What exactly is "normal" and why?

[seltivo]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

I think everyone gets the basic idea of what normal is, so, instead of repeating what everyone has already said, I'm going to talk about something else.

I think that people are too obsessed with trying to be normal. This makes them ignore what they actually like and try to change themselves to match the general stereotype. Unfortunately, when someone has enough common sense to do what they like, they get rejected by the rest of society and are called weird or(despite the fact that it has nothing to do with the actual meaning of the word) gay. I think that the "normal" of the future should be someone who does what they like (within the limits of the law of course) without fearing that other people will hate them just because there different.

[Bamboozler]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

^-- True that, and this is a very popular view among teens these days. Unfortunately, due to the "entrenchment" effect I posted above, it will take a long, long time for it to come into effect as a standard norm. By the time it actually does come to be a norm, no doubt the next generation of teens will have their own set of norms they feel is right and just. That's the problem the societies today, they take too long to make changes, because there's simply too many conflicting views and opinions.

[krisbutt62]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Normal, is, not different.

[rules_the_school]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Normal is a label donned by society. The image of normal vary's with each generation, group and person. To me the term "Normal" defines who every one should be, not who everyone/anyone is. Therefore, everyone is not normal, but instead abnormal, because nobody is who they want to be. Like people have said before, there is no definite answer/definition for the term normal and thus it should just be ignored/forgotten/unused. (in the social sense)

*I haven't read any of the other post's and this is my oppinion only. Also this only apply's for people.*

[devonin]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Like people have said before, there is no definite answer/definition for the term normal and thus it should just be ignored/forgotten/unused.

Um...there are several definite definitions of the word...thus is ought not to be ignored at all.

You take issue with the way the word is applied to society, fair enough. Say so, and explain why.

[rules_the_school]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Well, the word shouldn't be applied when it comes to society because, everyone in the world is a individual, and since the term normal means, "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.", makes it impossible for anyone in the world to be normal due to the nearly infinate ways of growing up/living which defines the way we think and the way we act. So I guess what I'm saying, nobody can be normal since you are physicaly and psycologicaly different from everyone else, it contradicts the term normal, making you abnormal.. if that makes sense..

[alster1]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

"normal" is basically what you expect of someone
like we expect girls to like girly things, and men to like manly things
if a girl likes manly things, or a man likes girly things, then they're just, well... not normal

[psychopete]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

"normal" is basically what you expect of someone
like we expect girls to like girly things, and men to like manly things
if a girl likes manly things, or a man likes girly things, then they're just, well... not normal

That completely depends on society's definition of what is manly and what is girly. In other words, what is normal is determined by a majority of people, as previously stated many times.

[devonin]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Well, the word shouldn't be applied when it comes to society because, everyone in the world is a individual, and since the term normal means, "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.", makes it impossible for anyone in the world to be normal due to the nearly infinate ways of growing up/living which defines the way we think and the way we act. So I guess what I'm saying, nobody can be normal since you are physicaly and psycologicaly different from everyone else, it contradicts the term normal, making you abnormal.. if that makes sense..

It doesn't need to be as universal as all that. Maybe there is no single "normal" person, but there are plenty of "normal" characteristics, going with the reasonable definition of "That shared by the majority"

For example: It is normal to feel that killing someone for no reason is wrong. In functionally every society that as ever existed in the world, killing somebody for no reason at all has been considered wrong. When so many people for so many centuries have all been in agreement about that, it is pretty compelling to say that it is -normal- and that anyone who feels otherwise is abnormal.

[rules_the_school]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

It doesn't need to be as universal as all that. Maybe there is no single "normal" person, but there are plenty of "normal" characteristics, going with the reasonable definition of "That shared by the majority"

For example: It is normal to feel that killing someone for no reason is wrong. In functionally every society that as ever existed in the world, killing somebody for no reason at all has been considered wrong. When so many people for so many centuries have all been in agreement about that, it is pretty compelling to say that it is -normal- and that anyone who feels otherwise is abnormal.

True..

[9_ki_kid]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

We base what is normal off of all of our memories, but nobody holds every memory that ever was, so everyone has a different perception of normal, but if there is or isn't a universal normal, depends on the expanse of the universe.
If the universe is unlimited then there is no universal perception of normal.

There can be no normal that applies entirely to one thing while not applying to another thing, because everything is relative to everything else (some of everything effects everything.),
but something can still have less or more of something. There are things that seem to be entirely one thing, like colors. If you see something and think it's entirely white, that's only because your mind can't comprehend anything brighter, so it only sees white as a replacement.

Is there a normal to us? Well it depends on the limits of our imagination, and perception. It seems that we do have a limit, but I think that is only because part of our mind is subconscious and part is conscious. I think that the stronger our connection with our subconscious is, the less limited our perception and imagination become.

[Ice wolf]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

Ever heard:

"We're all different, and that's what makes us the same."

It was on TV...Nick I think...

[TsukikoTomoko]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

i read the whole thread, and my thoughts on what is "normal" have changed a bit.

what normal is or isn't completely depends on the eye of the beholder. it is something the way beauty and perfection is preceived. it is completely reliant on how a person grew up. say, some one who grew up in a bad neighborhood may think it "normal" that a gang fight happens every so often, and some one is killed, while some one who grew up in a nice, calm neighborhood may think it frightening that a person in their region got injured during an armed robbery of their house, and think it "abnormal."

a less death-related example would be comparing children that grew up in different countries. take a child from Africa, a child from Japan, a child from the U.S. and a child from Australia, and have them write down their more simplistic views of what is "normal" to them. their veiws would obviously be less in-depth than discussed here, seeing as they are probably too young to grasp some of these concepts, but most likely, each simple summary will contrast greatly.

what i agree most with is something Devonin already stated: "It is normal to feel that killing someone for no reason is wrong. In functionally every society that as ever existed in the world, killing somebody for no reason at all has been considered wrong. When so many people for so many centuries have all been in agreement about that, it is pretty compelling to say that it is -normal- and that anyone who feels otherwise is abnormal."

that truely is, in my opinion, the only thing that every "normal" human being would agree with.

[devonin]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

That was just the most obvious and agreeable example, there are plenty of others that I'm sure we could all come up with and agree with, but the main point stands: Normal as a linguistic term implies the quality or behavior possessed by the majority of your sample. If you try to apply the word to some larger scale than that, just to point out that it doesn't apply to that larger scale, well...it's normal to do that. *grin*

[shatteredgravity]

Re: What exactly is "normal" and why?

i think people define normal as whatever the world is saying we should do. dress like this, eat this, buy this car, use this makeup, sleep with people every weekend, party all the time -- normal? for the world. i say screw the world and do whatever you want to do - not what the world wants you to. be who you are and who you want to be, for petes sake