I was 10 when I first heard about Hitler. My dad used to teach us about religion called “Humanity” and Hitler was one of the Satan of his story. When he told me Nazi used to stamp labels on Jews, I shuddered and my small naïve mind thought: Hitler is mad, how could anyone do that. He is really a Satan.

But as I grew up, I began to see labels everywhere. The label begins from you birth or even before you are born; cute, ugly, badmas, gyani, smart, dumb, gay, straight, cruel etc. and etc. and the label continues. No it doesn’t leave you even when you die.

And strange part of labeling is: there’s not just one label, there are sub-sub-sub-sub labels as well.

I was browsing through some youtube videos. One video by Gay Blogger caught my eye. Yes I read gay blogs, now does that make me more gay? If I haven’t read, would that make me more straight? See here too is label. (Now I know you have label on me because of that too.)

Focusing on the topic, he answers questions he receives or shares his stories. He was asked: whether he was top or bottom, another label within label. That question made me wonder, why there are sub-labels within labels. Isn’t one label enough or do we so strongly believe in nomenclature that we have to label everything and anything. We put labels on class, culture, caste, sexual orientation, looks, work, gender, and on what not? Once you are done with labeling…now second phase starts… start labeling the labels as well, and the process continues. And still, many of us claim we are different than Hitler. But are we?

Hitler labeled people publicly, we label people privately. Only that is different, isn’t it?