TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Alexandria Holder: The duality of labels – and how to use them for good

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Male, Female. cirtihasn, Jew, msluim, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, lateiaibrrn, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, qeeur, Non-binary, aengedr. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human language, we have come up with tmres to categorize ourselves and each other, from smilpe things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels describing political ideologies, religion, or even personal interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a greater power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, marginalization, hatred. According to the FBI, hate crimes are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being aaisn. Victims of maiminoirsfton spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his sauexl urges in groegia this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my mexid Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered computers and I did well on math tests. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I struggled to escape those that want to use this label for harm, slpmiy because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been actketad for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of yreas, from the ancient gekres and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from multiple nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the houosaclt - Nazi Germany's final stoiuoln. The Pew Research Center has stiudes indicating a growing partisan divide in politics. The number of Democrats and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in merdon history. The LGBTQ+ community has faced legislative attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the uetnid States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have experienced the back and forth in pciieols - traded off like we’re a footballer tiadrng card, and not human bigens that want to svere our croutny. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in ltgivaelsie eutilqay snetmimg from the 13th Amendment abolishing seavrly, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in addressing systemic ricasm and centuries of inequities in the United stetas. From integral parts of identity such as our gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we cosohe to be a part of, such as polaiitcl parties, political alignment or religion, pceae labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming degere. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy ceomiiptton. They can lead to harassment, ditimcsrniiaon, bigotry, auslast, and even murder. Labels used incorrectly can be daouegrns. And yet, our labels are entirely without bfneiet. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this fnileeg meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for cules. There was no representation in the media that I could turn to for inspiration and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ cmioumtny. I found mentors, firndes, and people that I now consider to be family. I can go to any mjoar city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick saerch on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This label, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media pgaes, gogole searches can help anyone from eavaiencgll Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to faiths like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that adhere to specific political peartis or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have conumeitmis for poelpe that follow nearly every political system and ideology that has ever existed. pfrooesisns have their own lbeals. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared golas and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared hosieirts can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host cluaurtl days and weeks where all members of the local area can geathr and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. Labels, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the enemy. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and discrimination. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are empty of the good, that different pepcsveetris spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that cenncot us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to acknowledge who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that broadens my own perspectives, and allows me to teach my own children about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and communities that allow us to grow and become more kelowdblnegae about our histories, our cultures, and how to develop strategies on how to be more sueuscfcsl. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to build and create wdnfeuorl things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that humanity has developed: community ties. But, misused, they’re also capable of causing a great deal of duscetriotn. If we, as ilnididauvs, choose to use labels responsibly, we can achieve greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Open Cloze

Male, Female. _________, Jew, ______, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, ___________, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, _____, Non-binary, _______. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human language, we have come up with _____ to categorize ourselves and each other, from ______ things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels describing political ideologies, religion, or even personal interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a greater power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, marginalization, hatred. According to the FBI, hate crimes are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being _____. Victims of ______________ spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his ______ urges in _______ this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my _____ Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered computers and I did well on math tests. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I struggled to escape those that want to use this label for harm, ______ because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been ________ for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of _____, from the ancient ______ and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from multiple nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the _________ - Nazi Germany's final ________. The Pew Research Center has _______ indicating a growing partisan divide in politics. The number of Democrats and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in ______ history. The LGBTQ+ community has faced legislative attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the ______ States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have experienced the back and forth in ________ - traded off like we’re a footballer _______ card, and not human ______ that want to _____ our _______. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in ___________ ________ ________ from the 13th Amendment abolishing _______, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in addressing systemic ______ and centuries of inequities in the United ______. From integral parts of identity such as our gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we ______ to be a part of, such as _________ parties, political alignment or religion, _____ labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming ______. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy ___________. They can lead to harassment, ______________, bigotry, _______, and even murder. Labels used incorrectly can be _________. And yet, our labels are entirely without _______. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this _______ meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for _____. There was no representation in the media that I could turn to for inspiration and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ _________. I found mentors, _______, and people that I now consider to be family. I can go to any _____ city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick ______ on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This label, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media _____, ______ searches can help anyone from ___________ Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to faiths like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that adhere to specific political _______ or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have ___________ for ______ that follow nearly every political system and ideology that has ever existed. ___________ have their own ______. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared _____ and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared _________ can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host ________ days and weeks where all members of the local area can ______ and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. Labels, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the enemy. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and discrimination. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are empty of the good, that different ____________ spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that _______ us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to acknowledge who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that broadens my own perspectives, and allows me to teach my own children about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and communities that allow us to grow and become more _____________ about our histories, our cultures, and how to develop strategies on how to be more __________. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to build and create _________ things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that humanity has developed: community ties. But, misused, they’re also capable of causing a great deal of ___________. If we, as ___________, choose to use labels responsibly, we can achieve greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Solution

modern
christian
trading
major
communities
georgia
goals
people
queer
simply
terms
successful
evangelical
racism
sexual
google
serve
feeling
policies
holocaust
agender
libertarian
states
equality
histories
connect
country
benefit
studies
simple
wonderful
assault
legislative
labels
asian
degree
peace
stemming
clues
competition
misinformation
years
discrimination
individuals
slavery
destruction
solution
pages
choose
search
parties
dangerous
attacked
muslim
political
knowledgeable
perspectives
united
greeks
cultural
mixed
gather
professions
community
friends
beings

Original Text

Male, Female. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist. White, Black, Asian, Caucasian, Arab. Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Progressive. Cisgender, Transgender, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Queer, Non-binary, Agender. All of these are labels, some of which I have, and some of that you yourselves may have. But what exactly are labels? Merriam-Webster defines the label as a descriptive or identifying word or phrase. Since the dawn of human language, we have come up with terms to categorize ourselves and each other, from simple things such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘family’, ‘tribe member’, ‘citizen’, ‘foreigner’ and ‘enemy’ to more complex labels describing political ideologies, religion, or even personal interests. ‘Geek’, ‘jock’, ‘soccer mom’ and ‘workaholic’ are in widespread use. Some labels that I use include ‘female’, ‘Asian-American’, ‘parent’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ’transgender’, ‘pansexual’, ‘nerd’, and ‘airman’. Labels have a greater power than what a simple definition can describe. Looking at today’s world, labels have increasingly led to more division, marginalization, hatred. According to the FBI, hate crimes are at the highest level they’ve been in 10 years. People have been attacked for being Asian. Victims of misinformation spread during the rise of COVID-19, or used as a scapegoat for a young man’s inability to control his sexual urges in Georgia this past March. When I was six years old, I attended kindergarten, I was first exposed to a variety of racial slurs and bullying due to my mixed Asian-American ancestry. As I discovered computers and I did well on math tests. I was harassed because of stereotypes. To this day, I struggled to escape those that want to use this label for harm, simply because I was born with it. Others, like Jews, have been attacked for their religion. Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the expulsion of Jews, from multiple nations in the Middle Ages to more recently, the Holocaust - Nazi Germany's final solution. The Pew Research Center has studies indicating a growing partisan divide in politics. The number of Democrats and Republicans willing to compromise and work together is at its lowest in modern history. The LGBTQ+ community has faced legislative attacks around the globe from so-called “LGBT-free zones” in Poland to over 80 anti-transgender bills introduced here in the United States. Those that are part of this community have been particularly vulnerable. Transgender military members such as myself have experienced the back and forth in policies - traded off like we’re a footballer trading card, and not human beings that want to serve our country. And, as we saw last year, despite the gains in legislative equality stemming from the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we all have a long way to go in addressing systemic racism and centuries of inequities in the United States. From integral parts of identity such as our gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, to those groups that we choose to be a part of, such as political parties, political alignment or religion, peace labels, these groupings have divided us to an alarming degree. Labels can separate us. They can help foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, leading to unhealthy competition. They can lead to harassment, discrimination, bigotry, assault, and even murder. Labels used incorrectly can be dangerous. And yet, our labels are entirely without benefit. When I was seven years old, I discovered that my gender identity didn’t match what I was assigned at birth. While my birth certificate said Male, every part of my being said that this was wrong, that I was actually a girl. But when I made this realization all the way back in 1989, I had no idea what this feeling meant for me. I was confused. I was scared. I thought something was horribly wrong with me. I had no internet to search for clues. There was no representation in the media that I could turn to for inspiration and guidance. I was alone. I struggled with these feelings for almost 20 years before I found the word ‘transgender’. Suddenly, what I was and who I was became clear for the first time in my life. In addition to that, I discovered that I was part of a community: the LGBTQ+ Community. I found mentors, friends, and people that I now consider to be family. I can go to any major city, and in many of the smaller ones, and with a quick search on the internet, I can find community centers and social places that are focused on making my community safe and welcome. This label, one that has become so controversial in our country, became a way for me to accept who I am and to feel a part of something larger than myself. So, too, can other labels. Members of a particular religion can find fellowship with each other. Street signs, social media pages, google searches can help anyone from evangelical Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims to faiths like Rastafarianism, Zoroastrianism and Wicca find places of worship in new locations. Those that adhere to specific political parties or ideologies can more easily connect and find common ground. Places such as Reddit have communities for people that follow nearly every political system and ideology that has ever existed. Professions have their own labels. One that I earned in my life is Airman. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2004, and having that label has tied me to a group of individuals with many shared goals and common interests. I have been able to connect with currently serving service members and veterans, and we find support through those others People with shared cultures, shared histories can come together and celebrate that which makes them unique. Major cities host cultural days and weeks where all members of the local area can gather and enjoy music, food, clothing, dance, and other aspects of many different cultures. Labels, at their worst, can drive divisions between us when they foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality, when they turn into a categorization of people like me are good, but people not like me are the enemy. Labels lead to negative, such as harassment and discrimination. They separate us and lead us to live lives that are empty of the good, that different perspectives spring, But at their best, labels describe those things that connect us to one another. When we work as a team, when we adopt the label teammate, we are capable of accomplishing things greater than we can when we're alone. My own transgender label has connected me to a community that has accepted me, given me mentorship, and helped me to acknowledge who I am. Being an Asian-American, and more specifically a Korean-American, ties me to a deep and rich culture that broadens my own perspectives, and allows me to teach my own children about their roots. Labels allow us to bind together in groups and communities that allow us to grow and become more knowledgeable about our histories, our cultures, and how to develop strategies on how to be more successful. Labels are not all good or bad. Like any tool, they can be used to build and create wonderful things, highlighting what I consider to be one of the greatest things that humanity has developed: community ties. But, misused, they’re also capable of causing a great deal of destruction. If we, as individuals, choose to use labels responsibly, we can achieve greater things together than we ever could on our own.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
united states	3

Important Words

abolishing
accept
accepted
accomplishing
achieve
acknowledge
act
addition
addressing
adhere
adopt
agender
ages
air
airman
alarming
alignment
amendment
ancestry
ancient
arab
area
asian
aspects
assault
assigned
atheist
attacked
attacks
attended
bad
baptists
beings
benefit
bigotry
bills
bind
birth
black
born
broadens
build
bullying
capable
card
categorization
categorize
catholics
caucasian
causing
celebrate
center
centers
centuries
certificate
children
choose
christian
christians
cisgender
cities
city
civil
clear
clothing
clues
common
communities
community
competition
complex
compromise
computers
confused
connect
connected
conservative
control
controversial
country
create
crimes
cultural
culture
cultures
dance
dangerous
dawn
day
days
deal
deep
defines
definition
degree
democrats
describe
describing
descriptive
destruction
develop
discovered
discrimination
divide
divided
division
divisions
drive
due
earned
easily
empty
enemy
enjoy
enlisted
equality
escape
ethnicity
evangelical
existed
experienced
exposed
expulsion
faced
faiths
family
fbi
feel
feeling
feelings
fellowship
female
final
find
focused
follow
food
footballer
force
foster
friends
gains
gather
gender
georgia
girl
globe
goals
good
google
great
greater
greatest
greeks
ground
group
groupings
groups
grow
growing
guidance
harassed
harassment
harm
hate
hatred
helped
heterosexual
highest
highlighting
histories
history
holocaust
homosexual
horribly
host
human
humanity
idea
identifying
identity
ideologies
ideology
inability
include
incorrectly
increasingly
indicating
individuals
inequities
inspiration
integral
interests
internet
introduced
jew
jews
kindergarten
knowledgeable
label
labels
language
larger
lead
leading
led
legislative
level
liberal
libertarian
life
live
lives
local
locations
long
lowest
major
making
male
march
marginalization
match
math
meant
media
members
mentality
mentors
mentorship
middle
military
misinformation
misused
mixed
modern
multiple
murder
music
muslim
muslims
nations
nazi
negative
number
orientation
pages
part
parties
partisan
parts
peace
people
personal
perspectives
pew
phrase
places
poland
policies
political
politics
power
professions
progressive
queer
quick
race
racial
racism
rastafarianism
realization
reddit
religion
representation
republicans
research
responsibly
rich
rights
rise
romans
roots
safe
scapegoat
scared
search
searches
separate
serve
service
serving
sexual
shared
signs
simple
simply
slavery
slurs
smaller
social
solution
specific
specifically
spread
spring
states
stemming
stereotypes
strategies
street
struggled
studies
successful
suddenly
support
system
systemic
teach
team
teammate
terms
tests
thought
thousands
tied
ties
time
tool
traded
trading
transgender
turn
unhealthy
unique
united
urges
variety
veterans
victims
vulnerable
weeks
white
wicca
widespread
wonderful
word
work
world
worship
worst
wrong
year
years
young
zoroastrianism