Posted by
James Biga on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 10:50:28 AM
According to statisticians I am a White Christian American Conservative Republican Husband Father of three veteran that likes pickles. Lets break this down.
1. White. Although my skin color is closer to white than purple, next to a white sheet of paper, I appear tan. Therefore the label white is implied very loosely.
2. Christian. I am definitely a Christian that follows Baptist teaching. I do however take issue with the restrictions on drinking and dancing. This makes me a not very good Baptist. However, I do follow the faith's tenets in the salvation of the sacrifice of Christ and believe that faith alone, not works, puts your name in the Lamb's book of life.
3. American. Definitely another truthful label. I was born in Pennsylvania to American parents. I have since moved to Colorado where this label has not changed. I am American to a fault. Having been around the world and visited many nations and cultures, I have no desire to be anything but an American.
4. Conservative. Could I get a true definition of a Conservative? Pat Buchanan is a conservative but I am not in league with him. George Bush is considered a Conservative but I have many differences with him. Once again, this is a label that gets broadly painted.
5. Republican. I am a registered Republican. However, there are certain libertarian or Democrat associated ideas that I agree with. Republican doesn't necessarily coincide with Conservative despite popular opinion. For more on this read Flagwavers blog.
6. Husband. I am a husband and have been so for nearly 20 years to the same woman. Sometimes I am a good one other times I need some work. But I am definitely a husband.
7. Father. I have been a father for the same amount of time I have been a husband. I have three children. This label fits.
8. Veteran. I served 8 years in the US Navy. So this label fits. nuff said.
9. Likes pickles. No need to explain.
As shown, not all of the labels are appropriate. The basic generalization that a human being uses is a self defense mechanism that we use to make snap decisions. When the decisions don't need to be figured on the spot there is no excuse for these generalizations. The Labels that fit are those that apply to citizenship, faith and occupation. Those rarely change. Political leanings and race labels are used willy-nilly. They aren't precise or often affective. Political decisions are dependant on the issue and the circumstances. In both cases, generalizing can lead one to make a wrong decisions on a regular basis. Label's may serve a purpose but they also can cause great consternation.
My name is James Biga. I am an American Christian who is a Husband and a Father and a Veteran. These are the only certainties in explaining who I am. 40 years ago my ideologies would have been associated with the Democrat party. Not so now. Although I would have still been labeled as white, as I explained earlier, this is a pretty asinine definition. Caucasian yes. White, not really.
Be careful when using labels. As I was told as a kid, they often create more havoc than they dispel.