Being Normal

By Utpal Chattopadhyay

Normal is a word that we tend to use quite commonly. Phrases such as “be normal” or act “normal” are heard often. As we grow up we tend to think what we are taught by the people or environment around us define what is normal and what is not. Most often normality in terms of behaviour means conforming to what the majority of people/society believes in or how they behave. A child raised in a healthy loving environment will easily recognise abusive behaviour as wrong whereas a child raised in an abusive environment will perceive such standards to be normal and may end up repeating similar patterns of behaviour often because he doesn’t know better. What is normal in one culture may be taboo or frowned upon in the other.

Keeping this in mind at one point of time even heinous and inhuman practices such as Slavery, genocide or unfair social norms were considered to be “normal” because majority of people believed in it or supported it for generations which did not necessarily make it morally right or justified. Most people tend to conform to the current standards of normalcy or don’t want to question it as change is an uncomfortable and tedious process which they want to avoid. Others don’t necessarily believe in the same principals that their communities do but rarely speak up or question it to avoid trouble. Those who don’t conform to the mainstream in order to “pretend to be normal”

Edgar Schein, a psychologist showed that a pattern of mob mentality exists even when most of those involved have no Idea what they are doing. His experiment involved a group of monkeys put in a cage and had a banana dangled by a rope which could be reached with a ladder kept on the side of the cage. Whenever a monkey tried to climbed the ladder the scientist would spray cold water on all the monkeys. Soon the monkeys were conditioned to the consequences and would beat up any of their friends if they dared to try and climb the ladder. Later new monkeys who had no knowledge of the routine were introduced in the cage. One of them tried to climb the ladder and as expected the old members pounced on him. However the new monkeys without having any knowledge of the routine in the experiment or the consequences of climbing the ladder would join in the beating of the new guy simply because it was what the others did, a standard routine in their new place.

The standards for what is “Normal” and “What is abnormal” are written by those who are either in majority or in power.When people do not conform to the normal standard, they are often labelled as sick, disabled, abnormal, or unusual, which can lead to marginalization or stigmatization.Im sure all of us can relate to person who either didn’t fit in or we didn’t quite understand. We have always ostracised or avoided someone or the other who was weird or strange. In extreme cases people who are different from others are bullied, being a target and scapegoated the most commonly known image being in schools. In a community a minority or unpopular individual or a group of people are made social outcastes being ostracised and denied certain rights. Examples include homophobia, xenophobia and discrimination based on racial, religious or ethnic differences. In the olden times the mentally ill were rejected by society condemned to live on the streets. In the 19th century in England people with extreme deformities and unusual physical features were labelled “freaks” and exhibited in circuses as entertainment, many whom earned their living that way, a practice which would today be considered cruel and dehumanizing violating several basic human rights. Patterns of behaviour when exhibited or popular for a large period of time often become rules, norms and acceptable standards. Such examples include prejudices, sterotypes,trends and styles.

So going back to the question that inspired me to think “what is normal?” I do have quite a lot I can relate to.In school I preferred to read, write and draw rather than play sports like the other boys. It wasn’t uncommon for me to spend time in the library when my classmates were running around a sports field. I was given several titles by my peers such as a nerd, a geek and a weirdo. But I didn’t care as I loved what I did and did what I loved. So to all the people who consider themselves normal I conclude with the following quote and ask them to think about it.

Normal people never think for themselves, they play follow the leader their entire lives and freak out when confronted with any situation they were not trained to deal with.-Anonymous

By Utpal Chattopadhyay