As I go on living life, I gain labels. Some are welcome (Arab) some are not (Sand Nigger). Some I chose for myself (Electro Junkie) while others where thrown at me (Nerd). I am proud and fanatic for some (Free Thinker) and I try to get rid of some (Stubborn Arse). Some labels I got easily without effort (Pisces) while others I had to earn (College Student). Many change while others I still have not found. For example, I am racially Lebanese, both my parents are Lebanese and my whole ancestors are Lebanese, however, I was born in the USA, therefore I am an American, but I lived in Lebanon for 15 years, so I am not really American, but also, I am not Lebanese! I also have no native language. I speak Arabic and English fluently but I have an accent in both and every language I learn (Japanese, French and Chinese) I have an accent in and are not my native language. Am I confused? Sounds like it. NO! I am one of the children of the earth, a global citizen. Globalization has brought people together, people that think alike mostly. On the internet there are countless sites that are dedicated to something with its many fans. Online communities, online forums and other virtual get togethers of people with similar ideas and opinions.
It is amazing how people sharing a similar hobby, idea or like can meet and chat or more even though they might be miles apart. It is also beneficial for all. It is good and more progressive for people that share something get together. However, sometimes, the similarity is too superficial or not basic enough. For example, I used to go with my family to Druze get togethers. (Druze is the religion I am labeled with, born into, though relabeled myself as Atheist) and most people there did not really get along because the only common thing is religion, which is supposed to be a personal thing. However, when I meet up with all my friends, it is way better since we all share something in common and are friends. Another example is my semester abroad in Paris. We were 20 students with a similar interest, learning French, put together in one hostel for 6 weeks and forced to interact together. It was a disaster; we were all different with different personalities, likes, hobbies and even different reasons for studying French, so there was a lot of tension and a lot of problems.
This post was meant to talk about the positives of labeling one’s identity but of course there are many negatives that have arose from labeling. It is bad when people take their labels to a fanatic level and attack people with different labels. I agree with having labels though for similar people to get together and enjoy the similar aspect and have a sense of belonging and identity, not to attack the people who are different. Also, I am against the government or any public institution labeling people. I hate when I have to fill out an application and there is race, religion, skin color etc…
BONUS SECTION:
I read in other Blogs that the Singaporean Government is trying to get rid of Singlish by having “Speak Good English” campaigns. I am completely against this and denounce all the dumb excuses used to attack Singlish. Singlish is one of the most apparent aspect that makes Singaporeans Singaporean, and not just Chinese or Indian or Malay, at least for us foreigners. I love listening to Singlish and I have tried to speak it at times. I <3 Singlish!
References & Thumbs Up for these Blog posts:
http://niveknat.wordpress.com/
http://ohtakemeawaypls.wordpress.com/
http://ian0304.wordpress.com/
http://jjworksforfood.wordpress.com/
http://mentaldiarrhoea.wordpress.com/
http://ntusocihs103.blogspot.com/
http://inobjectivity.wordpress.com/
1 comment:
Your pic is really funny
Ermita
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