I propose that we as a society should stop defining ourselves through labels. Labels deny ourselves and allow us to carry on stereotypical notions of who a person is without actually knowing them. There are countless examples that come to mind such as man/women, black/white, gay/straight and farmer/lawyer. We will look at those cases below.

Man / Woman. Men and women have different sex organs that put together allow each other to have children. There is no reason per se that you have to be opposite sex to love one and another or even have sex, though child bearing is impossible—though with adoption that issue can be resolved. More seriously in stereotyping between the sexes: men can do certain things, and women can't. Why can't women hunt and camp? Why can't men baby sit? There is no biological reason. Statistics like the fact that only 10% of New York farms are owned by women suggest that stereotyping forces women to stay out of certain kinds of occupations.

Black / White. Racism is even stranger, yet it exists as such an important part of society. Most people aren't open racists, but when they see a black person they think urban, often think criminal, and often are distrusting. Having a dark skin tends to be a big disadvantage to getting a job or being successful. I've certainly met rural blacks, and many are not as dumb as the stereotype would suggest. Moreover, race isn't neccessarly defined by skin color in our country, but it still matters. Why can't all of us be either black or white wen we want to be such?

Gay / Straight. In our country, you either have to be gay or straight. Being gay means your werid. Why does it have to be werid? There is no reason why a man having a realtionship with another man prohibits him from going camping, having children (abit only through adoption), and so forth. It seems silly to limit marriage to a man and women, as there is no biological reason for love between two partners.

Lawyer / Farmer. Yes, we want well qualified people in both fields, as we want people who produce quality food or legal services, and are passionate about their job. At the same time, it seems like our society is too much about emphasizing differences, and claiming you have to be one or another. Maybe if people after getting the prerequestie education could move around, then things would be a lot better.

At the end of the day, we would be so much better off if people simply could choose to be what they want to be, and not be defined solely by labels. The days when people made single choices that define whole lives is over, thanks to a more flexibile job market, but the social mores surrounding the individual tend to lock him or her in a very specifc place. When people are denied choice, it never a good thing.