I think what is "expected" and what is "right" are usually the same thing, actually. Not always, but usually. If we're going by dictionary definitions, abnormal means "deviating from what is normal or usual, *typically in a way that is undesirable*".
I think normal can mean different things in the different contexts. You've got to read the context and make a judgement. Really, it hardly matters much how you define it so long as you explain what you're meaning.
Abnormal is no longer the perfect antonym of normal, though. The pejorative aspect has actually become part of the definition.
Normal, on the other hand, isn't inherently desirable, that isn't part of its definition. You don't see 'typically in a way that is desirable' attached to the definition.
Some people will use the word 'normal' negatively, as in "It was so boring, so utterly normal!" Some will use it positively, as in "It's so refreshing to meet somebody that's totally normal!" But that doesn't change the core definition.
The problem is when people assume that normal is inherently positive. That's something you see here a lot. For those actually seeking to find out how common or usual their situation is, that can be pretty deceptive. When you have a voting system based on 'IIN: Yes or No' the results are going to be influenced by this positive vs. negative judgement. Things that aren't normal but are acceptable could be voted 'normal', things that are normal but aren't acceptable could be voted 'not normal'.
I think that's an inherent problem when language is subjective rather than exact. The way people talk isn't the same as the dictionary definitions. Perception of normality is always going to be coloured by subjectivity because normality itself is subjective, regardless of the definition. So I think people are smart enough to know that rating on IIN aren't exact science: just because 9 people say something is "normal" and 1 person says it's "not normal" doesn't necessarily mean anything. I think it's the comments most people are interested in, and you can easily work out from the comments individually what definition they're working by.
I also think most comments and voters can tell from the context of the question what the OP would find most useful to know.
I do think there is confusion. I've experienced this myself, with people assuming my comment of something 'not being normal' was a negative judgement. Or my assuming a comment of something being 'normal' was judging something common, when it fact it was judging something 'OK'.
It would be beneficial to have some kind of consensus on a website like this, don't you think?
Yeah, I won't deny there's *some* room for confusion. I think if there's a problem to be solved, the best solution would be just asking OPs to be more clear as to what exactly they want answered, so there's some flexibility to allow the OP to decide what they want.
IIN I think many here don't know what the word 'Normal' means?
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I think what is "expected" and what is "right" are usually the same thing, actually. Not always, but usually. If we're going by dictionary definitions, abnormal means "deviating from what is normal or usual, *typically in a way that is undesirable*".
I think normal can mean different things in the different contexts. You've got to read the context and make a judgement. Really, it hardly matters much how you define it so long as you explain what you're meaning.
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Anonymous Post Author
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Abnormal is no longer the perfect antonym of normal, though. The pejorative aspect has actually become part of the definition.
Normal, on the other hand, isn't inherently desirable, that isn't part of its definition. You don't see 'typically in a way that is desirable' attached to the definition.
Some people will use the word 'normal' negatively, as in "It was so boring, so utterly normal!" Some will use it positively, as in "It's so refreshing to meet somebody that's totally normal!" But that doesn't change the core definition.
The problem is when people assume that normal is inherently positive. That's something you see here a lot. For those actually seeking to find out how common or usual their situation is, that can be pretty deceptive. When you have a voting system based on 'IIN: Yes or No' the results are going to be influenced by this positive vs. negative judgement. Things that aren't normal but are acceptable could be voted 'normal', things that are normal but aren't acceptable could be voted 'not normal'.
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dom180
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I think that's an inherent problem when language is subjective rather than exact. The way people talk isn't the same as the dictionary definitions. Perception of normality is always going to be coloured by subjectivity because normality itself is subjective, regardless of the definition. So I think people are smart enough to know that rating on IIN aren't exact science: just because 9 people say something is "normal" and 1 person says it's "not normal" doesn't necessarily mean anything. I think it's the comments most people are interested in, and you can easily work out from the comments individually what definition they're working by.
I also think most comments and voters can tell from the context of the question what the OP would find most useful to know.
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Maybe you're right.
I do think there is confusion. I've experienced this myself, with people assuming my comment of something 'not being normal' was a negative judgement. Or my assuming a comment of something being 'normal' was judging something common, when it fact it was judging something 'OK'.
It would be beneficial to have some kind of consensus on a website like this, don't you think?
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dom180
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Yeah, I won't deny there's *some* room for confusion. I think if there's a problem to be solved, the best solution would be just asking OPs to be more clear as to what exactly they want answered, so there's some flexibility to allow the OP to decide what they want.