Black People : Labeling

[truetothecause]

ImHotep,

Welcome to another Meeting of Racism Non~Anonymous. This is a topic discussion meeting; topic: Labeling



Would you share with M.E. your Experiences, Strength's and Plans related to the practice of Labeling.

"Labelling or Labeling (US) is defining or describing a person in terms of his or her behavior. For example, describing someone who has broken a law as a criminal. The term is often used in sociology to describe human interaction, control and identification of deviant behavior"...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labelling

 

[Zulile]

Share with me

Hey true it's time for me to come back on this topic.

Just to summerize a little of what I understood you to say:
Labeling is a process of identification. Certain characteristics support given labels. The 'labeler' is usually the observer, and not the 'label-ee' (is that a word? haha) You also say it is likely unacceptable, i.e. not ok, to label oneself - which gives you pause for thought. Yet at the same time you believe in the principles of self determination - that one should be able to label oneself.

My thoughts are vast on this topic (hence the time it's taken for me to respond as I wasnt certain which aspect I wanted to address) but as I listened to your video again this evening, it became clear within the first minute - the label you've given yourself a Woman of Afrikan Descent. That struck a chord.

I agree - the labeler is the observer. In this eurocentric language, we started off as non human, savages, barbaric slow witted sub species - as we became more "useful" eventually became labeled bushmen, bantu's, kaffirs, negroes, coloureds, Blacks.. we have used/accepted these labels ourselves over time - reinforcing them - but we never created them. Sure, we put "afro" in front of some nationalities .. but I've always had... difficulty... understanding that contradiction (topic for another day - haha)

I agree - certain characteristics support given labels. hmmmm You can be sure there was little positive in these labels we were 'given' - yet, we have used/accepted these labels ourselves over time - reinforcing them - but we never created them. Have we also adopted the charactertics? Like a mentally abused child, do we accept the label and all it encompasses without even being aware of it? I dare to suggest that we do. (another topic for another day)

Question: Why have we never been labeled Afrikan? Answer: The euro have done everything to make us disassociate with the land, remove us, isolate us - so they could pillage and plunder our land. They succeeded.

What you and I call ourselves - is our identity. We cant mess around with that. As long as we continue to claim and accept the wrong label (identity), we will have no power and there will be no self determination. Without self deternimation we will always be taking someone elses path, not our own - therefore we cannot succeed.

Power of the label is enormous.

I am an Afrikan - as are you. This is the most powerful label we can give ourselves as it is forever.

What I would like to know from you, truetothecause, is why do you add the Descent?

Talk to me, sister!


Zulile

 

[truetothecause]

Hey true it's time for me to come back on this topic.

Just to summerize a little of what I understood you to say:
Labeling is a process of identification. Certain characteristics support given labels. The 'labeler' is usually the observer, and not the 'label-ee' (is that a word? haha) You also say it is likely unacceptable, i.e. not ok, to label oneself - which gives you pause for thought. Yet at the same time you believe in the principles of self determination - that one should be able to label oneself.

My thoughts are vast on this topic (hence the time it's taken for me to respond as I wasnt certain which aspect I wanted to address) but as I listened to your video again this evening, it became clear within the first minute - the label you've given yourself a Woman of Afrikan Descent. That struck a chord.

I agree - the labeler is the observer. In this eurocentric language, we started off as non human, savages, barbaric slow witted sub species - as we became more "useful" eventually became labeled bushmen, bantu's, kaffirs, negroes, coloureds, Blacks.. we have used/accepted these labels ourselves over time - reinforcing them - but we never created them. Sure, we put "afro" in front of some nationalities .. but I've always had... difficulty... understanding that contradiction (topic for another day - haha)

I agree - certain characteristics support given labels. hmmmm You can be sure there was little positive in these labels we were 'given' - yet, we have used/accepted these labels ourselves over time - reinforcing them - but we never created them. Have we also adopted the charactertics? Like a mentally abused child, do we accept the label and all it encompasses without even being aware of it? I dare to suggest that we do. (another topic for another day)

Question: Why have we never been labeled Afrikan? Answer: The euro have done everything to make us disassociate with the land, remove us, isolate us - so they could pillage and plunder our land. They succeeded.

What you and I call ourselves - is our identity. We cant mess around with that. As long as we continue to claim and accept the wrong label (identity), we will have no power and there will be no self determination. Without self deternimation we will always be taking someone elses path, not our own - therefore we cannot succeed.

Power of the label is enormous.

I am an Afrikan - as are you. This is the most powerful label we can give ourselves as it is forever.

What I would like to know from you, truetothecause, is why do you add the Descent?
Talk to me, sister!


Zulile

Hey Sistah Zulile!

First let M.E. say THANK YOU for summarizing and sharing your thoughts on this topic.

Yes, 'Labels' DO have enormous Power. "stupid", "lazy", "Revolutionary", "amerikkkan", "intelligent", "dumb", "pimp" etc, etc, etc,.....
and WE seem to RE~quire them. Without a "label", people don't seem to KNOW who or what they are. Until the 'label' tells them.


To you question. I thught about how to make this plain and came up with this analogy....


During the birthing process, a child moves DOWN the birth canal, coming from the womb, making its DESCENT into the world.

As a Woman of Afreekan DESCENT...I am acknowledging the Womb from which I came....DOWN a long line of AFREEKANS....not amerikkkan.

I drop the 'label' amerikkkan as I KNOW that I Am NOT. To be 'amerikkan' has its own set of rules, none of which EVER applied to Afreekans.

Because I don't know which Tribe/Village/Group I come from, I RE~cognize the LAND....AFREEKA from which I have DESCENDED from.
It RE~spects that from generation to generation, I/WE have come DOWN and/or through to BE were I now find myself.

The term descendant or descendent has several meanings, some of which are listed below:

A descendant of a lineage, any living being that belongs to that lineage
A type of object (or person in my case) that developed from another object existing before it.
Descendant (astrology), the point directly opposite from the Ascendant, or Rising Sign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descendent

Make sense:?: