Why I Believe In Labels

So, labels are bad apparently. So how does one go about describing themselves? Well, I’m tall, no, can’t use that, that’s a label. I don’t want to define myself by being tall. I’m bald. No, that’s a label, can’t say that either. I have a beard, no. Four hours later…………

So, I would describe myself as an animate object. Oh, shit, animate is a label, can’t use that either. I should not be defined by the fact that I’m alive! And, for that matter, object is a label. How dare anyone label me as having a physical presence in this universe! Okay, let me think, I think I can manage this, okay, here we go.

I am a vague concept. My hobbies include listening to vague concepts, I tell you, vague concept is one of the best guitarists I have ever heard, I don’t know why the vague concepts don’t give vague concept an award. Every week I like to meet up with vague concept, and during the week I will meet up with other vague concepts. During Christmas I will usually meet up with vague concepts that I haven’t seen in quite some time, which is always enjoyable. Often times I like to go to the cinema, one of my favourite directors is vague concept, I don’t know why more vague concepts don’t like vague concept’s films. I also like to cycle out to the Nagle mountains, usually I’ll have the place to myself, but every now and then I’ll meet a vague concept out walking their dog.

Oh shit, didn’t mean to say that, How dare I define a dog by the fact that it is a living canine object! Okay, let me try that again, every now and then I’ll meet a vague concept out walking their vague concept.

But even though I love cycling to the Nagle mountains, it can be difficult at times, because of my anxiety. Oh, sorry, a thousand apologies, I can’t be defining myself by my mental health issues! Every so often, I find it difficult to cycle to the Nagle mountains because of an unspecified mental state. Oh wait, can’t do that either, how dare I define myself as a person who has a brain! Every so often, I find it difficult to cycle to the Nagle mountains, because of, em, a sort of a, difficulty.

Wait, isn’t even saying I have a difficulty labelling myself as a person who has difficulties? And for that matter, isn’t saying I go to the cinema defining myself as a person who likes the cinema? Haven’t I labelled myself as a cyclist? Okay, forget everything I said, let me try to describe myself, without labelling myself, or defining myself by anything. Here goes.

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It can be seen as very (don’t worry I’m talking normally again now!) enlightened to say things like, “I don’t believe in labels.” But my argument is, it fundamentally doesn’t work, it would be like saying “I don’t believe in verbs” or “I don’t believe in adjectives”. We label people all the time, it’s just what we do, because we can’t do otherwise. As you’ve already seen from the start of this essay (I’m describing them as essays now because I’m sophisticated), it is impossible to even construct a basic sentence without labelling a person.

I will label a person from the moment I see them. As tall, as a person who likes metal, as a person with long hair, as a person with glasses, and this is all before saying “Hello”. This is just how it is! Take away everything I just said, and we’re back to “vague concept”, and nobody wants to go back to that, dear God I don’t want to go back to that!

So it seems people are fine with labelling me as a tall Irish guy with glasses and a shaved head. So most people are fine with descriptors of my appearance. And most people are happy enough with descriptors of my personality and life, a bit of a joker, has a very loud voice, loves cycling, has a very loud voice, is an extremely unbelievably excellent guitarist, has a very loud voice, is an astronomer, has a very loud voice. So, the one label people seem to not want to put on me, is that I’m autistic. Why is that?

I think it’s a well intentioned attitude, but I think subconsciously, it comes from the fact that autism is still a stigmatized condition. But, the solution there is to help to create a society where that stigma doesn’t exist. “We just won’t mention the autism” isn’t a solution to that stigma, it just hides it. (Before I go on, I should point out that it’s not uncommon for autistic people to not be comfortable with talking about their autism status, and if that is how they feel, then that should be respected. But I don’t see a need for a “don’t mention autism” policy towards all autistic people.) Besides, even when I was deeply in denial about my autism, with some people it clicked that I was probably autistic based on my personality, and for a lot of others, it definitely clicked that there was something different about me. It’s not going to be possible to simply pretend differences don’t exist!

Are there contexts where not acknowledging the autism label is appropriate? Sure. It would be very pointless and bizarre to declare my autism status when for example going to the cinema (unless I need specific help in the cinema but this isn’t something that has occurred so far.) So no, I’m not suggesting that my autism status should be shouted out in the cinema or in the supermarket or at an auction or at a funeral, so I’m just talking about the idea that it’s “enlightened” to “not believe in labels”.

“Not believing in labels” means we can’t get to understand all of the differences that make us who we are, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent. “Not believing in labels”, means we have to go back to “vague concept” again, and I’ll leave the planet before I do that. And I think the most important reason to believe in labels, is, how else do we respond to people who have bigoted views against autism. Organizations like Autism Speaks certainly believe in labels. They believe in labelling autism as a horrid condition to be wiped off the face off the planet. And Andrew Wakefield made a career out of labelling autism as a disease so catastrophic that it is better to risk your child getting the measles, a potentially fatal illness.

So that’s why I believe in labels. If someone labels autism as bad, I will label it as good, or at least neutral. If somebody labels autism as a disease, I will label it as a different way of being human. If someone labels autism as the next stage of human evolution, I will label that person as having a very poor understanding of evolution, and then I will label Charles Darwin as spinning in his grave.