Are You Normal?

Pre writing assignment for Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Normal: -adj. 1. conforming to a standard; regular, usual, typical. 2. to flee from mental or emotional disorder. 3. Geom. (of a line) at right angles, temperature etc. [Latin normalis: related to norm]
- Oxford Dictionary

What is normal? Should everyone be normal? Who gets to decide what is normal and what is not? Why? Is there a purpose to opposing the construct of normal? You are invited to post comments that reflect on the idea of normal.

Comments

Sjodin's Blog said…
why be normal? why not just be yourself!
July 7, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Anonymous said…
I think the idea of what is normal is changed as time passes. What is considered normal now, like rock music, was looked down upon in the 50's. Now, it is a normal genre of music that is considered pretty normal and mainstream.

- Garvin
July 8, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Unknown said…
Winnie W's response :)

Normal is something very paradoxical. (I think it is a bandwagon effect)

I do think everyone should be normal. (But they should be unique, too. If everyone is unique, then it is normal.)

Individuals with a strong mind, get to decide what is normal and what is not for themselves or society. In contrast to individuals who posses easy-pressured and weak mind who are doomed to become the follower of the trend.

I do not see the purpose to opposing the construct of normal, because trends are constantly changing. (If everyone is strange, then it is normal.)
July 8, 2008 at 11:19 PM
Anonymous said…
Being normal is being like everyone else. It is hypocritical in a way. This is because it's based on what is popular in that specific year. And if people see people act or dress a different way, they are considered as wierd.

No one is normal. Every indivisual has a type of flaw that makes different from one another.

I think people should act like themselves rather than trying to be like everyone else.

However, people tend to be afraid to stand out and just try to be "normal" like everyone else.

-Ashika<3~
July 9, 2008 at 2:02 PM
Minkyong said…
I think the term, normal comes from the majority group of people.

The society will be too boring if there are only 'normal' people and evenmore, the word, normal will not be the same meaning as what it means in the present.

There are quite different types of 'being normal'. If I were to think generally about being normal, yes, we all have to be normal.

However, since everyone has born with different identities, appearance, characteristics, names, and etc, they are considered to be unique and more precious.

I believe meanings of normal changes as time passes. The world has been accepting lots of new ideas, different views, different people and etc. I think many people now accept better than the past. The domain of being normal has been swollen as people understand better.
(ex, homosexualities and handdicapped people)

Overall, I think if you are in a group, you get to be a normal person in order to be a part of the group members. However, you should keep who you are and something that makes you special. you gotta be different and be interesting.

-Minkyong
July 9, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Sjodin's Blog said…
"Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine ~ whoopi goldberg
July 10, 2008 at 9:34 PM
The Crimson said…
The Concept of normality is flawed in and of itself. As it has been stated many times, you can only be normal if you are like everyone else around you.

so what happens when you introduce different cultures, different traditions, ethnicities, heck, even different ages. 16 year olds don't act like 20 year olds. 20 year olds down act like 45 year olds, and so on.

There are so many things that make people different that there is only one thing that makes them the same, that common difference.

Why isint it considered abnormal trying to be normal, when we are all so different to begin with?

Roman
July 14, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Wen Jia said…
Everyone has their own perception of what is "normal." I think being normal is to be like the majority people in our society. Being normal is that we do something which most people would do that, too.
But think in this way, if most people in our society who are a bit insane, then the "normal" people (only a few people) are not normal at all to the majority's opinion. The "normal" people become strange.
We can also be ourselves while we are normal, unless we do something that's too odd to be accepted.
July 17, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Sjodin's Blog said…
who gets to decide what is normal? who's interests might be served by various constructs of normal? For example, is it normal to drive a car? Is it normal to buy new clothes everytime the fashion changes? Who sets trends? Why?
July 19, 2008 at 9:42 PM
Ash'z said…
sometimes if your normal, you follow others and never stand up,and the things you want so bad you can never have so my point is, be yourself,cuz that makes everything you do true.

"no snowflake in a avalance ever feels responsble"
.someyone
October 22, 2008 at 8:29 AM
Unknown said…
When a person's attitude and actions deviate from the "normal," it in fact shows that he or she is healthy. The stereotypical view of "normal" is a personal, confined, and non-hysterical person; in my opinion this is type of a lifestyle is extremely monotonous, dull, and repetitive. One should express themselves emotionally, physically, and verbally. If someone ever asks me, I will proudly notify them that "no, I am anything but normal!"
July 5, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dead Crows and Other Mysteries

Image
(Image: Oil Painting by Kirsti Ann Wakelin) The other evening I dreamt I found a dead crow caught behind the cushions of my sofa. Disturbing. How did it get there, in my dream, so concrete and visible? And what does it mean? Carl Jung would have me analyze the significance of this dream as it connects to our collective consciousness. What do crows symbolize in our culture today? Was this a visit from Poe? Has a Haida raven dropped by to keep me on my toes? Or is the recent death of my grandfather somehow "couched" in my internal dialogue? He was a storyteller. Even more intriguing is what happened when I relayed this dream story to my grade 8's. Picking up a new book of poetry and opening it randomly the first poem I fell upon was Jon Silkin's "Carved", the first two lines: Two small dogs stood by a dead black bird And the black bird was very dead. There is no denying death. The dead are dead. As with Silkin's black bird. As with
Read more

Rules & Laws: What is their role?

Martin Luther King once said: "Just as it is the duty of all men to obey just laws, so it is the duty of all men to disobey unjust laws". [Presumably he meant women too! ;)] It seems true that rules and laws play a pivotal role in maintaining some sense of social order. What if there were no laws? Would chaos unfold? Would the world as we know it fall apart? Or would life take on some new kind of structure, maybe something we haven't imagined yet? What is the role of rules and laws in our society? Is there ever a time when some rules or laws should be broken? Why?
Read more