Getting back to normal

bobcat

bobcat

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Calif
We often hear people using the word "normal" as though it is some defined parameter of human experience. I'm not so sure I know what that should mean in todays world, and perhaps it's has always had a rather nebulous meaning, with a rather fluid concept.

Is being attracted to the same sex and marrying them normal? Is circumcision normal? Is not having a specific gender anymore normal? Is it normal to buy a perfectly good pair of jeans and then rip holes in them to look stylish? Is talking to ourselves normal?

Should we just divorce ourselves from that word, tear up the psychiatric bible, put on our scuba fins and swim vigorously down the river of denial? Maybe normalcy is some mythological tent we all pretend to live under as we chip away at the very meaning of the word. Does the word get updated every year like the software on my devices? Who gets to decide what is and is not normal? Aren't we all different? I'm beginning to think that "normal" is merely a cycle on the washing machine. What say ye?
 

bobcat48 said:
Is being attracted to the same sex and marrying them normal? Is circumcision normal? Is not having a specific gender anymore normal? Is it normal to buy a perfectly good pair of jeans and then rip holes in them to look stylish? Is talking to ourselves normal?
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Yes being attractected to the same sex is normal, as it has existed throughout human history. Circumcision has been done for thousands of years. "Is not having a specific gender anymore normal?" Anymore? That's a gross exaggeration. Most, overwhelmingly align to one sex.
 
Everyone’s normal is different. And everyone’s normal changes, as it should. It just means we’re still able to be flexible, and fluid in our thinking, our behaviors, habits and routines.

It used to be normal for me to eat anything I wanted in whatever quantity would fill me up, and never gain weight. My current normal is to eat within certain guidelines so that I don’t gain weight.

Used to be I could work all day, party all night, make it home to shower and change and then head back to work. My normal these days is to be extremely tired the next day if I’m not in bed by 10.00.

Things change. People change. Normals change.
 
I'm the only normal person I know, everyone else is abnormal.

I don't think you can ever define normal concisely. People are different, cultures are different, races are different, sexes are different, religions are different, even where you live geographically affects your normal.

Good luck expecting anyone else to live by your normal!
 
Pepper said:
Yes being attractected to the same sex is normal, as it has existed throughout human history. Circumcision has been done for thousands of years. "Is not having a specific gender anymore normal?" Anymore? That's a gross exaggeration. Most, overwhelmingly align to one sex.
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I don't think "Anymore" means what you think it means. It certainly doesn't mean "most people". It merely means any longer. As for circumcision being normal due to it's longevity, many abnormal behaviors have persisted throughout history, but that is not a good argument for them to be considered "normal". If so, Psychologists and Psychiatrists worldwide can flush their degrees down the toilet, as it would seem they are trying to cure normal people.
 
C50 said:
I'm the only normal person I know, everyone else is abnormal.

I don't think you can ever define normal concisely. People are different, cultures are different, races are different, sexes are different, religions are different, even where you live geographically affects your normal.

Good luck expecting anyone else to live by your normal!
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Good to know you are normal. At least I can say I have connected with one today.
 
Pepper said:
If people do it, it's normal. Even killing is normal for humans. Normal has no good or bad, it just is.
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Yep, things being what they have been for us is pretty much what we call normal. Normally anyway.
bobcat48 said:
Is being attracted to the same sex and marrying them normal? Is circumcision normal? Is not having a specific gender anymore normal? Is it normal to buy a perfectly good pair of jeans and then rip holes in them to look stylish? Is talking to ourselves normal?
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For some people sure. For others not so much.
C50 said:
I'm the only normal person I know, everyone else is abnormal.
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Best answer!
 
The greater majority defines the norm in all cases. Is that the same as normal? Are there normal vs abnormal mental states? My sister has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Is she normal? Off her mads I would say no but on her meds she can hold a coherent conversation.

Are the people who conduct mass shootings normal? Or do they need to be on meds?

Are the people who think that sex is about having orgasms in whatever perverse way they can versus seeing sex for what it really is...a way to procreate the species... normal?

I don't see anal sex in anyway as normal. That's not an indoctrinated idea but rather a personal distaste that turns my stomach. If it's true we have to accept people who weirdly pursue strange thrills, I'll do that but don't expect me to see this as a normal thing. And please stop having a parade about it.

Also, the vast majority of people do not commit murder. So along that line, I would question whether murder is normal.
 
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JeeperDon said:
I only talk too myself when I need expert advice. 😁
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When it comes right down to the bottom line, that's the only truly trustworthy advice, isn't it, @JeeperDon ? (Every time I see your name, that old "jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers" song starts playing in my head... that was from '39 and I didn't come along until '57 so no idea why I think of that song.) :unsure:
 
OldFeller said:
The greater majority defines the norm in all cases. Is that the same as normal? Are there normal vs abnormal mental states? My sister has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Is she normal? Off her mads I would say no but on her meds she can hold a coherent conversation.

Are the people who conduct mass shootings normal? Or do they need to be on meds?

Are the people who think that sex is about having orgasms in whatever perverse way they can versus seeing sex for what it really is...a way to procreate the species... normal?

I don't see anal sex in anyway as normal. That's not an indoctrinated idea but rather a personal distaste that turns my stomach. If it's true we have to accept people who weirdly pursue strange thrills, I'll do that but don't expect me to see this as a normal thing. And please stop having a parade about it.

Also, the vast majority of people do not commit murder. So along that line, I would question whether murder is normal.
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Yeah, it reminds me of the movie with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt ("As Good As It Gets") where he won't step on cracks, carries his own silverware, and other odd behaviors, but he was able to function in society as a quirky but successful screwball. I guess the same could be said for Sheldon. The bottom line I suppose is that even if some behaviors seem bizarre, the person may be quite "normal" in other ways, so it's probably just a judgment call from the one who encounters them.
 
bobcat48 said:
Yeah, it reminds me of the movie with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt ("As Good As It Gets") where he won't step on cracks, carries his own silverware, and other odd behaviors, but he was able to function in society as a quirky but successful screwball. I guess the same could be said for Sheldon. The bottom line I suppose is that even if some behaviors seem bizarre, the person may be quite "normal" in other ways, so it's probably just a judgment call from the one who encounters them.
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I don't understand the point of this discussion. If the only point is that normal is subjective and undefinable on a grand scale, we already know that this is the argument used by all people who defy convention.

But what is lost in this argument is what are the consequences for society at large? Is it ultimately complete lawlessness?

If criminality is normal at some level, then we can't have laws that protect the interests of private citizens.

If insane behavior is normal behavior, then the guy who shot up a movie theater where Batman was playing was, in his own mind, doing a normal thing.

If the gangs who raid stores in California feel justified, what can society do to protect law and order?
 
Is talking to ourselves normal? Yes and I would venture to say that it's the only one in your list that most of us share, Bobcat.

OldFeller said:
I don't understand the point of this discussion. If the only point is that normal is subjective and undefinable on a grand scale, we already know that this is the argument used by all people who defy convention.

But what is lost in this argument is what are the consequences for society at large? Is it ultimately complete lawlessness?

If criminality is normal at some level, then we can't have laws that protect the interests of private citizens.

If insane behavior is normal behavior, then the guy who shot up a movie theater where Batman was playing was, in his own mind, doing a normal thing.

If the gangs who raid stores in California feel justified, what can society do to protect law and order?
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At the rate we are going we may attain complete lawlessness sooner than we realize.
 
bobcat48 said:
Yeah, it reminds me of the movie with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt ("As Good As It Gets") where he won't step on cracks, carries his own silverware, and other odd behaviors, but he was able to function in society as a quirky but successful screwball. I guess the same could be said for Sheldon. The bottom line I suppose is that even if some behaviors seem bizarre, the person may be quite "normal" in other ways, so it's probably just a judgment call from the one who encounters them.
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Good point. I once read that they added the qurrkiness to Jack Nicholson's character after a focus group found him too "normal". Also think that sometimes a better word might be traditional or even acceptable
 
Normal means an accepted standard. Over time those standards change. We are longer feeding Christians and other "vermin" to the lions in arenas. No doubt there were some, who wished for the good old days. The late 20th Century/21st. is marked by individualism, and self-awareness. No longer were people conforming to other's expectations --a new standard.
 
OldFeller said:
I don't understand the point of this discussion. If the only point is that normal is subjective and undefinable on a grand scale, we already know that this is the argument used by all people who defy convention.

But what is lost in this argument is what are the consequences for society at large? Is it ultimately complete lawlessness?

If criminality is normal at some level, then we can't have laws that protect the interests of private citizens.

If insane behavior is normal behavior, then the guy who shot up a movie theater where Batman was playing was, in his own mind, doing a normal thing.

If the gangs who raid stores in California feel justified, what can society do to protect law and order?
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Well, I think it is a term with gray boundaries, but it does have some legitimacy. Just as you could use the term "healthy" or "unhealthy". It would be hard to argue that someone with ALS or Lukemia is healthy, so there must be some vague parameters that are associated with the word. So even though normal could have very loose boundaries, it would be difficult to accept that someone who kills and eats people is normal. I guess my point here is who gets to decide that. If it is purely subjective, then the word "abnormal" shouldn't even exist.
 
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