Since my first diary went down in flames, I've decided to try again with another similar piece of crap thought. I'll post a tipjar this time and reference my older diary since this will be an ongoing series until I finally write my book on the Power of Labels. Well, If I ever have enough time between work and death.
http://www.dailykos.com/... <------ Me going down in flames. Even Troll rated at one time.</p>
On to the flames.
The difference between stereotypes and labels is how we trust and perceive them. Stereotypes are generalizations of things and definitions we often dont know about. They maybe true, they maybe false. They are used in everyday interactions to make yourself feel comfortable in strange or familiar surroundings. They have a mental effect of self assurance or arrogance, if abused.
Labels are things that are defined by the majority of citizens or a trusted agency, mostly the later in modern times. We buy and sell things solely on the content of labels. We need the label to be accurate in order to make a sound purchase. Food is the most important item that comes to mind because the labels of food is of one the most important things you can read. We have the agency of the FDA to oversee it. Does it have too much fat? Too many calories? Lead, etc... We have to be able to trust our labels in order to have a civil society. It's a basis of it, good or bad. The best way to educate people about anything is to put a label on it. Go to any musmeum and read the labels we give these things that no longer exist or are obsolete. Dinosaurs, etc... Look around your city to see where the labels are. Maps, signs, grocery stores, etc. Labels define how we live.
Now to relate the news. The news is the worst offender of mislabeling. Of course, FNC is the worst offender of all, but your local news is just as bad. Alot of the time, the local news has no idea how to label someone and they do it in the most ridiculous ways. One example I can never forget is the following.
I was in Lake Tahoe, CA in the mid 90's during a 4th of July weekend. I turned on the local news on the 5th to see what was going on and they had a rehash story of the 4th. They had interview after interview of normal people telling the reporter about how they spent their weekend. Normal, typical news and average guy stuff. The story of this event, the report, is the 4th of July and the weekend, but every person they interviewed had a label. Most of the labels were the bland things like; boater, vacationer, local person. Really? Those are the things that define these people? I was sitting at the TV baffled. Yes, I know it's a bad thing, oh well, its also facinating. Is guy#1 really a Boater? WTF is a boater? Does he spend his whole off time on boats? Is guy#2 a vacationer? Does he spend everday on vacation? Could it be possible he has a job? Is guy#3 ,the local person, really that local? Is he a Native American? Has he lived here all his life?
I could go on and on about these subtle examples, but you can see them clearly on documentaries like Outfoxed or see it recorded on Mediamatters.org. As a matter of fact, the best comedic exploiter of labels is the Daily Show. They have nailed perfectly. This is what news labels are about, kudos to you guys. They will bring the same guy up time and time again. Let's use Steven Colbert, when he was a reporter for the Daily Show, as an example. No matter what subject Jon Stewart brought up as news, he could always find an "expert" to question. This expert was always Steven Colbert. It's hilarious and true. They could keep bringing him back on any subject or anything as long as his label fit. Hell, if the label didn't fit, they could recast him as another label. That's one of the genius concept of the Daily Show, LABELS. That's what makes it funny. Imagine the Daily Show without the labels? The jokes don't work.
The next time you watch the news or read a news column, beware of the labels. What they define someone as, may not be the same definition you have. Hence, why I called Ann Coulter; a conservative comedian. By all definitions, she is and not a funny one at that. But then again, has any conservative comedian ever been funny? How come Dennis Miller ceased to be funny? I remember the day when he was. The reason why conservative comedians are funny to certain well off people, is a social and simple one. It's not funny to make jokes of the oppresed. To some people it is, usually rich and isolated ones, but they never fly on the mainstream.
All of us have the oppertunity to redifine people on how they really act and behave. When facts and research overcome the multitude of propaganda, the real definitions become clear. It's easy to want to label someone you dont agree with anything that's demeaning, but can you label them accuratly? I don't need Ann Coulter to show me how ignorant capitalism and freetrade is. I dont need Ann Coulter to show me how destructive Repubilcans are to America. I dont need Ann Coulter to show me that tax cuts dont create jobs. I dont need to point to Ann Coulter to prove republicans are selfish and crazy. She is meaningless to me because of the way I define her, conservative comedian. Perhaps, you should also define her the same way and raise the level of debate in politics with me.
Labels are the most important thing we have in society. They can be used to rape and pilage or build and repair. The power of words is the power of labels. Stick and stones may not break your bones, but words and labels have started wars.
KDNLA
Last thought: I thought my past diary was right on the money, but on second analysis, it was way too thick on sarcasm and dark humor for all of you who have never read anything about me. Forgive me if it offended you or if I was just too brash, I still think it was funny. The Power of Labels is the second most important power we have, other than the "One" that, Suprise, I'll reveal later in the series. The funny thing about that diary was: All of the responses were proving my point. They just didn't know what field I was coming from(understandable) or thought somehow I was defending (her?.) This is why I was laughing so hard and it worked perfectly. I'll try to explain the concept of labels better this time, but then again, I'm trying to be brief and I have a hard time not being sarcastic. This topic of labels is rather diverse.