Semantics1972-II—Is "Labeling" "Bad"?

The second in a series of discussions on various aspects of semantics (See preceding abstract for part I.). One of the current educationist fashions is to decry the "labeling" of children as making them pariahs. Anything that has a denigrating effect is both unfair and quite negative. In this case, perhaps, the trouble lies not so much in the labeling as in the labelers, or even in the semantic misunderstanding of the accusers. Dyslexia causes people's reactions to be an accusation of inadequacy in what is being done about children's education. Medicine presents a good analogy in defense of the term's use. A single, etymologically accurate term like dyslexia can be useful, especially if it is internationally understood. As with every word (label) we use, value judgments depend on the users, not on the word. R. Ojeda