I was really into "ska music" in high school. That term immediately brings to mind some images: horns, silly pants, and horrible covers of horrible 80s songs. As I got more into that culture I started really hating the label. The actual term "ska" refers to a certain rhythm going on between the guitar and the drums. It has nothing to do with saxophones or checkered pants, but because people needed a "quick fix" to describe this mini-phenomenon, "ska" now means a lot of things that people find dated and annoying.
So after I moved to New York and revealed my musical preferences to people, I got a lot of flack for being a "ska kid." It was all in good-natured ribbing but it led me to one of my most important personal beliefs:
Labels are ruining society.
By liking certain bands I made people think I'm some candy-headed goofball who needs everything bright and loud and has no depth or personality; but all it means to me is that I really like when bands make clever but frugal use of that rhythm that was invented in Jamaica. Thinking Mu330 or Blue Meanies are geniuses immediately painted me as a certain kind of person that I'm not. That instant image would have been dispelled had we sat down and actually discussed music for a bit, but modern life makes that very difficult.
Technology has turned us into an ADD society. We're so locked into doing as many things simultaneously in as short a time as possible that we don't have time to actually learn anything about each other because OMG Angry Birds and there's a dancing show and I need to text people about my hamburger. So instead we've developed tiny words that only take a second to say but can tell you volumes of information that may or may not be accurate about that specific person but who cares it's close enough and I have to move on to the next thing because there's all this YouTube that we need to Reddit.
Some of the best examples of overly broad labels come from religion and politics. If you think you fit perfectly into "liberal" or "conservative" or "atheist" or "Christian" then you're probably not thinking long enough about what these labels mean and if they actually line up with what you believe. Many people think it's more important to have a label to latch onto than to actually be able to define themselves. Labels give you a false sense of camaraderie and a false sense of having "enemies." You're either a bleeding-heart liberal who wants to give poor people your money and smoke crack with gay dudes or you're a heartless conservative that shoots first and blames black people later and thinks everyone should go to your church. There's no middle ground.
By jumping onto the Label Train we're giving away our identities and making it very easy for the media and the government to pigeon-hole us and control what we think. "IF YOU'RE A LIBERAL DRINK THIS SODA" and "AND IF YOU LIKE JESUS YOU NEED TO VOTE FOR THIS GUY." It's all laid out so simply but...
Your personal beliefs and likes and dislikes help define your identity, and knowing yourself is, like, super-duper-important. These things should be complex and confusing and take time to figure out.
I live in the Midwest, a region riddled with stereotypes and labels. We're all fat rednecks and Jesus freak red-staters. NOFX confirmed these labels in a song called "Leaving Jesusland," a song that's so mean and short-sighted that I always skip it even though I like the guitars. There are definitely people here that confirm those stereotypes, but those are also people who just jump on the Train and don't try to define themselves. Thankfully, there are plenty of people who do give themselves an identity outside of label conventions.
My parents would be labelled by the Huffington Post as "Catholic Republicans" but they are so much more than that. My dad subscribes to a lot of fiscally conservative beliefs and follows plenty of the teachings of the Bible, but he does none of this blindly. He supports gay marriage and is one of the only Republicans you'll find who is against both abortion AND capital punishment. I am not religious or even atheist (more on that in a future post) and I definitely lean pro-choice but my dad and I don't really argue about it because we understand each other. Dad is against abortion and execution because in his eyes they are both murder, and as a life-long Catholic he considers murder to be a big no-no. See how that works? He likes his church and political party but has thought about things and made his own decisions. Do I agree with everything he says? No, but I respect his beliefs because he has given them real thought and isn't just reciting a bumper sticker. He still identifies with Catholics and Republicans but has no problem supporting his personal beliefs and calling them out when he disagrees. My mom is even groovier than that: she hates swear words and loves shows about singing, but she has also said she'll get high with me once pot is legal and she thinks kids should be able to drink alcohol. She's a total hodgepodge of beliefs and that's how it should be! By giving themselves time to develop their own thoughts Mom and Dad have developed belief structures that are all their own. That's awesome.
I discovered these things about my parents through an age-old and increasingly foreign concept: I TALKED TO THEM. Weird, right?
Modern society has us convinced that we should pay more attention to our products than each other and just use labels to categorize everyone so we don't have to talk to them. That way the Big Powers can easily play us against each other like we're opposing football teams. "Everyone who likes CNN over here, everyone who likes FOX over here!" Everything has to make sense and be easily defined and if you don't fit into this category or that category then you require further lobotomy.
We need to discover our own minds and souls again. The media has has us so distanced from our thoughts that we constantly wage war on our brain by in-taking popular culture at an alarming rate. Maybe it's time for some outward flow of brain power. Sip some coffee or tea or Everclear or whatever and sit on a porch or a stoop and just let your thoughts run around for a bit. Next time you're in bed and your brain is running circles, listen to what it's saying instead of drowning it out with pills. Do drugs that make you confront your brain, not numb it. And then maybe you can strike up a conversation with someone about something you've thought about. And when you do, don't just try to phrase everything as a verbal status update; try to actually listen to the other person and share your points. It's what made this country great and could make it great again. Put down the phone and talk to each other!
And stop giving me crap about my pants.
