Why using the correct term matters
The purpose of labels
There are many reasons why we use labels. Some of them include:
to protect ourselves from the impact of a certain type of medication e.g. “I’m allergic to opioid analgesics”
to reduce thinking time, for example, “please put all the bright colours over there, so I can look at them first”
to make things easier e.g. “let’s put all the decaffeinated drinks on a separate shelf”
to be able to group certain people together, for example, categorising people according to their predictions, blood test results, eating habits, fitness levels, hobbies and so on.
to bring about change, for example, labelling yourself as being part of a certain faith group when completing the census, so that your community’s needs are better understood in schools, hospitals, crematoriums etc.
The above examples are just a snippet showing the multiple ways we use labels and how they can be useful.
Why labels matter
Can you imagine someone’s medical notes listing all the drugs that they’re allergic to, rather than, simply stating that they can’t be given any opioid analgesics? Going through the list would take time, thought power and may delay the action that needs to be taken to prevent the patient from feeling more harm.
Taking the example of caffeine. Imagine that you’ve got a group of friends over and you’re making the drinks. A number of them want decaffeinated drinks, and that’s fine because you have a range of teas, coffees and alternatives. However, they’re all clumped together and you’ll need to sort through twenty different containers in order to work out which items have caffeine and which don’t. Surely it would be more practical to have them sorted, in some way, beforehand.
Finally, let’s look at the example of the faith group. It’s time to complete the Census form and I state my faith because I want there to be better provision for our community. I then get into the habit of stating this faith on any type of form and ask people to cater for me accordingly. However, can you imagine what would happen if I attended an event which included a meal and expected to have access to food that doesn’t fit in with my faith group, even though I told them to use that label to determine what I would and wouldn’t eat? How infuriating!
Not understanding labels
I remember when I first became aware of the cruelty involved in dairy. That’s when I learned about the term vegan too. I stopped consuming dairy overnight and if anyone asked me about it, I told them I was vegan. I didn’t realise that vegan wasn’t just about dairy. looking back, I think this was understandable and forgivable. It was an innocent error.
What if you know and you continue to use the ‘wrong’ label?
Recently, I met someone new. He was telling me that he was vegan, sharing his journey and referring to some conversations he’d had with others. Something he said didn’t make sense to me, so I asked him if, when he says he’s vegan, does he mean he doesn’t consume any animal products or is it just dairy? He proceeded to tell me that he has fish sometimes, eats eggs, uses honey and sometimes eats chicken too. If dairy ends up in his plate, he’ll eat it but he tries to avoid it because it causes issues with his sinuses.
I was processing that, when he said that his vegan friends give him stick about it but he continues to use the term anyway.
Can you imagine being a waiter, a caterer or a friend who’s hosting a meal for someone who tells you they’re vegan but really they mean they avoid dairy? You might go to great lengths to create a special meal for them, it might take longer to prepare because you want to be careful to respect their choice and ensure that there’s no cross-contamination between the vegan food and the non-vegan food.
Then imagine that everyone sits down to eat and they start eating the non-vegan food. For one, there may not be enough non-vegan food for everyone to have seconds if he’s eating it too. This might result in vegan food items being wasted. Then, of course, there’s the issue of consciously deceiving others because they actually know that they’re not vegan but use the term anyway. Knowing that the term does not apply to them but using it anyway would feel inconsiderate and express a lack of respect for the host’s time and effort.
I’m sure there’s a lot more to consider but I’m hoping that this is enough to express the need for understanding various terms and being humble enough to, when required, change the words we use to avoid confusion amongst other things.
So what do you think?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. You can get in touch with me by searching for Plant Shift on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or message me using this contact form.
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“When we communicate with others, it’s important we say what we mean. If not, it will be hard for others to really understand what we are saying, who we are, and what we stand for.
Be a person of integrity. Always say what you mean, mean what you say.”