Labeling

When a person is labeled as something he or she has become part of that particular sub-culture, and although that person might not consider themselves to be that particular label, society has the majority rule. If society considers a person with tattoos a rebel, that person is now a troublemaker in society’s eyes; he or she carries the characteristics of that certain label, and that title sticks. Labeling in society is a natural human property. Humans label sub-consciously in order to organize the people they may come in contact with in society day-to-day. This action takes place because having a label does not stop at the face; it runs much deeper. Labels carry characteristics, properties, and key traits that can give a person an idea of what someone is like before they even say â€Å"[H]ello†. Every person has a label or title, but how does the labeling of people and groups affect others around them and society as a whole? In the article Decent into Madness: The New Mexico State Prison Riot written by Mark Colvin labeling plays an extraordinary role in the events leading up to the 1980 riot and the events that occurred during the riot. In the prison system being labeled something negative like a snitch can be potentially deadly. The guards would use labeling to coerce inmates into spilling useful information. The labeling in this prison system effects inmates greatly causing amalgams of emotions and an inner battle between what they believe is right and the what they pledged to their gangs. The labeling in a prison system effects directly affects the other inmates, not just a singled out victim. Others might feel betrayed which could lead to a whirlwind of other consequences, actions, and emotions. Another article that shows how society is affected by labels is The New Tattoo Subculture by Anne M. Velliquette and Jeff B. Murray. People with tattoos are constantly being titled rebels, troublemakers, and delinquents, when in fact people with tattoos usually have a very heart-felt story or reason why they ink themselves. To these people, they feel that they are being labeled unfairly and that society is making quick and senseless judgments. When it comes to school, nobody wants to be labeled the school nerd, slut, or anything negative. People only want to be labeled positively, something that gives them perks in school and applies to their own self-interest. The Peer Power: Clique Dynamics Among School Children written by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler, talks about the school structure and how labels can either make or break a student’s school career. The article talks about how cliques are labeled by the students who make them, almost like the saying people are what they eat, and school cliques are made by the people who are involved in them. School cliques carry pressures that not only affect the overall environment of the school but, labeling and clique involvement also effects staff and teachers as well as peers not involved in cliques. A hierarchy system is a clear cut way to put people into a certain class. Being at the top involves large amounts of power that effects society around them, while being at the bottom can allow for zero power and their actions hardly effect the environment around them. In the article Gang Business: Making Ends Meet by Martin Sanchez Jankowski the hierarchy system is used organize levels of a gang and individual players. This hierarchy system is one of the most clear cut ways to label an individual, because if a person is labeled a pusher he or she is basically stuck in with that title and the labels responsibilities until they have earned themselves increased respect from their peers. Gangs, governments, militarist and political parties use the hierarchy system to put people in certain ranks, and each rank brings its own traits and characteristics that person must follow or they will suffer the consequences. Labeling could be an incredible blessing to people who need a place in society. With a label such as a punk or a skater, that person now has a chance to identify themselves with a sub-culture that will accept them for who they are without trying to be someone else. Labeling in this manner is a great thing for it helps people, and from that labeled position a person can gain social status in their own group. In 1998 an article written by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler stated that â€Å"Cliques are, at their base, friendship circles, whose members tend to identify each other as mutually connected† (Pg. 55). Once a person is labeled as something whether it be a jock or a plastic, these people can now seek out others who are labeled similarly, and by doing so new friendships and relationships are born. Labels can introduce a person to a new set of people, which he or she would never have known if they were not labeled. In an article written by Martin Sanchez Jankowski in 1991 a â€Å"†¦ hierarchy system is used to label members of a gang†¦ † (Pg. 172). This hierarchy system can play a positive role in the life of a gang member because once you are placed on a level there is no ambiguity about a person's position and status; their responsibilities, liabilities, and expected actions are practically lied out for young gang member. Unfortunately labeling, for the most part, is a negative action taken against groups of people who do not comply with societies unwritten rules. When a person is labeled it is usually because said person did something that was unusual, different, and/or out of the social norm. In schools across the United States there is some sort of labeling among the student body, whether it be skin colour, gender, sports, or academics, there is always something that organizes students into different sections. In the movie Mean Girls, the lunch room provides an extreme example of labeling and the cliques that are created through labeling. All the students are divided into different sects depending on their status; popular girls, a. k. a. Plastics sat together at one table while jocks sat together at a different table. Their own independent label had an affect on their peers because their label gave certain students power over others while in reality all people are supposed to be equals. â€Å"The leaders would decide†¦. † is a popular phrase used in Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler's article on Peer Pressure ( 1998. Pg. 156). The person labeled the â€Å"leader† has some sort of intangible power over other students, and it is preposterous to think that all of their power is based off a word, â€Å"leader†. Many labels carry meaning that runs deeper than the eye can see. At face value a corporal is just a word used to describe one of the first ranks of an army solider, but that label has depth. Being a corporal could mean constant order taking and back-breaking work. Having a certain label affects everybody not just a person's immediate friends. A powerful label commands respect and these people are treated with privileges and other special perks because of their label. Many labels come with their own with their own home-grown stereotypes. If a person is labeled a doctor this could mean that they earn a quarter million dollars a year, drive a Mercedes-Benz, and go golfing three times a week. Many labels come with their own with their own home-grown stereotypes. Along with perks and privileges labels also have imbedded consequences. In the 1997 article Decent into Madness by Mark Colvin, it is clearly expressed how certain labels could lead to imitate death. Colvin explained that a â€Å"coercive tactic was used to intimidate an inmate by threatening to â€Å"hang a snitch jacket† on him. â€Å"This tactic which involved the threat of labeling an inmate a â€Å"snitch† (or informant) was used to solicit information, and gain control over an inmate†¦. † (1997. Pg. 197). The label of a snitch is an inmate’s worst nightmare because the consequences and after-math of this label could lead to lack of trust with their fellow gang members, and if the leader of a gang found out an inmate actual ly snitched, the man labeled the leader is powerful enough to put a hit on that inmate. The label of snitch is so powerful that it can ruin the life of an inmate even if the accusation is false. Although labels usually carry any where from a minor al the way up to extraordinary negative connotations, they are a crucial part of society. Labels organize people into certain levels of society. People use labels as the first way to asses a person. When a business man walks into a pub and sees a scantily-clad dressed woman next to a women in a business skirt and blouse, that man will nearly always label the half-dressed women as a slut or desperate while he might label the other as more conservative. People use labels as their first line of defense in a situation when they feel something is not quite right. If a person sees a shady fellow on the corner of the street, that person might automatically label that man as a trouble-maker which in turn leads that person to walk away from the fellow on the corner. How a person dresses and holds themselves on the street, in a pub, or at a job interview could lead to the immediate labeling of themselves. This happens because humans label based on their own personality and upbringing; it is an ideology, a non-tangible belief that certain people are going to be labeled a certain way. People are subjected by labels, and this relates directly to powerful labels such as president, leader, boss, captain, etc. When there is a person who is labeled high on a hierarchy system, people will automatically listen and follow that person. Some might call this a power struggle while most will continue to follow in that leaders footsteps. Many people believe that if a person is labeled significantly high it is because they are doing something that is working, and many people will be the follower, not the leader. This is known as the path of least resistance; the ability just to follow a person labeled well above the rest is easier than striving to become the best. That label effects lower ranking members because being a leader carries the characteristic enticing followers. Labeling could be the closest human beings come to before physically marking people into certain levels. Labeling is a way to organize humans, just as a library organizes books. While some labels could improve on a person’s life and social class, labels usually carry a negative connotation. The three articles mentioning labeling as an important part of culture all share a similar opinion that labels are negative. Mark Colvin and the Decent into Madness article clearly state how labels could lead to inner group violence among gangs followed by a larger more devastating super nova. Gang Business by Martin Sanchez Jankowski expresses how a hierarchy system organizes illegal crime by placing pawns into certain levels, each containing their own sets of rules and responsibilities. Labeling in its most exposed form can be witnessed in schools. The Peer Power article written by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler states numerous times that people who are labeled leaders have power over others standing at a lower position. Labels are powerful because of the depth that many labels achieve. High-ranking important labels carry large responsibilities and actions that must be followed through by that title holder, because just as quick as a label is given it can be taken away and that person who was once powerful is now just a low ranking pusher.