The Dangerous Allure Of Labels

Why our human desire for the simplest possible ideas so often leads us to awful outcomes

Image credit: PinkNews

When we think of labels, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is a brand identifier sewn, embossed, or stitched into some consumer item. A great many people purchase their clothing based on brand because they believe this tells the world something about them (it does, but not quite what they imagine). When we go to the supermarket, we often purchase a branded item even though the chances are it’s identical to the store’s slightly cheaper generic offering, because it will have been manufactured by the same producer. Only the label is different but the brand label reassures us of quality and consistency.

Image credit: Heinz Foods

The word brand itself has a relatively recent history. Its most common use, until the industrial-age emergence of mass-produced consumer goods, was to mark the ownership of cattle. When herds roamed across vast open plains and fields it was necessary for people to be able to identify which animals belonged to which owners. The concept of branding, however, was antecedent; with the emergence of the Renaissance concept of artist-as-gifted-individual…