What is normal?
Here's the definition of normal:
normal /nôr′məl/
adjective
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.
Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.
Relating to or designating the normality of a solution.
Designating an aliphatic hydrocarbon having an acyclic unbranched chain of carbon atoms.
Being at right angles; perpendicular.
Perpendicular to the direction of a tangent line to a curve or a tangent plane to a surface.
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition)
The concept of normal is surprisingly recent. Here's a brief timeline:
Pre-19th century: The idea of a "normal" person or behavior didn't really exist.
Early 19th century: The term "normal" started to be used in a statistical sense, particularly in math and physics.
Mid-19th century: Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet introduced the concept of the "average man," applying statistics to human physical characteristics. (BMI). This influenced Francis Galton, who coined the term "eugenics" and advocated for selective human breeding to improve the genetic quality of the human population. (White supremacy.)
Late 19th/Early 20th century: The idea of normalcy spread to psychology, medicine, and social sciences. "Normal" became synonymous with "ideal" or "standard." (the idea that there is a “normal” or "ideal" and anyone who falls outside that range is "less than ideal" is, again: white supremacy.)
1920: U.S. President Warren G. Harding popularized the term "normalcy" in his campaign, promising a return to pre-World War I conditions. His slogan "Return to Normalcy" resonated with voters, helping Harding win the election. (It's worth noting that the "normalcy" Harding promised was largely a romanticized view of pre-war America, ignoring many social and economic issues of the time. (Sound familiar?))
In 2024, normal looks like:
Work-Life Blur: Expectations of quick response times to messages and emails, no defined work hours
Information overload: Constant exposure to news, updates, and data
Economic pressure: Increased cost of living and financial stress contributing to overall exhaustion
Burnout: Approximately 77% of professionals experience burnout at their current job. Millennials and Gen Z workers report the highest burnout rates, with nearly 85% experiencing work-related stress.
Unpaid overtime: Expected to work far beyond contracted hours without compensation, often due to "salary exempt" status
Email overload: Constant connectivity leading to after-hours work communications and expectations of immediate response
Scope creep: Gradual expansion of responsibilities without corresponding compensation adjustments, taking on 2 or 3 roles at a time due to layoffs and hiring freezes
Meeting overload: Excessive time spent in unnecessary meetings that drastically reduce productive work hours
Emotional labor: Uncompensated emotional work in managing workplace relationships and politics
Self-funding professional development: Expected to maintain current skills on personal time and often at personal expense
Productivity monitoring: Invasive tracking software and metrics that create stress and reduce autonomy
These exploitation patterns often go unchallenged because they've become normalized in workplace culture, making them particularly insidious and difficult to address.
We live in suspended disbelief while the values of normality blatantly bait and exploit us. We don't call out normalcy even though it’s the thing gaslighting our lives into collapse. It's just... you know...normal.
I want to challenge these standards. After all, if "normal" is invented, why can't it be uninvented?
Envisioning a New Way: Shifts We Can Create
It’s time for us to recognize and welcome the emerging future. As a parent of two teenagers, I can tell you- young people are NOT here for that emperor's new clothes outlook. Their vision of the future is anti-capitalist and all that anti-capitalism contains: anti-racism, anti-ableism, neuro-affirming, trans-affirming; ecologically, socially, and culturally responsible. I am definitely here for that anti-capitalist future too.
By challenging the concept of normal we can start actively working towards creating a new, healthier society. Here are some positive changes we could make:
Mental health: Embracing different neurotypes and culture perspectives, continuing to evolve the ways we understand and care for mental health, increased accessibility, decreased pathologization
Work-life harmony: Making flexible work arrangements, getting enough rest, and setting firm boundaries between professional and personal life, making unpaid labor valuable, visible, and known
Varied definitions of success: Accepting multiple paths to fulfillment beyond traditional markers of achievement, rethinking things like school, college, corporate ladders, and retirement
Authentic self-expression: Embracing individuality and different ways of being without pressure to conform
Community connection: Having regular meaningful social interaction and community engagement that meets your needs
Direct communication: Rebelling against mixed messages, redefining political correctness, using open dialogue, being willing to have challenging discussions, transparency
Creating a new way isn't about replacing one random standard with another. Instead, it's about fostering a society that celebrates diversity, authenticity, and connection while supporting the individual and collective well-being of beings and planet.
Humans aren't machines. We are living, breathing, sensing beings, and we have been exploited by the limits of normality long enough.
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