Words, Labels and Linguistic Power

I’ve mentioned labels and their influence before in some of my previous blog posts, including a more poetic version of my expression of it (and by poetic I mean not making any sense at all). But I’ve never actually discussed it, since there’s only so much to say about it on the subject. But thanks to this post I feel like touching on the subject again from my interesting point of view as a linguistics major and various other labels that don’t really matter.

So here it goes.

Words have power, but only so long as you give them that power. You see, words are actually defined by what we choose to make them, and yet interestingly enough, we often then let those same words make us, but only when we let them. And that is the distinction. We have all the power, not the words, but when I say we, I mean everyone. Just because I don’t assign linguistic power to one label doesn’t mean another person won’t do it for me or to me. And unfortunately that is apart of society, the social interaction means you are not only bound by the power you assign words, but the power given to those words by those you interact with.

So I should say, words don’t have power, they have chains. Chains given form by those around us, and even the social conditioning that has been instilled in us. And all of this is caused by the constant constraints that are inherent in the language system. You see, for there to be a true society there must be ways of communicating and understanding one another, for society is by definition social. This means the core foundation of society is language (any form of language not just spoken or written). But because the entirety of society is then built from this linguistic foundation, it automatically comes with inherent flaws that can’t be expressed through language. And instead we are left with the labels that appear. After all, try explaining everything about who you are within just a single sentence.

It literally cannot be done, because people are vast and complicated creatures with inner workings that are changing so fast most of the time the person can’t even keep themselves straight (or gay). So instead, we are left with in the moment labels that are crafted by the people around us (and ourselves) so that we can better explain ourselves to others, ourselves to us, and so others can relate to us. The problem is, no one can fully relate to any other single person, because we all have different experiences and moments in time that have molded us with a life that no other being will ever possess.

And now we come back to the snowflakes. I’ve said before that people aren’t snowflakes, they are more like M&Ms. This is because each snowflake is created differently from the beginning and then all go through the same experiences. But M&M’s have a vast little adventure, where they all are created in a couple different types and then over the course of being packed to being eaten they are molded and mashed and changed from those experiences they encounter. When it comes down to it, every single person could be placed into what is called an ‘archetype’, from there the experiences they then go through will mold them into something beyond just that archetype and even in some cases let them evolve from one archetype to another.

But even so, with all this considered, humans and archetypes are still the same thing. They are labels we use to make the world around us easier to understand. After all, how could you possibly even describe yourself if you could not label yourself in any way? Saying you have brown hair is a label, saying you are Asian is a label, being a girl is a label. Every single thing about you is a label, and become a necessary and crucial element if you plan to actually survive in society for very long. This means no matter who you are, eventually you do have to accept a label of some kind, even if they don’t always describe you. But that is where the label line can be drawn!

The key to labels is not rejecting them all, because you can’t, even if you tried your hardest, you will always eventually label someone else, and in turn you’ll also label yourself. Instead of the rejection though, it is to embrace the labels that closely acknowledge who you are and toss aside the rest! Because, remember, YOU have all the power when it comes to the words that dictate who you are. Oh, sure, someone can call you a name, but only be accepting that name did you give it real power over you.

This is why I laugh at the condescending, misogynistic or down right derogatory phrases that are uttered in my direction. Because they amuse me, they don’t fit me and I know they don’t and so I cast them aside because they are nothing to me and therefore never stick no matter how often I may be called it. Yes, I know, if someone calls you a horse for the third time then you should start shopping for a saddle, but only if you accept the fact that you are a horse!

Because NO ONE can tell you who you are except yourself. No one. Oh sure, maybe some people helped you along the way, thinking you were gay or questioning something but not know where to direct the questions, but the simple act of having questioned such a thing is what made the label so open and inviting. It doesn’t matter if you are a single latin gay transman choosing not to go through surgeries or a straight female teacher of English with two children and a loving wife, unless YOU make it matter. Oh sure, people will throw labels in your face all the time, chances are you’ll definitely be called things you aren’t, but so what? You know what you are, you know who you are (or are still learning) and no matter what anyone says, you have all the control over that.

You are who you choose to be.

No one less, and no one more.

So make the choice a good one.