Over the last century, America has become less prejudiced: women can get previously “male” jobs; people of color have some legal rights; homosexuals are gaining a voice. Discrimination is not gone, but unlike in the past, it is no longer encouraged. These highly publicized victim groups were liberated by the collective rather than the individual efforts of their members. A victim group that does not have the luxury of a rallying point or media coverage is the “weird”. The “weird” are people who choose to display their individuality rather than succumb to the social pressure of acting like their peers. Faceless internet gurus cover our virtual walls with heart-warming quotes telling us to be proud of what makes us unique. But the truth is, in our current society, being unique means being attacked.
Babies are not given a photocopy list of “normal” things to do, to say, to dress like, or to be. No two people have the exact same standards for “normal”. Thus, every bully who attacks someone for being different judges the strangeness of his or her victim with a different standard. Likewise, the victims are as similar in their makeup as a parrot is to an ostrich. The “weird” do not have a collective voice to use as a sword, nor do they have a common enemy to fight. Their battlefields include their homes as well as public terrain. Since they cannot stand together as a cohesive army, their fight for freedom has been unsuccessful.
Everyone’s life has unique situations which require unique actions. A pair of scissors can cut a sheet of paper but it cannot cut down an oak tree. Likewise, the right thing to do for one person can be completely wrong when applied to someone else’s situation. Therefore, it is ridiculous to think a single standard of “normal” is enough for all the different people that live in even one society. For example, I am a musician and sing unabashedly in public (except in designated quiet places). Strangers often compliment my voice so I do not believe that I am harming anyone by singing. My parents, however, do not share my love for music and believe that “normal” public conduct involves being inconspicuous. To make me conform to their standards, they try to shame me—both in private and in presence of friends—by telling me I sound horrible. My parent’s insults cannot stop me from making music, but the insults still hurt. My particular experience may or may not be shared by anyone else, but the setup of my situation is common. An action that seems “normal” and joyous to me was deemed “abnormal” by someone else and I was unfairly attacked as a result.
As with race, gender, or sexuality, I do not believe that “normality” qualifies as an excuse for one person to injure another. Because there can be no standardized normal, being “abnormal” should not be a crime. “Normality” is nothing more than an illusion created by self-righteousness and a fear of the unknown. Just like race and gender are no longer reasons to look down on someone as inferior or to treat them with inequity, “abnormality” should be abolished as a justification for unjustifiable abuse.