Essay On Being Normal

Introduction What is normal? What someone interprets as norm depends on a person’s background and social expectations. These social expectations, or social norms, vary from group to group, state to state, and country to country. They act as the building blocks of culture. Social norms manifest themselves through time, vary from informal to highly consequential, and occur similarly and contrastingly in American and German cultures.

Who is given the right to declared something is “normal”? Society? Your parents? Friends? Isn’t normality a behavior where it’s comfortable and seemingly correct to oneself?

What does it mean to be normal? To look and act like everyone else? To be conformed to societies expectations? Or, is it to be confident and self-assured that even if people think differently about the way someone looks that that is irrelevant because what other people think does not matter. In the novel, Geek Love, written by Katherine Dunn, normality, what it means to be “normal”, or even if normal exists is question and a theme that is brought up throughout the whole book.

Everyone has a natural desire to fit in. Everyone has a natural desire to be accepted by others. These desires are strong enough to cause individuals to give up there uniqueness. We are all told at a young age that everyone is different and that is wonderful. However, societal norms contradict this idea.

We may follow conformity or individuality. We choose to be someone else to be accepted or just be ourselves. Let people think what they want to think. Be weird if you want, be different.

In society, there are many standards that people must uphold to. In western society, it is uncommon for men to have long hair or for women to have short hair. Naturally, people will be conscientious of their differences between other people and try to change them or cover them up, and often times people who do not follow the standard are looked down upon. This leads to people trying to fit into the groups around them almost thoughtlessly. However, when people conform without thinking, it can lead to dangerous consequences.

Ask those of society if they want to be normal. Most will reply that they do want to be normal on grounds that it is absolutely necessary to fit into society and not be branded an outcast. This aspect of society has shaped our world into one that looks to make everyone ‘normal’, not allowing to uniqueness or diversity in individuals. This is especially the case for individuals with mental disabilities; society looks to correct their mental uniqueness in hopes of making them a ‘normal’ individual of society. This is apparent for both Hannah from Movement and Charlie from Flowers for Algernon, who both suffer from a form of autism.

In all countries, religions, and cultures people are expected to live a certain way. For instance in puritan times people were expected to wear plain concealing clothing, and were supposed to live their lives by the bible. For example in the book “ The Scarlet Letter” Hester Prynne was shunned from society for committing adultery. In many ways people let society control who they are.

Another question to ponder is should society even accept the mythical norm as the real norm? Individuals living in the 21st century might argue that it is myth since society has seen more levels of equality than ever before. No one doesn’t have to be white, young, heterosexual, or Christian in order to be regarded as normal. For example, magazines in the media will often portray racial minorities who in some sense have achieved the standards of the norm usually occupied by white people. However, this actually makes them look superior over others who still do not fall within the “norm” standards.

Society has filled people’s heads with what they believe the definition of “normal” is. If you don’t dress, talk, or act a certain way, it is very likely you will be looked down upon or treated poorly. When I look around, I see a whole lot of people who don’t look special or different than others around them. To be like everyone else is somehow considered “cool” and “socially acceptable”, sadly. Of course, there are exceptions; people who take pride in their differences and aren’t afraid to let them show.

Norms are what most people in society consider to be normal, and are to be followed by everyone. The book Essentials of Sociology, describes norms as “an informal rule that guides what a member of a culture does in a given situation and how that person lives”. (Ritzer 74) Not all norms are formal, or written down. In today’s society, people are expected to follow the norms.

The first thing you think when it comes to finding yourself in your young years of high school and grade school years is expression through your own wardrobe. Individuality being expressed without speaking is shown through choice of clothing, school is supposed to prepare a child for life outside of school where everyone is their person and reforming a student from the that is sheltering them in a way that is negative. People like to think and say that its better and the safer option to keep students following some dress code or uniform police because it keeps violence rates low in the school system. What way so thinking is that? Keep everyone wearing the same thing every day so no student and judge their peers on what they wear because it

What is normal? Who says what is normal and what is not? Can “normal” be changed? Many people have tried to figure out the answer to these troubling social questions. The problem with the concept of normalcy is that there is not set and fixed definition of normal.

Constantly in life, many individuals will have asked themselves the question of what is normal. Whether it would be out of actual concern for their actions or to justify them, they will have asked themselves that question. To gain a better understanding of what is normal, we must first understand what is meant by the term “normal”. According to dictionary.com (2015), the definition of normal is “conforming to the standard or the common type”. In other words, it is an action or a school of thought which follows the standard rules of a certain society, this also means that what is normal today may not be normal tomorrow.

This topic will be discussed in two parts about whether gender is important in parenting and whether heterosexual or homosexual is a better form of parenting. As a part of the animals, human beings also perform conformity behaviour. From time to time, some decisions and behaviours confirmed by most people in a society has become a social norm, rule, or even ethics and moral standard. However, what people think it is “normal” may not be absolutely normal.