Labels - how we rob ourselves of meaningful connection

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A radical liberal. What do people mean when they say that? I was surprised how many definitions I found on googling the term. Here are a few.

According to Wikipedia, “ ”Radicalism" or "radical liberalism" was a political ideology in the 19th century United States aimed at increasing political and economic equality. The ideology was rooted in a belief in the power of the ordinary man, political equality, and the need to protect civil liberties” 

According to a paper in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, “A working definition of radical liberalism can be constructed by first isolating the key principles of liberalism. These are individualism, private property, and political democracy. The initial impulse of radical liberalism comes from its critique of these principles. In particular, radical liberals see a contradiction between political democracy, which extends human rights, and private property, which abridges human rights”

I wonder why these ideologies are so demonized by the conservative movement? Doesn’t everyone want policies that empower the ordinary citizen and extend human rights? What do they really think about when they use the label “radical liberal”? My sense is that they equate it as aligning with a socialist and anti-capitalist philosophy.

A Slate article points to a similar ambiguity with the term redneck . It is a derogatory term often used to describe rural white Americans perceived as unsophisticated and racist. It may have however have origins from the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain where coal miners wore red scarves in solidarity and fought over the right to unionize. Now, those are very different perceptions of a redneck.

What does the term “Big Business” conjure up in your mind? Probably something along the lines of greed, corruption, and an oversized influence on policy makers. However, if you demonize an IBM, Google, Tesla or HP, you have also dismissed the powerhouse of innovation that they are. Fundamental innovation as well as scaling of groundbreaking research that comes from universities and other research organizations.

The point is, that labels often have varying interpretations and yet are employed carelessly to dismiss and vilify people and organizations. Neatly and conveniently categorized. No debate required. No nuances to be considered. And so, instead of debating policies and ideas, we fling labels at each other.

Lest you are now feeling badly about yourself, recalling when you have employed a label as a put down, know that it is a common human fallacy. The field of Psychology is teeming with theories about it. The Social Comparison Theory argues that we feel good about ourselves when we claim moral superiority or look down upon others. 

Another term, the Ad Hominem fallacy as described by the Department of Philosophy at Texas State, is, “This fallacy occurs when, instead of addressing someone's argument or position, you irrelevantly attack the person or some aspect of the person who is making the argument. The fallacious attack can also be direct to membership in a group or institution”. Here is an engaging illustration.

 https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/logical-fallacies/logical-fallacies-ad-hominem/   

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In giving in to these human failings, we lose the potential of meaningful conversation and an exchange of ideas with a potential of enriching ourselves. A friend shared a recent experience with his neighbor. His neighbor is a single, white, heavy-set man with an American flag flying year round in front of his house. His yard is unkempt and his dogs bark in the middle of the night enraging my friend who suffers from insomnia. Well, you can imagine all the labels my friend employed to categorize his neighbor. Until the fence between their homes came down in a storm. There was no way out now but to have a conversation to decide how the new fence would be paid for. You have probably guessed where I am going with this. His neighbor was extremely pleasant and collaborative, even offering to research potential contractors. A lesson learned by my friend!

When we reduce a human being to a label, we diminish the nuances and richness of the entirety of their being. In today’s ever-divided world based on the wealth gap, politics and religion, let us let go of the labels. Let us approach people and organizations with intellectual curiosity. For ultimately, we may be the ones losing out on an opportunity to evolve and broaden our horizons