A Harley add in the latest Road and Track reads:
Don't worry. The rest of the world has normal covered.
Tie up your boots nice and snug. Pull on your cowhide leathers. Fire up that mountain of Milwaukee metal, leave your mark on the world and watch normal go up in a ball of tire smoke.
It features a picture of a Harley doing a hairy burnout.
My first thought was, That's kind of neat. But then I asked myself the question, What is "normal"?
"1. usual
conforming to the usual standard, type, or custom"
That still doesn't answer the question.
From what basis do we apply a standard of "normalcy"?
If you say that someone is doing something normal when they go over the speed limit, you are committing the bandwagon fallacy because since everyone does it, it's "normal". But if something isn't right, is it "normal"? According to the definition, the answer could be yes. What if the answer was no?
Now, should something that is right, just, morally okay, etc. , be considered abnormal? If something is done morally wrong, the intentions were selfish. If something is done morally right, which means that it was not done with selfish intentions, is it ever okay to classify that as being strange, weird, stupid, etc.? When someone wants to do the right thing is it okay to classify them as being just plane weird, especially when that action is not something that most want to step up to the plate and do?
What makes something "normal"?
1 comment:
A very good question indeed. My own thoughts on the matter are somewhat along the following lines:
"Normal" comes from the superficial generalization of people as a whole* made a)by those in power who wish to shame/spur people to certain behavioral patters b)by advertising companies for mass appeal to make money c)by rebels who want to justify their cause. "Normal," in the sense we often think of it, does not exist. I would venture to say that things such as a)guilt b)sorrow c)emotions d)rationality** e)embarrassment f)etc are "normal," of course someone is likely to disagree.
*sometimes taking out those considered too conservative, moderate, "Christianly" and so forth
**I hesitate on this one as unfortunately this trait seems less and less common, particularly among the female population (Kitty and Lydia are becoming more popular by far in mode of action than Jane or Lizzy).
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