Who Are You?

Caroline delves into a compelling and timely topic: the impact of labeling on identity and community.

Caroline starts the conversation by discussing her recent article on how we label one another and the implications of those labels. She shares an anecdote about a comedian's performance at a college and the intriguing question he received about his identity. This leads to a broader discussion about how labels, while sometimes necessary, can also be limiting and divisive.

The conversation takes a personal turn as Caroline shares a surprising experience at Newark Airport, where she was stereotyped as harmless based on her appearance and accent. This incident serves as a deeper exploration of how labels are formed and the assumptions that come with them, inviting the audience to empathize with her experience.

Rick and Caroline also touch on the recent global focus on England following the death of the Queen, highlighting how significant events can bring people together despite their differences. They discuss the dichotomy of being unique individuals while also being part of a larger human family, emphasizing the importance of seeing beyond labels to celebrate our intrinsic value as human beings. This insight is sure to enlighten and inspire the audience.

Caroline offers practical advice on navigating the complex landscape of identity and labels. She suggests adopting a more universal label of "human being" to foster a sense of global community and interconnectedness. The episode concludes with Caroline and Rick encouraging listeners to be more curious, open, and compassionate toward others, breaking down the barriers that labels can create.

Take advantage of this thought-provoking episode that challenges us to rethink how we label ourselves and others. Please tune in for a heartfelt conversation to inspire unity and understanding in our increasingly divided world.

For more information and to connect with Caroline Phipps, email her at [e-mail]. She is always eager to hear from listeners and offers complimentary coaching sessions to help individuals navigate their journeys.

 

Read Article: https://www.carolinephipps.com/who-are-you

 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Music.

(00:08):
98.1 KZE. I am Rick, your host of the Up and Running Morning Show.
And joining us on the telephone, guaranteed, it is Caroline Phipps.
Caroline, do you have any nicknames?
Actually, yes. Some people call me Caro. C-A-R-O. Okay. Well,
I've done that in the past, too.

(00:30):
I think you have, Ricky. Yes. Yeah. Ricky. Thank you.
Well, it's great to have you on the telephone, Caroline, and I know that you
have a great, important topic that people should hear about,
and thanks for bringing this to the table for them to dig into here on the Up

(00:51):
and Running Morning Show.
So why don't you just dive in, Caroline?
Well, thank you so much, and thank you for having me on the show this morning,
Rick. Always a pleasure.
So this article that I wrote this month is all about how we label one another
and this whole question of who do we identify with,

(01:15):
which group of people, which community, and so on.
It kind of goes back like a million years, like which tribe are you in?
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, it's kind of solidly downloaded in our human DNA.
Yeah, and passed on from generation to generation.
Absolutely. And I was sort of prompted to write and talk about this a little

(01:42):
bit because I watched a YouTube clip of a comedian who was,
you know, performing at a college and entertaining lots of students.
He had a very large audience
a very diverse group of people
and there was a Q&A at the end and he was asked you know who do you identify

(02:07):
with and in this particular case the answer came back and it was about race
and ethnicity because the man was a very interesting mixture of different
ethnicities and race he had
a very sort of interesting ancestry and so
he answered it in in that way but

(02:29):
I thought how interesting that is that he's come to
entertain this group of very diverse people and then the question is who do
you identify with and of course his answer could easily have been well I'm here
to identify with all of you I'm here to entertain you and make you all love
and I'm here for all of you.

(02:51):
And I thought it was a very sort of curious thing that we like to know,
you know, where people identify and who they sort of stand with.
And it sort of just got me to thinking that there are times when labeling one
another is, of course, necessary.

(03:13):
And we need to know perhaps somebody's profession or sometimes where they come
from or whatever it is to either hire them or speak appropriately or whatever it is.
But when we start to get really sort of compartmentalized, I find it limits

(03:37):
us, you know, really in our outlook.
Yeah. Yeah, well, I can easily say, hello. I'm Rick from the Up and Running
Morning Show. I'm a radio host.
But that is only a fraction of actually who I am and what I do.
I'm also a musician, an artist, you know, and the list goes on and on.
A father, and it keeps on going.

(03:59):
So, you know, I can identify myself with a lot of different pigeonholes.
Yes. And I think that one of the biggest issues with labeling,
of course, comes with appearance because that's so immediate.
And being English

(04:22):
at the moment of course is has been
in the news in a very solid way with the
the death of our Queen and lots of sort of emphasis on England and Britain and
the Commonwealth and you know all of this kind of stuff and then you hear on
the news that half of the world's population in some way shape or form,

(04:47):
watched or listened or got clips from the funeral and the news feed.
And that's half the globe. That's more than any other viewing block ever in
the history of anything.
And it's interesting what brings us together and what doesn't.

(05:08):
And years ago, I
was at Newark Airport and it was post 9-11 and I was in a tearing hurry to catch
a plane and I'd grabbed a computer bag from the basement of a new house that I was renting.

(05:29):
I thought, oh, that looks like a nice bag, stuffed my computer in there and
then ended up laying it down on the x-ray machine.
And the next thing I know, I'm called over by an official who is holding a very
long screwdriver with a red handle, rusty screwdriver.

(05:51):
And she said, is this yours? was
and I said well no and
she said well whose bag is this and I said well I actually I
don't I don't really know and then she
said well you know did you check the bag and I
said no I mean everything I was saying was wrong
I mean literally everything everything and

(06:13):
she's holding the screwdriver and everybody else is
passing through the x-ray machine and I'm ready for you
know I'm going to be called away yeah i have
to explain this thing it makes no sense and
i'm going to miss the flight and the whole thing and then she literally put
the screwdriver back in the compartment in the bag handed me the bag and said

(06:40):
have a lovely flight she didn't think you were
going to unscrew the entire plane, which you went on to do.
I mean, unbelievable.
That's amazing because she stereotyped you as safe and harmless because of your
accent and your demeanor.
Absolutely. And it's absurd, ridiculous.

(07:04):
And I was actually quite, quite shocked by the whole thing.
I then sidled up to a trash can and discreetly dropped my rusty screwdriver
in it, thinking, I don't want any more to do with this. Wow.
But it was pretty shocking because I think almost any other type of person would

(07:30):
have had more of a problem with that.
And depending on where you're labeled with everything, it could have just got worse and worse.
Absolutely. Wow. What an interesting situation.
And I'm glad that everything worked out for you. But what a weird way to process
all that information like you just did and say,

(07:52):
isn't it odd that they just gave me the screwdriver back because they thought
I was a harmless woman going on a plane with a screwdriver?
Yeah. And I know people who were being pulled aside for, you know, having tiny little.
A lighter. Toothpaste and stuff like that. And a lighter. Yeah. Exactly.

(08:14):
Exactly. All sorts of things being confiscated and people pulled aside and so on and so forth.
So it really gave me a wake-up call about how one is perceived.
And there are many different ways to label people, how they sound,
how they look, what the resume looks like, where they come from, and so on.

(08:37):
But at the end of the day, we're all human beings. And what labels are sort
of man-made ways to put us into categories?
Yeah, man-made. Yeah, and you know, when we all come into this world,

(09:00):
you know, we basically share the same DNA.
We're all human beings, and here we all are doing our best to communicate and get along.
And we're labeled right from the beginning.
And what it does is it sort of, I feel in a way, doesn't celebrate our intrinsic value as,

(09:30):
you know, divine beings connected with one another in the universe. Unique individuals.
Yes, absolutely. We are totally unique in that way. And yet all...
Created the same way. So there's that kind of dichotomy.

(09:52):
And I think that maybe gets to the heart of why perhaps we're labeling.
I feel perhaps, even more today than ever,
because people are very keen to express their identity and their individual
needs and their own journey,

(10:13):
which is a fantastic thing and everybody has validity in that way and we should celebrate that.
But I think collectively, there
is a way to look at that trend without compartmentalizing us too much,
because we know in this world that darker powers and shadowy forces have a tendency

(10:40):
to slap labels on groups of individuals,
individuals taking away their
humanity and their individuality and
that's a very dangerous you know
slope yeah i'm with you yeah because well
being a unique individual and then joining yourself to a label of us or them

(11:09):
divides you and puts you in that well i'm part of this group As opposed to being
an individual and a unique person,
you're one of them.
Yes, there is that whole idea of you're one of them and I'm one of this.
And in the article, I use a quote from Romeo and Juliet, which,

(11:32):
of course, is the sort of ultimate labeling issue when Juliet falls in love with Romeo.
He's from the wrong family. He's from the wrong tribe.
The Capulets and the Montagues have been rivals in this city for heaven knows
how long. And basically, she's fallen in love with the wrong guy, the wrong guy.

(11:59):
And as William Shakespeare so brilliantly says in the play, what's in a name
that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
So he's going to be the guy she's in love with, whatever his name is.
And yet, you know, and you can understand her confusion. It makes no sense to me. I love this guy.

(12:24):
And now you're telling me that because of his name, I can't love this guy, but I love this guy.
No, just because he's one of them, you can't.
Yes. Yes. So how can we get through this, Caroline? Like, what is a solution for this?
Well, I thought maybe that what we could do a little bit is to take a look at

(12:47):
when we label people and why we label people.
And perhaps just dolly out a little bit and just take a look at that and work
out when it's really helpful to use labels and when perhaps not so much.

(13:07):
And I thought one thing that I might start doing when people ask me who I identify
with, after all, just from a heritage point of view, I'm an English person living in America.
I think I'm now just going to say, you know, I'm a human being.
I identify with being a human being. I identify with everyone.

(13:32):
And I do. I feel very, very much that I'm, you know, a part of a human family in a global community.
So I feel that human is a label that we can all agree on. It's true.
And, you know, you couldn't have said it any better, because that's really it.

(13:54):
And that's the truth of the matter is we're all individual, unique human beings.
And we all can get along. We all may have different opinions,
but then it doesn't mean you should go and label somebody, whatever you desire
to label them, because they don't agree with you.

(14:15):
And it's simple absolutely and of
course when we label it comes with
a download of our assumptions what we've
been taught where we come from what our
perceptions are and then you know when we do that let's not forget that other

(14:35):
people do that with us you know exactly the same way so when we do it other
people are doing it with us.
And I just think it would be nicer to not be so limited and tied up in this
way and embrace one another more.

(14:58):
And be open to other people's ideas, suggestions, and compassion.
Yes, and curious, I think, as well.
I like the idea of curiosity about other people, about their beliefs, about the way they live.

(15:18):
There's always something to be learned from people who are labeled differently
to us, who do things perhaps in a way that we don't.
And a sort of open curiosity and
not the sort of shut down compartmentalization, which I think, you know,

(15:41):
we in this world at the moment,
we it behooves us, I think, to reach out and embrace one another as part of the human family. Hmm.
Well said. Caroline, thank you for contributing to this Morning's Up and Running morning show.

(16:02):
It's always a pleasure. And for the sake of the conversation,
I can always say that identity-wise, you are my friend, my neighbor,
my colleague, and an awesome person.
So thank you for being you, Caroline.
Oh, thank you so much, Rick. That's so beautiful. Thank you.

(16:22):
You're welcome. And please join us next month for another chat and another helpful
healing serving of Elegant Living.
We do appreciate that. Caroline, tell folks how they can get in touch with you
and maybe receive a complimentary consultation.

(16:44):
Oh, yes, please. I'm loving hearing from people and meeting folks.
Folks, shoot me an email, caroline at carolinefitts.com.
And I always pick one to give an elegant coaching session.
And it's just been fantastic getting to know people.
Lots of great feedback you've been getting.

(17:08):
Yes, amazing, amazing feedback. And thanking you, Rick, too,
for all that you do for us and the community, and now, of course, around the globe.
So keep that good news coming and that wonderful, cheerful vibe that we all
need first thing in the morning.
Well, thank you, Caroline. I will do the best I can because that's what I can do.

(17:33):
Absolutely. We need to do the best that we can do.
Yep, and showing up and being present and, well, spreading happiness and joy.
There you are. Perfect. And here I'll be. And there you are.
And there you'll be. Caroline, thank you so much for joining us.
I look forward to talking with you next month. Nothing but the best and lots of love to you.

(17:57):
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me on the show. It's the Up and Running Morning Show.
98.1 KZE. We'll be right back.
Music.