Labels

[skepticscott]

It has often been opined here that if a person rejects a certain label, that it ought not be applied to them. If Neil DeGrasse Tyson says that he doesn't consider himself an atheist, so the argument goes, then it is improper, even rude, to apply that label to him, regardless of whether he qualifies under a commonly accepted meaning of that word.

But now we have Clippers owner Donald Sterling saying that he doesn't consider himself a racist:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014802108

Does this, by the same argument, mean that it is wrong or rude for anyone on this site or elsewhere to continue to characterize or refer to him as a racist, even if his words, actions or beliefs qualify him as one?

If someone says "I don't consider myself a/n X", (no matter what "X" is) is that the last word on the subject, and should that be respected by everyone, or do words mean things, whether the person they're being applied to accepts that or not?

[trotsky]

1. You bring up a great point.

It's too bad we won't hear from some of the "you can't use that label on me!" champions.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. they are too busy celebrating the suppression of religion to bother.

[trotsky]

3. Well, some people will scream and bash anyone who criticizes religious beliefs...

but of course reserve the right to criticize, bash, mock, and insult the beliefs that THEY don't think deserve respect.

Some might use the label "hypocrite" to describe such a person.

[skepticscott]

5. I'm sure the issue will come up again and again

Every time a smug, superior "agnostic" writes a diatribe about how far above atheists they are in their thinking and their morals, and how glad they are that they are not like Richard Dawkins.

[Act_of_Reparation]

4. Words need to have meaning for language to be functional

People don't like being labeled not because of what the words mean, but because of the stigma society has attached to them. Nowhere is the more evident than in NDT's "agnostic not atheist" spiel, in which he attaches absolutely unnecessary criteria to an otherwise very simple word.