Whats normal Whats a freak ask a question, as the title of my paper, in hopes of relaying a point. No one for sure knows what the answers to these questions are. I’m sure I don’t, but I do have my own judgement’s as to what the answers may be. I have friends that say they are normal. But, what else would they know.
I’ve been called everything from a witch to a freak; personally I’m proud to be called that. It shows that I am different from them. Everyone is different in our society. There are no definitions for either of these questions so why try and answer them. Most people believe in one main thing and that is them selves. People say and do things that most people don’t like, that prove we are all different.
Yet some people say when asked if they are normal they say ‘Yes.’ Then asked their definition of normal and they say ‘themselves’. I asked one such person those two questions then asked him if the guy sitting near him was normal and he responded ‘Yes.’ But, that struck a cord for me. I stated that he wasn’t him. How could he be normal, he wasn’t you? He had no good response for that. I asked other people and they answered the same way. But, you tell me what is normal and how do you come to this answer.
In the past I’ve been called a freak, sometimes they even said a freak of nature. But what do they know what a freak is. Their is no such thing as a freak. Some people would say a freak that is different. But, isn’t that everyone? Any one person who says that a freak is someone who is different then they just called their best friend or their parents’ freaks. And no one likes to be around a freak, right in most peoples minds freaks are the metal heads, outcasts, and every single person that is different or doesn’t meet their standers.
We all are different, instead of scrutinizing and making fun of everyone else for being different why not look into yourselves and see what is the same between you two and see if you can see them in a different view. Take it from someone who never has had a chance in her life until this year to be herself. I tried so hard to be part of something I wasn’t. I never saw who I was, because everyone around me used to make fun of me because I was a freak, I was different. Now, I anymore. I’m proud to be labeled a freak, because that’s me.
But, you have no right to judge other people, when you don’t even know them. You judge by the way they look, or how they act. That’s not the real person that’s just their outer appearances. They are different people once you get to talk to them. When I was in seventh grade I met someone that changed my life. They were smart and nice to be around.
Everything I wanted to be. They didn’t go to our school; in fact they weren’t allowed to go to school. She, was one of my neighbors grand kids, I haven’t told many people this because she was something I always wanted to be. She looked at people and saw who they were not what they looked like.
As if by a glance she could read your soul and tell you everything about you. Don’t take me wrong. It scared me, because she knew when I lied and when something was wrong. She didn’t judge people.
The only sin she ever committed was trying to help others. That is one reason that we shouldn’t judge people. Out there in the world that we yet to explore is something some of us have never seen. To many people it’s like a sin to others a gods sake, it’s the truth about everyone. We are all a like in more then one way. We share something in common; we go through the same life experiences, walking, talking, and school.
Normal, freak, they ” re words most of us use every day, but we don’t truly know what they mean. Look at the people beside you, what would you call them? You would call them normal of course, if they ” re your friends. Of course they have to be normal, if they ” re your friends, you ” re normal right? Not to step on any toes of any thing but are you truly normal? Now look at your self, you all know that everyone has strange out of the blue out burst sometimes. We all do, some people don’t call that normal. But, what do they know? They ” re freaks, right? That’s how our minds work. Everyone but our friends and ourselves are freaks.
No one is a freak. But, we are all normal. I was once told the definition of normal is being civilized. I’m civilized aren’t I; I don’t go acting like a brut and an animal. The definition of civilized is human, not walking around on all fours, eating raw meat or any things like our house pets do. Well, just Wednesday, I was called a freak for wearing black lipstick, by the way that’s exercising my rights of freedom of expression, well then he made the mistake of saying that being civilized is being normal.
I’m civilized, you ” re civilized, we all are and yet I’m still a freak in his book because of that, but I’m civilized how can that be? I said earlier that I’m a freak and I don’t care. I like being different because that’s me. But, most people don’t like being called freak, and other names. Not saying I like to be called those. My best friend in the world is probably the only one that I can tell everything to. Because she knows me, she doesn’t care what I look like; she only cares about who I am.
Not if I’m normal or a freak. How many people can you say that about? I’m not an angel, I do judge some people, but I only judge them once I know them. I know most of you in this classroom some from last year, others I just meet this year, you think I judge you when you ” re not looking? You ” re wrong if you do. I ask you now to look around and see who would be judging you if we did. Your peers, people you barely know.
You haven’t known them long, and yet you call them friend, how do you know if they ” re your friends or not? They share secrets with you, share time and some moments of happiness; they are your friends, but some time or another in the past or the near future may be even right now they judge you. They may be your friend but if you have to judge them to see if they are what you think is suitable then they aren’t as good a friend as you thought. I’ve had friends come and go my whole life. I was taken out of schools every few years. The longest I stayed in a school was three years. But, finally things have started to change.
My friends get to stay the same, I’m not moving but that doesn’t mean that I’ll stay the same in my opinions and friends. I’ll stay the same in only one place I’ll be me. You can judge me all you want and I don’t care, I don’t judge you so why would it matter to me. I look around and see in all your faces, hair, clothes; one thing truly matters to you most, and that is you. You change over the years to who you are, but do you really. Don’t some of you change because your friends are and you don’t want to be left out? I was that way.
I wanted new things that my friends got. I wanted that, and that. Until one day I saw that we were nothing but brand names and things that were so minuscule that we didn’t see that the grown-ups were right in labeling us generation-X. We are the generation of brand names and advertisements. These clothes, with brand names spread all over them were what was normal so everyone had to have it. If you don’t have Tommy or any thing else like that then your not cool, not normal.
‘Heaven forbid, not being normal I must have those or that. Lets not leave out that, I’ll be labeled a freak. Please, please I need it you don’t know what your doing to me, if I don’t have it I’ll be made fun of.’ those are just some examples of what we have become. I don’t dress like most of you all, I plainly don’t give a care about how I look, I’m not here to dress for an impression on you, to be blunt I don’t give a rats butt what you think about me. I’m me not you, not something that someone wants to make of me. I do what I want, if it has bad consequence then so be it, I’ll take my lashes and move on.
That’s me. We all look out into the roaming crowds of teens and see what they wear and do and if you think they ” re cool you ” ll start to do things like them. We are the puppets they, the companies that own Tommy and all those, are the puppeteers. They pull our strings and we bring out our wallets. I’m not going to die with that on my mind.
In one of my favorite plays Macbeth a line stuck with me the meaning is, ‘When you die, you die free.’ If you ” re thinking right now what that has to do with my paper about being normal or a freak. Well, in plain and simple words everything. When I was younger I was told that everything would be decided for me, but a little later in life you would be free to make your own decisions. I believed that. But now we generation-X aren’t free to make decisions because we have our friends and the clothes company tells us what we want to be normal. I was told last year by someone what I need to be normal, and I’m never going to let any one tell me that again.
I’m free to make my own decisions and I don’t care if it ” ll end me up in the gas chamber, I will follow my heart to death if I have to and down with any one who tries and tell me what is normal, or right or wrong. I’m a human being and will not be regulated by my peers, nor should you if you have the guts to listen to your heart in stead of everyone telling you what’s normal and what’s not. Okay, everything I have said in this has come from my heart and I hope you heard it. I’ve learned something from my generation; we don’t hear what we don’t want to. This little essay wasn’t meant to offend any of you. I’m truly sorry if I did offend you, and I wish I hadn’t but I spoke the truth I believe in and nothing can change that.
In conclusion, finally, don’t be apart of the generation-X, be your self, it’s easier on the wallet. I hope that you did hear this and will think over some of the many points in this. Thank you.