Of course, in life, we all have to do categorize people and things to some extent, but when you get to know somebody and your friendship develops, the way you relate to them becomes more and more specifically tailored to them. A bond develops. That bond is based on both the sense of each other's uniqueness as well as a sense of sameness between you, because like is drawn to like. A new category is created that contains both of you. A group of friends is a kind of category, but in a good way. It's not prescriptive and reductive - it's not being used to label and make judgements - it serves people rather than people feeling confined and restricted by it.
So, I think that's the key - we should use categories in interesting ways and in ways that change - ways that are not inflexible and prescriptive, but ways that serve us.
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