• Welcome to ZD Forums! You must create an account and log in to see and participate in the Shoutbox chat on this main index page.

What is Normal?

CynicalSquid

Swag Master General
Joined
Aug 1, 2012
Location
The End
Gender
Apache Helicopter
I always hear the phrase "You're weird", but no one can describe to me what normal is.

What is normal?

I think we are all "weird". If everyone was normal then there would be no variety and the world would be a boring place. Sure, people can do things that are strange but I find that to be normal, because I think we are all a little strange.

So, what do you think? Is there such thing as normal people and are there "normal" people out there?
 

Curmudgeon

default setting: sarcastic prick
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Gender
grumpy
Normal is a subjective, relative metric that people use to compare what they observe to what they expect. Whatever goes against expectations is deemed strange, frightening or even 'evil'. Best to just be yourself than fit in someone else's box.
 

Kybyrian

Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Location
Amherst, MA
Gender
Didn't I already answer this one?
What's normal? Well, as Curmudgeon said, it's entirely subjective. You'll find differences in every area you're in, but a few staple things tend to define "weird" people in our society from a social standpoint, especially in high school. You may be considered "weird" if you display some of the following traits:

You are reclusive, tending to keep to yourself either because you are afraid of what others might think of you when you socialize them or you have no idea what to say or dislike being around people. This is true of in-school situations as well as tending not to hang out with people after school, except for those that display similar traits on this list like you.

You tend to be a sort of "obsessive" nerd. You talk about video games a lot or express that you really love the internet or video games. A lot of people will consider you weird if you enjoy franchises such as Zelda or some other franchises, though this is not exclusively a trait that makes many people weird and depends on the area - people around here don't have problems with that unless they have reason to think you're a simple recluse who plays video games more than even thinks about socializing.

You have a desire to be an extrovert and fit in with people, but don't know how to do it. A lot of times this makes you relatively reserved, especially if you've been that way for your whole life. It may be hard to integrate into a social environment once your "rank" has been established. People can consider you weird if you're not within their social hierarchy.

You could be considered weird for dressing weird - this means not following standard fashion styles. If you don't care about the way you look and have ratty, messy hair a lot of people could consider you very weird, especially if you display one or more of the traits on this list. People will tend to not want to socialize with you because you seem like a "weird downer" because you don't visually care about how you look. Regardless of what you think on the inside, people react to how you reflect your feelings on the outside and judge you based on this.

You could be really into some things like anime, cosplay, spending large amounts of money on unnatural hobbies. This will seem weird to a large majority of people since only a minority actually participate in these types of leisure activities.

You may speak funny; your vocabulary might be odd or you may be hesitant when you're speaking because you aren't a socialite. A lot of people will consider you weird if you don't like to respond to people very vocally at all or can't carry a conversation.

It's not easy to get out of a funk and get people to change their opinion of you. I'd say more often than not it's because you didn't deem socializing an absolute priority early on and just took it as it came. This can get you really mixed up in the social hierarchy and simply react based on where you end up. It can be hard to change where people position you in society, but it isn't totally impossible. Extracurricular activities and sports help integrate people into different social classes as a rule - you begin to interact and perhaps become comfortable around different people. It all depends on your preferences as well. If you don't like to be considered weird by people but also don't wish to integrate into their social hierarchy, you should rethink how you consider your self-esteem. You could cause some large problems for yourself with over-contemplation of meaningless nothings.

I integrated into a purely popular social hierarchy in the latter half of high school. It isn't exceptionally hard but it isn't exceptionally easy. Many people likely think you are reclusive and have some weird hobbies and just don't like to do a lot of the things that other people might do - go snowboarding, hang out and play Call of Duty, or whatever else people around your area may do regularly. You aren't in on their jokes and you don't know their personalities, so it's hard to be comfortable around them and it's hard for them to be comfortable around you. The best way to get people to kick the "weird" representation of you is to change some of the things about you - of course, if you don't really want to, you don't have to change anything about yourself. It's also very likely you're just trapped into a social class that doesn't truly represent how you'd like to be, in which case you should feel free about changing some things that might currently define you on the outside. Any way to become regularly associated with a group of perhaps more "popular" people in your local society is a good boost to the opportunities you have for sociability and getting rid of the definition that lingers around you.
 

Linknerd09

Luigi Fan
Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Location
Hyrule Castle
Gender
Hylian
I see normal as being yourself. I don't care if you're obsessive with something, or weird, or whatever. I don't think they are nomarl people or there could be. Being normal is just being yourself.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
I see normal as being yourself. I don't care if you're obsessive with something, or weird, or whatever. I don't think they are nomarl people or there could be. Being normal is just being yourself.

To be honest I've always viewed normality as the exact opposite; I think being normal is conforming to societal conventions. Being yourself entirely would in most likely all cases be abnormal.
 

misskitten

Hello Sweetie!
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Location
Norway
I can't say I care about "normal", it's always been such a negative word in my mind. People who wants others to be "normal" generally are saying they want people to stop being what it is that makes them unique. So when people call me weird, strange, etc. I take it as a compliment, because I don't want to be "normal". I find "normal" to be the same as "boring".
 

Lord Vain

Dawn of a New Day
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Normality, does such a thing truly exists in our world? I wouldn't say it does, as far as I'm concerned one way or another...

images


Because after all...madness is something we all share. Normality in itself is just an illusion when it comes to people, everybody is different, there is no normal person out there.​
 

Azure Sage

March onward forever...
Staff member
ZD Legend
Comm. Coordinator
From a psychological standpoint, there's no definite definition of "normal" because normalcy and behavior are not absolute states. It's basically on a continuum, ranging from completely normal on one extreme to totally abnormal on the other. People fluctuate between these two extremes. Everyone will always act "weird" at times and also act "normal" at other times. No one is completely "normal".
 

Fede-hime

All about the treasure
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Location
The S.S. Linebeck
What's normal for me, may not be considered normal for others. My response to that is, "I care why?". I'm not about to adhere to someone else standards of normalcy. Not when I'm too busy having fun.
 

Castle

Ch!ld0fV!si0n
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Location
Crisis? What Crisis?
Gender
Pan-decepticon-transdeliberate-selfidentifying-sodiumbased-extraexistential-temporal anomaly
One of my most common responses to people whenever they mention normal is, "Define normal." It's a challenge. To me the term "normal" cannot be defined. There is no such thing as a state of normalcy. The universe is in constant flux. Things are different throughout time and place. The universe and everything in it is highly dynamic. Situations change constantly. One person's idea of normal will be vastly different from their next door neighbors, much less somebody across the ocean or from hundreds of years ago.
 

Violet Link

takumi was a mistake and so are the S supports
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Location
insert fictional world
No one is never normal. In fact, nothing is. Everything or anything has a personality- a characteristic. To me, "normal" is also a characteristic but it's rarely in someone. Everyone is different yet same in their own ways but never normal.
 

Terminus

If I was a wizard this wouldn't be happening to me
Joined
May 20, 2012
Location
Sub-Orbital Trajectory
Gender
Anarcho-Communist
Normal is just the average of humanity.

Like how the IQ tests evaluate you, a 100 is "normal", but that is an average of everyone who's taken it, from the mentally deficient to savants. If you find someone who's perfectly average, I commend you.
 

DekuPrincess

Are you serious?!?
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Location
In a bottle
Sociologically speaking, "normal" is a social construct that varies from one society to another. It is a fictional construct that is based on shared cultural values, such as interpersonal behavior, speech patterns, dress, etc. A person's ability to be described as "normal" by their peers is based upon how closely they conform to their individual society's construct. This pattern is exhibited on a variety of scales, with each individual often being judged on multiple scales of normalcy. For example, the average male high school student in the US is judged by an average peer on (1) what is considered normal male teenage behavior by American society; (2) what is considered normal male teenage behavior in the region of America where they live; (3) what is considered normal male teenage behavior by the town they live in; (4) what is considered normal male teenage behavior at their school; (5) what is considered normal male behavior in the clique/social group they are a member of. In sum, it is impossible to be normal because normal is neither uniform nor definable; what most people who are considered "normal" do is conform enough to societal expectations to be able to operation within the bell curve of normalcy as defined by the social strata where they reside. Those who are labeled as "weird" or "abnormal" are found to be outside the bell curve by those around them.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom