A few thoughts on what’s normal, who is defining the new normal, and why I find complacency in our current times extremely dangerous.
What’s normal? What the majority around you does or looks like? What you do or appear to be? I’ve been reflecting on my own use of this word recently. Every time I now use the word “normal”, I ask myself whether I’m discriminating (consciously or inadvertently), and “othering” (implying that someone else is “abnormal”, i.e. that their difference is a flaw, an aberration or weakness). Why I am self-reflecting this way? I’m trying to use language that is more tolerant and supportive of differences, a basic principle of universal human rights. To use a concept from the philosopher Amartya Sen, “normal” should mean the “freedom to” be different yet to be treated as an equal human being.
At the same time, I write and speak out about the danger of normalization. This is a bit of a paradox, because contrary to the above, I am fighting against tolerating and supporting different views in this case. For example, I strongly oppose the UK’s absurdly timed proposal to prohibit gender education in schools (today is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, IDAHOBIT, and the proposal to me smacks of beliefs that hearing the word gay could make you gay). Why do I find this extremely problematic? Binary genders are implied to be the norm and the aim is to normalize this position that excludes differences (making any non-binary child feel like they are abnormal and an aberration). There’s no “freedom to” be different in this case.
As extreme right-wing positions continue to spread around the globe, this type of normalization that defines a new normal as exclusive to a dominant or majority (and often patriarchal) position is dangerous. Just look at recent legislation to outlaw and even reimpose death penalties for LGTBQI+ people (e.g. in Uganda, Russia, Ghana), or laws in the US banning abortion (even when a woman faces threatening health conditions). Or consider policies and laws enacted (in the UK, and proposed also in Germany) that run against all human rights conventions, including the European Court of Human Rights – to ship asylum seekers away to Rwanda. These extreme right-wing positions are being proposed by what would have a decade ago been considered relatively centrist, liberal, democratic parties.
As I personally continue to explore how I could become even more tolerant and supportive of differences (i.e. normal includes differences), the world around me seems to be going in the exact opposite direction (i.e. uniformity is normalized, differences are not tolerated).
Right now, what scares me even more than the extreme positions is the complacency and silence of the majority of people, leaders, and organizations around me. The radical, tectonic shifts in the world that remind me increasingly of the 1930s, Nazification, and an oncoming World War, somehow don’t seem to shake and terrify people to the core. What happens to LGBTQI+ kids in the UK, US, Russia, Uganda, Rwanda, or elsewhere, doesn’t seem to be that relevant. What happens to asylum seekers doesn’t seem to affect us, as long as they’re out of sight. What happens to women and their bodies and autonomy doesn’t seem to be significant.
This can’t be normal. This can’t be normalized. And this can’t be the new norm for 2024 and the next decades.
Katri Bertram 