A better definition of "normal"

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Many have debated and tried to define the question: "What is normal?"

Until now the answer I liked best was: "Normal is overrated."

The concept of "normal" has been used to bully those of us who are different. There is also the implied thinking, that if you are not "normal", then you belong in a psych ward or even one of those padded rooms. And if you are not "normal", then you are a danger to society.

While surfing around the net I came across a wonderful new definition of normal as developed by an anonymous psychologist in Germany:

A normal person is somebody who can maintain a work relationship, a family relationship and a love relationship over a longer period of time.

As the author of that page on fetishism states, this definition of "normal" includes even workaholics and homosexuals, as long as it works out over the long term. And the long term only works out, if the partner is also happy.

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Another 'normal'

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I like this definition too:

Normal is just the average. The middle, big part of any category. The edges of normal are always there, too. And the parts beyond the edges - so they're perfectly normal as well.

Normal is different for everything you measure or describe, because everything changes. Normal is different every time you look, and anywhere you notice it. We're all normal in some things, and not others.

For today, anyway.

Yeah, but...

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Penny Lane's picture

I remember this old saying about averages:

"Think of how dumb the average person is, and then remember half the population is worse than that."

Not true, of course, because the word "average" is loaded and may be nowhere near the "middle" of the sample, depending on what you are measuring. I bet Albert Einstein improved average intelligence levels no end...

As for normal, I'm beginning to think there is no such thing. There's too much variety in every society these days for it to have very much significance at all.

Penny

Average

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If you averaged out the world population, you'd end up with a person who is 50% male and 50% female. So really, it's normal to cross the gender line.

When all is said and done...

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Hope Eternal Reigns's picture

There is ONLY ONE normal person in ALL of humanity, past, present and future! That is the person who is making the statement about normality.

By whatever definition you use, if you cull all not-normal people ever, eventually you WILL end up with only one person fitting all the criterion of normality. e.g. If I say that it is 'normal' for a person to REALLY like Brussels sprouts, how many people will have to be culled? (Since in my family, I know for a FACT that most of us LIKE Brussels sprouts, it IS normal!) Even using some arbitrary, 'inclusive', standard deviation from the mean, will eventually lead to a narrowing of the definition of normality to ultimately derive to a single individual.

with love,

Hope

Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.

What is Normal?

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Rhona McCloud's picture

I regularly listen to Forum on the radio and remember this as interesting though not TG speciific

What is Normal?

Rhona McCloud

:D

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Fuck Normal, I'm weird and proud mew :D

I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D

Normal? (I think I reflected on that before.) *grin*

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Hypatia Littlewings's picture

I kind of have my own definition.

(an excerpt):
- - - - - - - -
Normal?
. . .
Hell yes I am Normal,
because I am different then everyone else.
. . .
- - - - - - - -

Oops, I am repeating my self, again. *giggle*
~Hypatia >i< ..:::

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