Labeling

From Wikipedia on the Stanford Prison Guard experiment

Seventy-five men applied (to be subjects in the experiment), and after screening assessments and interviews, 24 were selected to participate in a two-week prison simulation.[11] The applicants were predominantly white, middle-class, and appeared to be psychologically stable and healthy.[11] The group of subjects was intentionally selected to exclude those with criminal backgrounds, psychological impairments, or medical problems.[11]

Day 2 of the experiment

Guards referred to prisoners by their identification and confined them to their small cells. At 2:30 am the prisoners rebelled against guards' wake up calls of whistles and clanging of batons. Prisoners refused to leave their cells to eat in the yard, ripped off their inmate number tags, took off their stocking caps and insulted the guards. In response, guards sprayed fire extinguishers at the prisoners to reassert control. The three back-up guards were called in to help regain control of the prison. Guards removed all of the prisoners' clothes, removed mattresses and sentenced the main instigators to time in The Hole.

 

The Stanford Prison Guard experiment is often pointed to as a vivid example of how a "label" can change our behaviors. Some who participated in the experiment were labeled "prisoners" and others were randomly assigned the role of "guards".

The experiment went off the rails before the professors could give the test subjects any meaningful instructions.

Handicapped parking

No, I do not have a license or a mirror-hanger so I can legally park in handicapped parking.

I am slow, not handicapped.

My condition is temporary and I refuse to take the first dance-step on that slippery slope.

Victimhood

I am also fighting thinking of myself as a victim. To be a victim is to give your permission to become a cardboard cutout. It is to push away agency that is there for the taking. 

Post-carbon Toyota Hi-Lux with WWII knee mortar ready to be deployed.

I can do many things if I put my mind to it and I give my self permission to take all of the time it takes. That is, to let the assignment schedule when the task must be completed by rather than some arbitrary guess that pops out of my head.

The other problem with victimology is that there must be an oppressor or a villain if one is a victim. Further, there must be a rescuer waiting in the wings. Very few people appreciated being cast as a villain. In time, most people resent always being cast as the rescuer.

In time, bad things happen to everybody. Everybody is an asshole at some point in their life. Everybody is capable of random acts of kindness...but when they act in those ways and for how long, that should be their choice. The pivot to victimhood denies others agency as well. It is not an honorable way to treat others.