Can We Move Beyond Defining Individuals With Labels?

Labeling changes the way we see ourselves and how we shape our self-image

Ever since I came to the United States some 50 years ago, I’ve always wished to be seen simply as an individual. What amazes me about American culture is how much people define one another by labels. This was especially surprising to me when I arrived here as a young adult after attending an international high school in Mexico City, where being different was the norm and students interacted with the pervading acceptance that the only difference among us was our names. If this was achievable in Mexico City in the late 1960s, it’s certainly possible that we can strive toward this human dynamic of diversity in the U.S. today.
 

Through the years, regardless of my career accomplishments or how I’ve felt about myself, I’ve been labeled as: an Asian minority student; an Asian immigrant; an Asian American woman; a Korean American woman; an Asian minority, a woman of color; and many more. In reality, none of these labels define me. Just like everyone else on this planet, I am far more than my skin color, gender, or sexual orientation. I am a mother, a wife, a writer, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a colleague, an executive coach, and a consultant.

While well-intentioned, America’s race-based diversity policies have inadvertently championed the mental construct of racial labeling for decades, which is why viewing labeling negatively as a bias might be a new concept for many people. Over time, we have become conditioned to define people by their color, race, religion, or sexuality. Think about all the labels we put on people in America today—Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, transgendered, Muslim, Jewish, etc. Yet it should be clear by now that our penchant for labeling and stereotyping has done nothing to quell our racial tension and national divide.

One of America’s greatest ironies is that the demographic makeup of the United States is more racially diverse than ever, yet we’re reinforcing separation, division, and racism through racial labeling. Having lived and worked in different parts of the world, I’ve learned that regardless of who we are or where we are from, we all share a common human essence. When we connect through our similarities, we can bridge our differences. Seeing individuals beyond a defined label immediately opens the human space with connecting energy. This happens most powerfully when we first see ourselves beyond labels.

Labeling doesn’t just affect how we see and define others; it also changes the way we see ourselves and how we shape our self-image. There is a big difference between being a minority statistically and feeling like a minority emotionally. Every time I sensed I was being treated differently because I was a minority, I could feel a knot in my stomach, a sense of unease. The labels that were put on me made me feel alienated, constricted, and diminished because I was being reduced to stereotypes. Being called a minority in America carries the emotional baggage of feeling different and unequal.

Grossly lumping people into racial groups erases the unique human being behind the label. Not all Black people are the same. Not all white people are the same. And so on and so forth. By prolonging our practice of systematically grouping people into racial categories, we continue to foster division, moving us further away from our diversity goals of inclusion and human equality.

It's time to re-examine how we think about diversity. Why must we label people at all? What are the motivations for doing it? Are we moving the needle closer to unity by delineating people with labels? We all can be proud of our race, culture, and heritage without separating ourselves from others, and others from us.

Soo (Bong) Peer is the Owner and Diversity Strategy Consultant and Coach at Soo Peer Associates LLC. She is the author of the new book, “The Essential Diversity Mindset.” Soo comes from a multicultural upbringing with more than 30 years of experience in strategic marketing, global branding, business development, international joint ventures, and leadership development. She is passionate about helping people thrive together by feeling comfortable and open among differences. Visit www.soopeerassociates.com  Connect Soo Bong Peer