So, I just finished reading (7 pm MDT Feb. 12) Malcom Nance: URGENT WARNING: Trump is Planning to Invade Canada & Greenland by Community contributor ivankaforprison
It is a good read and I recommended it but the funny thing is it was the comments that really got my brain juices flowing. It made me reconsider what Normal is today. Some comments discount the threat that Trump will use military force against Canadas and /or Greenland as nothing but bluster and click bait. Others are not so sure and wonder if the military would actually follow an order to invade, yada yada yada.
So some feel many are overreacting, which is Normal.
Other feel many are underreacting, which is also Normal.
I hear and read about many wishing that things would just get back to Normal. The thing is I now believe there really is no such thing as Normal and it is just a myth, which I came to understand reading an article which I will share further below.
It also remined me of a Bruce Cockburn song from many many years ago (1987) that is more relevant today than it was almost 40 years ago. Just replace reference to Third World with your country/person or persons of choice.
I am only sharing the lyrics as I feel that in this case, the words stand better on their own as the music may be a bit of a distraction, and dated.
From the album Waiting for a Miracle (how fitting)
"The Trouble With Normal"
Strikes across the frontier and strikes for higher wage
Planet lurches to the right as ideologies engage
Suddenly it's repression, moratorium on rights
What did they think the politics of panic would invite?
Person in the street shrugs, "Security comes first"
But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse
But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse
Callous men in business costume speak computerese
Play pinball with the Third World trying to keep it on its knees
Their single crop starvation plans put sugar in your tea
And the local Third World's kept on reservations you don't see
"It'll all go back to normal if we put our nation first"
But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse
But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse
Fashionable fascism dominates the scene
When ends don't meet it's easier to justify the means
Tenants get the dregs and landlords get the cream
As the grinding devolution of the democratic dream
Brings us men in gas masks dancing while the shells burst
The trouble with normal is it always gets worse
AZLyrics
“What did they think the politics of panic would invite? and “Person in the street shrugs, "Security comes first" really hit home as well as “Callous men in business costume speak computerese
Play pinball with the Third World trying to keep it on its knees”
The whole song seems to resonate with todays worldscape.
Elon Ket Head Musk was only 13 years old when Bruce wrote this! Yes I realize that he nor his DOGE crew wear suits but their wardrobe is technically a costume, and lets face it, he is not Normal!
So it is clear to me that what I considered Normal is not static and appears to be evolving into something I am not comfortable with. Especially as I see what is becoming Normal behaviour from the T-administration and some countries moving/accepting the far right push in Europe.
Merriam-Webster defines NORMAL as:
a
: conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern : characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine
b
: according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle
C
: approximating the statistical average or norm
D
: generally free from physical or mental impairment or dysfunction : exhibiting or marked by healthy or sound functioning
You get the idea….
So now to the story on why Normal may be just a myth.
Why Normal Is a Myth
When we start defining "normal," we head down a dangerous path.
Here are a few points before I link the story from Psychology Today.
“Key points
- The current myth of "normal" extinguishes the very variation (biological and behavioral) that is core to humans’ ability to evolve and adapt.
- "Average" is not a value statement. It's merely a statistical description.
- Assuming a statistical norm is "the right way to be" makes the lives of many people more difficult.
This premise results from two misconceptions:
- A very poor understanding of the range and patterns of actual human biological and behavioral variation.
- An assumption that the average in any population or group is more or less a measure of the “right” biological and social way to be.”
www.psychologytoday.com/…
So at the end of the day, am I worried that Trump will mount a physical assault on Canada, Greenland or Panama?
Under Normal circumstances, not at all. Maybe if I was Panama I would be a little more concerned…
Under Normal circumstances it is Congress that would need to declare/ok an attack but Trump believes in “strike first ask for permission later” and that is somewhat concerning.
Problem is, by any definition, these are not Normal times...
So as I stated, I believe Normal may be a myth but many a myth and legend is based on a kernel of truth.
As a final shout out to a great and talented Canuck, he turns 80 in may and is still touring. 17 dates in US from CA to NY and in between.
Here is The Trouble with Normal:
This is a double album and is one of my favorites with many great/important songs such as Burn, Lovers in a Dangerous Time, If I had a Rocket Launcher, Call it Democracy and Stolen Land.
I think you would be surprised by how relevant many of these 38 year old song are today.
