Break the stereotypes

Punks, skaters, ravers, jocks, nerds, and rappers: labels seem to consume our youthful society. In high school especially, students aren’t content with their given names; additional tags are needed both to identify and separate people and groups.

 

Why do we, as teens, impose these social markings upon one another? Is it for identification purposes? Is it to keep up with a certain image? Or is it to create a sense of separation and individualism and create small communities amidst our “unified” student body?

 

In a group of more than 2,400 kids, forced to spend day after endless day together, it’s easy to become lost in the masses. By labeling each other, we break into smaller groups, making it easier to be identified. For instance, there are several Ryans at this school, but I’m probably the only “Raver Ryan” (as some have called me) around.

 

Prejudice and labels seem to go hand in hand. Punks can’t hang out with ravers. Rappers can’t hang out with skaters, and so on. The labels become boundaries and limiting factors in a person’s character, rather than an expression of their uniqueness. Yet, it seems impossible to think of anyone that isn’t labeled as something. If being labeled is such a bad thing, why are we all marked?

 

I hate labels just as much as the next person does, but let’s face it, there’s no way around them. As long as there are at least two types of music, two types of soda, two sides to take, or at least two sides of anything, there will be labels. People divide themselves up whenever they can in order to be more unique.

 

There can be no end to the separation caused by labels. Some people will always look down on you because you’re a nerd, or a football player, or a skater, or a raver, or whatever you are. Just don’t think that because you have been labeled as something, that it is your job to play the part to the fullest and for the rest of your life. Break free, be unique and show the world, or at least CVHS, that a label is not a chain.

Sharing the talent of our alumni, The Olympian presents classic stories from its archive, including this article first published on Nov. 9, 2001.