Watch Your Language

 

Untitled - Lois Dalby - Chalk on paper

I guess we all know what's meant by labelling, the practice of giving an umbrella-name to a real or imaginary group of people and then assigning others to that group as we meet them. The folly in this is obvious when you think about it: when you assign anyone a label (sexist, leftist, even "Christian") the leap to assuming that that person bears all the characteristics of a stereotype is easily made.

              I was listening to a dialogue between late-night show host Bill Maher and a guest about one of the newest labels: Critical Race Theory (CRT, yes, it even has an acronym), which has been thrown into the leftist-labelled group and seems to mean that racism is taught to have been a critical factor in shaping the America as we find it today. Maher's contention was that we've made real progress on the racist front and the left is, as always, afraid to concede that what we're already doing is moving us toward the desired effect. There were, of course, comments like "we don't want our vulnerable children being made to bear the burden of guilt for a sordid past."

              I'd easily agree, of course, that a good education matches content to the maturity of the student; that's neither a leftist, rightist, nor anarchist belief; that's basic educational theory. The argument about Critical Race Theory in schools is misplaced. If state legislatures make of it a yes or no question, imagine how easily it could result in the continuation of historical revisionism, the sanitized history that we've generally been teaching—in Canada as much as in the USA.

              By the labels being thrown around like rubber bullets these days, I'm a leftist, a progressive. True, I favour tailoring the economy to ensure a living income to every person and family. Some hold this view for purely economic reasons; I hold it—I think—because I was born into a culture that assumed the gospels' demand that we practice compassion and care for the poor was not negotiable.

              And for those of us who like labels, there's another new phrase for your collection: virtue signaling. It's the only reason the lefties make a fuss over racism, sexism, and any other isms: "they're just trying to signal that they're more virtuous than the rest of us," according to Bill Maher.

              If you're into classifying the people you meet, slapping a label on a drawer and stuffing them safely in, at least get the label right. I'm an Anabaptist Christian—social progressive—environmental conservative—introverted … person. Half the time I don't know what the hell I'm talking about—throw that in as well. But then, introduce me to someone who does.

              On second thought, label me George.