Topic - What's in a Name? Expectations, Identity, and a Changing World

You don't have to buy dinner to attend. Have a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a beer or just some water -- but come! RSVP early as the group reservation is limited to 25 (if you find yourself on the waitlist, come anyway. We have always had seats available at the table).

Topic: What's in a Name? Expectations, Identity, and a Changing World

As humans, we naturally organize the world into categories. We name things so we can understand them, communicate about them, find our place within them, and avoid having to rediscover the world from scratch each day. Labels help us navigate a complex reality. Yet those same labels, when we use them as fixed rules instead of useful tools, can oversimplify, divide, or even obscure those they were meant to describe. From gender and race to professional titles, manners, and social customs, the language we use with and about one another shapes both our identities and our expectations for how we should treat each other.

As language, identity, and social expectations continue to evolve, many of us find ourselves wondering how to keep pace. How do we decide which labels and social norms help us understand one another, and which keep us from doing so? How do we remain respectful when people no longer agree on what respect looks like? Are today’s debates fundamentally new, or are we carrying on a conversation that has unfolded throughout human history?

Join us as we explore the names, labels, and expectations that shape how we see ourselves and one another, and what they reveal about identity, belonging, and living together in a changing world.