousness of others while they live within their own stream of consciousness.

Schutz observed that all societies attempt to typify or label as in categorize the people and things within its geographical boundaries as well as those who appear 'visibly' outside of their given boundaries. Why? In order to better understand them within the context of their society. 

This kind of observation is correct. Why? Because, society, by necessity needs to reduce and or categorize the rapid, and vast, amounts of incoming information that is both known and unknown. Its called 'processing' in computer jargon. This process makes life easier for everyone in the group. 

Alfred Schutz also thought that in the paramount reality, where the processing of information happens, there exists  pre-formed packets of data... it can be illustrated as basic packages or default modes of information that were already experienced and labeled and saved for better, faster future processing and innovation.

Essentially, Schütz had concerns for the "dialectical relationship between the way people construct social reality and the given social and cultural reality that they inherit from those who preceded them in the social world", i.e. parents/teachers/community. And, he was right to consider that... not as 'oh that must be wrong or outdated', but that such inheritance of information packets has meaning and such meaning should be taken seriously worthwhile.

Why? Because even animals learn from their parents, their community. They learn who/what something is 'to them' and who/what something is not. It not about being right or wrong, its more about what works in a place over time for a group of people in a given place over time. And, indeed, labeling is essentially part of that processing of who/what something is and is not.

Now, in sociology and psychology few have considered impact of the ruling elite who truly have the power and position to control people especially those they need to use: recruits, employees, educators and lets not forget politicians. So, the elites create groups, they label them and build an agenda around the label. In this way, they take control of the group and the people. How, because by their labeling they take control away from those that get labeled. They denude them. 

This happens to women, to men, to Christians, to Muslims, to immigrants and refugees, to the white conservative, to the freedom lover, to the poor, to the disabled, to the handicapped, the single mom, to seniors, to children, and to babies, fetuses and even the LGBTs. They all get a label and are controlled by that label. And, when it is deemed necessary the controlling elite put a new twist on the label either as an upgrade or downgrade. Sadly, too many people actually believe their label is for their own good! Come on people, wake up!

Who benefits? The ruling elite benefit, they get to keep their identity and their position, their property, their license, their rules, their policies, their local ordinances, their zoning, their jurisdiction, and their wealth. Its ironic that they too are labeled but they make sure that the labels they get are to their advantage. Try as we might to run from the past and the labels of our past, make no mistake that more will only be heaped on you as you exist in the social imagination. 

The ruling elite are preparing their final label to use on everyone, to put everybody into the same box, the same group with the same label. And, it will be the mark/label like no other. By accepting the ruling elites labels instead of our family or community, we risk losing our identity in the place where we were born, are living and will die.