(no subject)
I don't do the "I don't do labels" thing, and I am not immune to wondering where I fit into schemes involving labels. But after a few too many posts about this in one community I belong to, I think I've crystalized why the movement toward alternative labels irritates me.
The people who want the new labels are indirectly admitting the truth of any negative connotations others have assigned to that label. They are saying, "well, that might be true of X group, but it's not remotely true of me since I belong to X.1." If these others really exist and are using your label to call you names, show a little guts and say, "Yes, what of it?" instead of ducking and saying that you're not really X so those names don't apply to you.
All labels are inaccurate because they're imprecise; a label cannot be perfectly precise or it's too precise to be broadly useful. That's a poor excuse. If you don't know what your label is, that's fine--just don't make up a new one because of the perceived connotations of an existing label. Eventually, you're going to have to explain that you're related to the label that you disavowed because otherwise no one will know what you're talking about. And before that, you look like someone afraid to stand up to the people talking trash about X.
The people who want the new labels are indirectly admitting the truth of any negative connotations others have assigned to that label. They are saying, "well, that might be true of X group, but it's not remotely true of me since I belong to X.1." If these others really exist and are using your label to call you names, show a little guts and say, "Yes, what of it?" instead of ducking and saying that you're not really X so those names don't apply to you.
All labels are inaccurate because they're imprecise; a label cannot be perfectly precise or it's too precise to be broadly useful. That's a poor excuse. If you don't know what your label is, that's fine--just don't make up a new one because of the perceived connotations of an existing label. Eventually, you're going to have to explain that you're related to the label that you disavowed because otherwise no one will know what you're talking about. And before that, you look like someone afraid to stand up to the people talking trash about X.