I met a guy today who introduced himself as a theatre artist. "You mean an actor?" I asked playfully. He was insulted - "No, no, no, a theatre artist!" That's a nice label for a theatrical snob who refuses to lend his talent to TV or commercials. A theatre artist is therefore a synonym for an actor.
An Indian would generally take insult at being identified as a Pakistani, the same way that Canadians seem to dislike being called American and Koreans hate being mistaken for the Japanese. These labels provide people with a sense of identity, much the same as my actor, sorry - theatre artist friend. In their minds, the other carries some sense of resentment. The theatre artist scorns media acting as cheap entertainment. Is that really true?
Let's make a commitment not to let labels bother us - if you do fight back, do it for the sake of lively conversation and not because you're hurt that someone is confused about the real you.
An Indian would generally take insult at being identified as a Pakistani, the same way that Canadians seem to dislike being called American and Koreans hate being mistaken for the Japanese. These labels provide people with a sense of identity, much the same as my actor, sorry - theatre artist friend. In their minds, the other carries some sense of resentment. The theatre artist scorns media acting as cheap entertainment. Is that really true?
Let's make a commitment not to let labels bother us - if you do fight back, do it for the sake of lively conversation and not because you're hurt that someone is confused about the real you.