Nicknames and labels can be dangerous things.

In 2008, a York man was killed by accident because he had a similar nickname as the attackers' intended target.The 29-year-old was known as "Big O," and apparently some thugs were looking for a man with the same moniker. They were caught and sentenced for murder, but justice can never be served.Nicknames are popular, especially in our area. I did an informal, unscientific survey and asked people if they had a nickname. Virtually every person said yes. Some said they also were called names.Most said it began during school years. Almost everyone said they'd been ridiculed by other kids.Some nicknames were comical and seemingly harmless.For instance, one friend told me he was called "Four Eyes" after he was fitted for his first pair of eyeglasses.Other nicknames were far more cruel. One man said he was known as "Tubby" because he had a tendency to be overweight.Years ago, a common nickname for a thin woman was "Skinny Minnie." But worse, one woman said she was referred to as "Hawk" as a child because of her prominent nose.I saw an article about the lasting impact of labels.Very often, nicknames or labels we put on others and ourselves seem innocent.For instance, some of us call ourselves "conservatives," or maybe "pro-lifers." Or maybe we identify as Republican or Democrat.These self-imposed labels don't necessarily fall into the same category as labels others place on us.Fortunately, as humans evolve, we're beginning to understand the harm done when we place labels on people, sometimes entire groups of people.Years ago, Dr. John Langdon Down, medical superintendent of a place called Earlswood Asylum, decided that some of the residents resembled Mongols.He labeled them "Mongolian idiots." He believed they were related to Mongolians due to physical traits. He also figured that Mongolians had not evolved as far as Englishmen. This was in 1866 and, at that time, folks like Down figured certain races of people were inferior. He believed Englishmen to be one of the world's most advanced.(Sadly, we saw a similar thought process take place in Hitler.)In any case, Down labeled those residents "Mongolian," a name that stuck.Even in the mid-1900s, people used the term Mongoloid to describe a condition we now know as Down syndrome. Just an example of how labels develop.In the 1960s, everybody knew what was meant when a person was referred to as mentally retarded. The term was socially acceptable back then.But it's a condescending phrase that de-emphasizes the person. It places an unfavorable identification on just one aspect of the whole being.Labels can sometimes be good. In certain instances, a label can prompt help.But the harm of labeling is that we tend to paint people with a broad brush instead of looking at the individual.It's important to recognize special gifts each person possesses or develops. And with that, we should forget about labels.They hurt. Labels are obstacles because they hinder our ability to see the person, the human being.I once interviewed a local woman whose life was torn apart by labels.She told me she grew up permanently scarred after being ridiculed for coming from a poor family."People need to understand that words cut," she said. I could see the hurt in her eyes.I've come to understand that labels are good for home canning. But not for people. It's impossible to capture the essence of anybody in a label. It's something we should try to avoid.Labels are fine for strawberry preserves, but not for humans.