Label

Label.

Oh God I hate that term.

'Don't marry a Padangnese! They're stingy!'

'Oh, you are an ITB student? You must be smart!'

'Acehnese? They're lazy!'

'You're a SBM ITB student? You must be hella rich'

'Ah, him? He's smart because it runs in his family'

'Why would you choose social course? You're smart enough to choose science course'

Those are several sentences you hear when you're being labeled. I take label the same way as prejudice. Prejudice means any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable. Why do I hate it? Because it creates misjudgement. It creates walls between people. It leads to unfairness and discrimination. Racism, ageism, sexism, you name it. It mostly contains of hatred, bias, aversion. It makes people become intolerant and narrow minded. It brings no good.

For example,

1. When I met new people and I said 'I am a student of SBM ITB'. Their responses are quite the same actually. 'Wow you must be rich', is one of them. It's true that SBM costs hella expensive but is it true that I am rich? No. My family is far from rich. Some of my friends are rich, but does that also make me rich?

2. It was a talk about marriage. My uncle and Mom told me not to marry an-let's say-Acehnese because they're lazy. I didn't understand it, so I asked why? And they answered with, 'because I've met several of them and they're all lazy'.

But they haven't even met the person I was talking about, and heck-- I wasn't even going to marry him. He's a great person, a fine man, and far from lazy.

3. It was in early 11th grade when I was a new social student. My relatives asked me, 'What did you choose? Social/Science?' and I answered, 'Social'. You couldn't even imagine the look on their faces. 'Why? But you're smart?', they asked, confused.

So being a social student means that I am no longer smart. I am dumb. But no, I am not dumb. I could be a science student, my teacher asked me twice if I ever wanted to change course but I refused to do so. I have my reasons and it was certainly not because my academic ability was below average. So do my friends in school. They choose to be a social student because they already know what they wanted and it's definitely not science study. Choosing science study as their path is just a waste of their time.

I was seriously furious at that time. Until now, even. It is the 21st century and I don't think it's right for parents to think that certain course is better than the other thus pushing their children to believe in the same notion. Let the child decide, therefore he's the one who's responsible for it. It's their own lives after all.

There are many more cases of me being labeled and as long as I remember, none of them is favorable for me. Even if it is, I loathe it.

I did it because I did, not because my father's great-great-great grandmother's nephew's son did it. I worked for it. It doesn't run in my blood. Yes, I am a student of SBM ITB, but I am not rich. Yes, I am a Padangnese, but I am not stingy. Yes, I am a social student, but I am not dumb. Yes, it's in my blood, it's my background but it doesn't necessarily define me.

People like to simplify things, I did it too, many times. They like to simplify people while in fact, they can't. Human beings are complex, each one of them. It's not right to judge them by something they didn't do. There's more to people than the labels make they appear to be.

Now, please, don't define me as 'SBM ITB student', a Padangnese, a O blood type or a social student only. I am Hany, and I am more or less than your prejudices think of me. You gotta know me yourself to find out, as well as other people.

They're standing on the same ground.
But they're different,
in so many ways.