R.D. Laing, The Politics of Experience, 1967
Human societies are all about norms, correct ways to behave, standard ways to look, socially acceptable attitudes to all things. To be judged abnormal is to be rejected, to be regarded as faulty, in need of repair.
But it's all a myth ! There is not, nor ever was, such a thing as 'normality'. This
invented idea is all about conformity, about averages, about absolute measures of reality - a concept that seen from the viewpoint of
complexity thought is nonsensical.
Many of our social norms are unspoken, we grow up without ever being taught what they are - let alone what they are based on (difficult...). These areas often include Law and Sex (strangely we are taught all we wish to know about
violence - but
never about
love). We find out that we have broken a 'norm' only when censored by others, a situation not conducive to either socially acceptable behaviour nor to our self-esteem and openness!
The Abnormal Normals
Misconceptions about what is "normal"....
Most folks view the world through egocentric eyes; they act as if their own personal experience is representative of the entire planet's experience for all time. For many, if
they personally have not experienced something before, it
must be an unusual and abnormal experience.
Average vs. normal
1. An idealistic state of being that remains as such. Because the idea of such a state varies from being to being and any set standard is nonetheless someone elses idea of what it is this condition warrants satisfactory confirmation of being amongst the confirmed members of such class, by the individuals code.
2. Normal is about as concrete as the idea of "love". The meaning is constantly evolved to suit the momentary desires and/or needs of a single person, or group of people.
3. A tool of conformity.
Normal people never think for themselves, they play follow the leader their entire lives and freak out when confronted with any situation they were not trained to deal with.
4. There is no such thing as normal so there really cant be a definition...... no one or no thing is Normal....normal doesnt exist.
5. A word made up by this corrupt society so they could single out and attack those who are different.
'Normal is nothing but a word made up by society'.
Urban Dictionary: normal
It has been my experience too that what a person feels
personally is projected as normal.
