Whose Label Are You Wearing?

[Vickie Evans]

THIS IS A PARTIAL CHAPTER ENTITLED “WHOSE LABEL ARE YOU WEARING? (OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES)”, FROM MY BOOK “KNOW YOUR WORTH! (OVERCOMING THE DRAGON OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM), WHICH WILL BE RELEASED VERY SOON! PLEASE PURCHASE THE BOOK TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY.


WHOSE LABEL ARE YOU WEARING?
(Overcoming Stereotypes)


“If the inherent or oral requirement for me to form an association or relationship is for me to lose my identity or compromise my self-respect in order to fall in line with someone else’s drum beat; I choose to remain off-beat and in solitude!” - Vickie L. Evans


In this 21st century, health-consciousness has become an important factor. Great emphasis is placed on caloric intake and counting, daily exercising, and maintaining low carbohydrate diets. As a result, label-reading has become a regular occurrence. Labels tell you what’s inside – it distinguishes the corn from the peas. Undoubtedly, the significance of labels is undeniable; how would you know what you are purchasing if it did not have a label? Without the label, all canned goods are universal and look alike – a plain, insignificant, undistinguishable, silver, aluminum tin can.

However, what would happen if the wrong label was applied to the can? Imagine opening a can expecting green beans but instead it contains okra? Or, opening a can expecting sweet potatoes and it has sauerkraut? Certainly, that would not be a good experience. Sadly enough, there are many people walking around unhappy and unfulfilled because someone has wrongfully categorized them or marked them with the wrong label. My pastor, Bishop Eugene Reeves, recanted his childhood experience on how he was labeled as a slow- or challenged- learner in grade school and how the teachers/counselors said that he would never be able to obtain a “normal” education. But thanks to a Sunday school teacher, who declared that he “could do all things through Christ”; a spark of confidence was ignited within him to excel beyond his imposed limitations. Not only did he receive a normal education, he surpassed it by obtaining an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Masters of Arts in Counseling, and a Masters and Doctorate of Divinity. This just goes to show you that not all labels are accurate. Thankfully, positive affirmations can effectuate a swift transition and re-align you with your intended purpose and put you back of track with your destiny.

Labels also provide details of the amount of a specific ingredient that is inside the can such as the sodium or fat content; which I define as the character that gives the main ingredient flavor. A very wise man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once had a dream that his children would not be “judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”. Therefore, knowing the right content is very important! I wrote a poem that echoes Dr. King’s saying entitled, Don’t Judge Me!:

Don’t judge me by the color of my skin
But judge me by the character I have within

Don’t judge me by my cultural dialect
But judge me by my insight and intellect.

Don’t judge me by my physical attributes
But judge me by my charitable contributes.

Please don’t label me incorrectly!
Spend a moment to get to know the real me!


Inappropriately applied labels in some cases have caused irrevocable damage in some cases. There is an illustration about an eagle whose egg was mistakenly placed amongst some chicken eggs. The egg hatched at the same time the chicken eggs hatched. The eagle lived amongst the chicken, pecking around on the ground for food, eating what the chickens ate, sleeping where the chickens slept, and clucking like a chicken. One day a flock of eagles flew by the chicken coop. The eagle looked like the rest of the eagles; however, he could not fly because he spent so much time living with the chickens. Ladies, many of you have been robbed of your self-esteem because you were told that you were a chicken even though you were born an eagle. You look like an eagle but low self-esteem keeps you in the chicken coop pecking, preventing you from soaring with the eagles. In order to fly, you have to believe that you can. R. Kelly wrote a very simple yet profound song for Michael “Your Airness” Jordan that declares:

I believe I Can Fly!
I Believe I Can Touch the Sky!
I Think About It Every Night And Day!
Spread My Wings and Fly Away!
I Believe I Can Soar!
I See Me Standing At An Open Door!
I Believe I Can Fly!”

If you form associations with those who are content on ground zero and have no ambition to fly, they will hinder your ability to fly, even though you have wings to fly. Once you are labeled a chicken, people will treat your accordingly.

A few times during my grocery shopping ventures, I found some really good bargains in the “Damaged Goods” bin. The “Damage Goods” bin includes items that are “marked down” for a particular reason or another. Some of the canned goods are bent or dented; however, upon taking it home, opening the can, and cooking the contents inside, I found that the dented, marked down items taste just as good as the regular ones. A famous quote warns us not to “judge a book by its cover” and the Bible says in Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge or you will be judged”. Too many people have landed in the “Damaged Good” bin of life due to erroneous judgments and misperceptions based on outer appearance and insinuating circumstances.

In our society, first impressions are usually lasting! But in some instances, first impressions are not always the right impressions. Just because you meet someone who is not your “cup of tea” so to speak, does not mean that there is something wrong with the tea; maybe your taste buds are off! This morning I made myself a cup of tea and put too much sugar in it. It was the same brand of tea that I always enjoyed but too much sugar changed it and made it undesirable to me. My impression of the tea was based exclusively on my opinion and taste, which is also the bases and foundation of stereotypes – opinion and impressions. In fact, the website, About.com, defines stereotypes as “fixed impressions, exaggerated or preconceived ideas about particular social groups, usually based solely on physical appearance.” This confirms why I detest stereotypes because they are oftentimes inaccurate, biased, and unproductive.

Ladies, purchase the book - release date - December 2008 - to read the rest of the chapter and other chapters like "I Only Eat Filet Mignon!", "Friendly Fire", Solitary Confinement (Married Yet Alone), and more!

[Elder Linda K. Smith]

Elder Evans, I was quite happy to see you on the network and am looking forward to reading your newest book. Will you be attending the conference Saturday?