Being abnormal is normal

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I recently read in a newspaper that being abnormal is now... normal.

I am quite worried about this. Because being abnormal gives you some privileges and exemptions from certain duties because you cannot fulfill them.
Like conscription.

Now that being abnormal is considered normal, it means that there are no privileges and no exemptions. Being schizophrenic or autistic is no longer an excuse for
not being conscripted.

There is a range of what is considered "normal". No one is exactly normal. However, it is one thing to be abnormal, and another to be disordered. To be disordered, your behavior must be considered deviant, distressful, and disfunctional. To be abnormal, you only need to be deviant.

By saying that there exists no average people, you are also legitimizing treating everyone equally, despite their differences, because everyone is different and nobody are average, thus everybody must be equal.

I had a teacher once who refused to recognize my problems caused by my AS. BECAUSE of his belief that "everyone are different anyway, so its no big deal when someone claims to be different".

That is why I want people to listen to me and get back to the normality treatment, and treat different people different.

In other words: Clarify the diagnostic criteria. Don't abolish it.

Distressful and disfunctional symptoms, which reduce quality of life, are what separates this from being simply different.

Being "normal" in the sense of being free of any dysfunctions, and being 'normal' in the sense of being 'like most people' are two different things.

I dont think there was ever a time when both 'normals' were the same.

Most people have always been atleast neurotic, if not had somekind of neurological issues, or had substence abuse issues, or what have you.

So its never been the norm to be 'normal'. But no one form of dysfunction is the majority. Austistic are the minority, and alcholics are the minority,and so on. So its 'normal' to not have any one of those types of issues. But its probably not 'normal' to be completely free of any of them.

Thinking of yourself as abnormal is normal.

I wonder if this is a result of the anti-bullying campaign. That is, more people are taught to be more accepting to the odd man (or woman) out.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Certainly, a person could not view some things, such as handicap parking, as a privelage, when one considers the fact that a lot of people who have that option can barely get into buildings even from a short distance.

I consider handicap parking to be a reasonable accommodation not a special privilege.