Labels And Differences

I use a wheelchair.

If you notice that obvious fact, does that mean you’re labeling me?

I don’t think so.

Frankly, if you met me and didn’t notice the chair, I’d be a bit worried about you.

It’s silly to pretend we’re all the same or to claim we don’t observe obvious differences like physical disability or skin color. That’s simply denial.

Noticing and caring about individual differences is a positive thing. I’m grateful when people notice and even ask kindly how they can assist.

Labeling happens when someone sees “Wheelchair User” and believes they know something about me simply because I use a wheelchair.

Labeling, the kind I’m talking about, is a lazy shortcut. It’s a way of avoiding the hard work of seeing someone as an individual.

Getting to know people is difficult and time consuming. Much simpler to simply toss them in buckets based on preconceived notions.

I’m as guilty as everyone else, and here’s a silly example. I see someone riding a certain kind of bicycle and instantly I think I know something about them. How seriously they ride, whether they’re fast or slow…all sorts of assumptions made simply based on a piece of equipment.

You’d think a guy who’s been a victim of a certain amount of labeling and discrimination would know better. But this labeling laziness is an all-too-human tendency, and we all must resist it.

Pastor Dick Foth has a great response to labeling.

Whenever someone says, “You know what those people (Republicans, Democrats, teenagers, whatever group you want to name) are like?”

Dick’s response is simple. “Which one?”

Isn’t that how Jesus would respond?

When I’m tempted to use a lazy label, I need to remind myself to ask, “Which one?”

How about you? What are your lazy labels?