Vulnerable Populations

Perhaps one problem is that we have this almost compulsive need to label people. Of course it's important to be able to group people when studying them but using those labels outside of scientific studies seems a little irresponsible in my opinion. Consider the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who don't have the same resources as other people (and are constantly reminded that they don't) may very well use that as an excuse (legitimately or not) to limit themselves. Likewise, people who do have resources may take for granted their opportunities and find themselves in vulnerable situations later in life. I believe that though environment and society can have a major impact on your "vulnerability" in life, it really comes down to personal choices and motivation in the end. I also believe that as a society we should work more diligently to ensure that everyone has similar opportunities in life but I know that in reality, that's not going to happen. As such, as a member of society, it's up to me to overcome whatever challenges, obstacles or interferences I may face when navigating toward a more secure and less vulnerable state in life. Going back to the idea of labels, we know in studies of learning development children who are called "dumb" and discouraged are less likely to succeed then kids who are encouraged and told they are smart and capable. I can imagine there is a similar impact in how we define society. Terminology can be very powerful. I could be wrong but it's just something to consider.