Definition Essay On Normality

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The emphasis placed on attaining normal is completely unhealthy for the whole society. This is because there is no precise definition of normal. Each individual is different, and exhibits different characteristics and therefore there can be no precise definition for normal. It cannot be attained. And so this factor is very foolish because once the term is placed, those who are termed not normal will feel like outcasts. They will feel as if they have to prove something in order to fit into society and therefore will their whole lives just try to fit in. This is not healthy for any person. It makes an individual feel as if they are being looked down upon. The best example would be the author Jonathan Mooney. For several years while riding the short bus he was regarded as not normal. Therefore, even after being normal at the soccer field, he still did not feel normal. He went on to graduate highly from an Ivy League University but still did not feel appreciated. Even being a co-writer in a book, Mooney still felt like an outsider. Mooney (???) mentions “So much of what we are taught about ourselves never seems to completely go away. Even though I knew these feelings were old, and didn’t define me, they lingered” (p. 35); this therefore goes on to show that it is not healthy and will make individual live their whole lives trying to attain normalcy. One thing that I found particularly noteworthy is that as much as society looks down on disabled people, they on the other hand display love and wish to be reciprocated the same way. Therefore, the overarching theme is hate vs love. The best example from the book to illustrate this would be Jeff. Jeff is 46 years old and is also unemployed. He suffers from Asperger syndrome. He times e... ... middle of paper ... ...as if she is disabled and proceeds to curse out her teachers in sign language because of it. Her mother mentions “After one year the school district abolished all signing classes and reassigned the teachers to classes for children with cochlear implants” (Mooney, ???, p. 116), which is another example that the community is providing a barrier to a good education since Ashley isn’t a candidate for cochlear implants. Overall, this book was very eye opening and inspirational. It taught me a lot about certain disabilities I did not know of or have even heard of. The biggest impact it had on me was that society had stigmatized these individuals as being abnormal when they are just as normal as everyone else. They may just learn in a different way or need other resources, but our society needs to provide them with these types of things instead of making them an outcast.

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