WHAT IS NORMAL?

I have always been intrigued by Human sociology. How and why do we try to fit in groups and define social norms? Social norms can simply be defined as unwritten rules of how someone should behave or act.

We naturally have an urge to fit in or identify with a group. The survival of our early ancestors was based on how well they could perform and cooperate in groups.
Social hierarchy had to be formed and order had to be followed. Any odd one out was deemed socially abnormal but given the rise of the new age with much preaching of self-love. why is normality still a thing?

One of the earliest forms of social norms can be found in Gender Roles. The man was primarily the breadwinner, the hunter or provider while the woman was the caretaker of the home. If a woman were to pick up a spear to hunt, she might be subject to ridicule and become an outcast. Likewise, if the man were to switch roles, he could also be an outcast among his peers.

Fast forward decades later, we see a huge change in the social dynamic, women are now even encouraged to get into the workforce. The gauge of normalcy has indeed shifted to how we perceive it today.

The more people practice something, the more likely it is considered to be normal. The problem arises when there is a dramatic shift in normalcy, then what is the point of these said rules. This means the woman who decided to be a hunter earlier was cheated just because normalcy didn't fall in her favor.

I can't count the times I have heard the term; "I was born in the wrong generation," even looking back at some notable persons in history we tend to think "That person was way ahead of his time." If times truly changes and normalcy shifts, then what is normal and why do we care so much about it? Why do most people try so much to appear normal while suppressing the true self which sets us apart? The fear of being labeled the odd one out can be strong indeed.

CATEGORIES OF NORMALCY

There are different ways of categorizing normalcy but I'm going to focus on sociology as normality changes, bends, and shifts with time and region

CULTURAL NORMALCY: There are different cultures around the world and you might be shocked how normality shifts from region to region. Growing up in a culture can mold the way we dress, act and speak.
I remember watching a Facebook video of a Nigerian wedding, now I'm a Nigerian so it's pretty normal for me to see people spraying money at events and celebrations.
In this particular video the groom was spraying money on the bride as she was dancing, now I scroll down to the comment and I saw people appalled. Apparently in the western world; spraying money is for strippers, so most western viewers were shocked and offended. It took some convincing from Nigerians in the comments for them to realize that spraying money is culturally normal in Nigeria.

INDIVIDUAL NORMALCY: This is perhaps the most Egotistical type of normalcy, in which we use ourselves as a role model of what normality should be. It's pretty funny to me because every sane person naturally thinks good of his/herself. This method of normalcy might be the poorest but it's pretty common.

STATISTICAL NORMALCY: This is based on how frequent a particular trait or behavior occurs among a group of people. This is often pushed by public media and magazines, but it is also flawed because a behavior can occur more frequently but still be unhealthy and abnormal.
We all know statistics change with time. A good example is; during the civil rights era in the USA, a lot of civil rights activists were considered the odd one out and were subject to investigation and harassment by the government. Their actions were not considered normal at that time by the general consensus.

IN CONCLUSION

I think the need to define normality on a large scale will never go away. It's in our nature as social creatures to define acceptable traits but I believe what is needed is tolerance. Just because someone seems weird or odd doesn't mean they should be an outcast, as long as the person is not demonstrating harmful or hurtful behaviors. In some ways we are all abnormal in different aspects, most people are just very good at hiding and filtering out some traits so they seem normal.

Most people categorize themselves as normal, but if you would let your true-self out unfiltered and letting yourself be vulnerable to the judgment of others, many people might see you otherwise. Some people have grown to accept themselves. self-love can be a very admirable trait to others. There are cases of people who were considered weird at first but because of their carefree attitude and self-love, they were able to gain respect and acceptance from the majority, suddenly normalcy shifts again, the weird one is now the trendsetter.

Thanks for reading. see you again next time 😊

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