So, I've been really sick recently, one of those colds that hits you hard and takes you down before you realize what's going on. Also, I can't sleep. I'm a night person, so I'm actually feeling pretty good right now, and not sleepy at all.
Anyways, I got to thinking about drugs, which led to thinking about yuppies, which got me to thinking about the idea of 'normal'. I don't know if this is a phenomenon elsewhere in the world, my thought is that it's localized to the good old US of A. Now, everyone has different reasons for this, but I've never met a person who thought they were anywhere near normal. (If you don't believe me, name one person who doesn't think their family is crazy) I think this is the secret behind the Power that the Media has over people (Americans?). All these trends and things, the crazy stuff people will believe, people following the big names in entertainment closer than, well.. anything important that's worth following, you get my drift. It's just a whole bunch of people striving for some non-existant normalicy, which the Media will apparently show them, with the zeal of moths to flame. Okay, it's kinda obvious, but the key here is Yuppies, damnit. Or maybe it's the Tylenol PM.
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3 comments:
Just commenting instead of working :)
I'm pretty sure the "normal" thing isn't strictly American... every single established society/civilization/whatever has it's own "normal". "Normal" usually means in the literal sense, whatever is most average, or in the social sense, whatever's expected of you. A few asian cultures come to mind... like expectations about when you get married, who you can marry, etc - and then there are the Kayan tribe in Myanmar (was Burma) - they're those famous neck-streching people that we've all seen in National Geographic, or wherever. To them "normal" is for girls to grow up stretching their necks over time with permanent brass rings. (I just saw them the other day on TV somewhere, thus spurring this very long comment :) )
And of course for us modern Westernerners there's shaving your underarms. Apparently that didn't catch on in Germany until the 1980's.
There's Ed & Ruth, who still follow the "normal" of at least 50 years ago.
I don't think "normal" is just an American thing - it's really there in every single social group, like, ever. It's whatever the group agrees on whether they realize it or not.
In terms of the family thing - crazy vs "normal" in this case is more like crazy vs "sane", perhaps :) To me eccentricity is fine as long as you don't freaking ignore all logic.
Plus, I think people go around pointing out the not-normal either to make themselves feel MORE normal or LESS normal (ie, special).
Ok, I'm going to just stop the random essay writing now :)
I was referring to complete obsession with an unattainable ideal that is called 'normal'. Stretching of the necks are a custom of the tribe, and that is a normal thing for them that they participate in, and I think that's a healthy kind of normal (disregarding any biological effects of stretching your neck out).
Admittedly, that wasn't well written. I blame haze of sickness!
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