Normal people

[moxie]

Over the years the media has painted a picture of what "normal americans" are. Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, Happy Days are a few examples. Dad works, mom cooks and washes dishes, the kids all say gee and wow and never drink or smoke pot. Everyone has clean clothes, is shaven, and have bright little faces and straight teeth. Everyone is white and goes to church on Sunday. No on ever drinks or smokes. My question is, why don't we ever see these people on the AT if they are the normal Americans? No all we see are people like Baltimore jack, Blister, LW and Jester and I don't have to describe the likes of them. Oh, some of Warren Doyle's people look a little normal but they get hot meals every night and frequent showers. We need more normal people on the trail. I would suggest Whiteblaze and ALDA get together and have a two week seminar for thru hikers. It would consist of classes where they woule learn to say "gee and wow". They would learn hygene and have seminers on proper dress. They would learn to dress for dinner each evening and never eat until they say grace. Every evening of the seminar they would be required to watch re-runs of Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. When they finish the course they would be take a bus to Springer and start their hike. For those that fall of the wagon and take up the evel of drink and smoke or even say s*it there would be refresher courses at say Hot Springs, Damascus, The Water Gap. and Monson. Only then can we expect to find what America thinks is "normal on the AT.

[Gray Blazer]

Over the years the media has painted a picture of what "normal americans" are. Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, Happy Days are a few examples. Dad works, mom cooks and washes dishes, the kids all say gee and wow and never drink or smoke pot. Everyone has clean clothes, is shaven, and have bright little faces and straight teeth. Everyone is white and goes to church on Sunday. No on ever drinks or smokes

What's wrong with that? I know that's not tolerable to some people, but I repeat, what's wrong with that?

[Newb]

Hmmm. I'm white, don't smoke pot, my dad works, my mom was a housewife, I have clean clothes, I shave, I have a bright little face but my teeth are little crooked. I've said "Gee" and "Wow" before. I don't go to Church on Sunday, but that's because God doesn't work on a fee for service basis. I drink like a fish. So, by your 14 point rating I score an 11. Does that make me 78% normal? I'll take it!

[Gray Blazer]

Hmmm. I'm white, don't smoke pot, my dad works, my mom was a housewife, I have clean clothes, I shave, I have a bright little face but my teeth are little crooked. I've said "Gee" and "Wow" before. I don't go to Church on Sunday, but that's because God doesn't work on a fee for service basis. I drink like a fish. So, by your 14 point rating I score an 11. Does that make me 78% normal? I'll take it!

Sorry, can't tolerate that. You are too normal. Cut it out.

[Fiddleback]

One could argue that "normal Americans" do not imitate life and lifestyles of 50 years ago. One also could argue that "normal Americans" don't hike the AT.

Of course, I wouldn't propose those arguments. Having spent 30 years with a Lady who taught emotionally disturbed children I've learned that normality is merely the imposition of a majority's cultural perceptions upon a minority.

I would argue that diversity leads to a healthy system. Conversely, if everybody is and thinks the same; there is no growth and no progress. Eventually, the culture loses its own morals whatever they might have been...leading to a new 'normal.'

FB

[Frosty]

Over the years the media has painted a picture of what "normal americans" are. Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, Happy Days are a few examples. Dad works, mom cooks and washes dishes, the kids all say gee and wow and ...

It sounds like your TV broke in 1959, and you haven't watched any television or gone to the movies since Doris Day and Rock Hudson slept in twin beds

If you are serious, the answer is that there are plenty of people who are fairly normal, or at least the type of person whose portrait you are painting. They just tend not to be overly-dramatic and call attention to themselves, which makes sense to me.

Of course, by society's standards, anyone who takes off work for five months to hike isn't "normal," so all the working age people are pretty much by definition "not normal." So already you have a large segment of the thruhiker population that isn't "normal."

For retired people, it is expected that they will do things like hike for six months, or sell the house and buy an RV, or sit in a rocking chair all day. They have "earned it" by working all their lives.

And youngsters of course are always granted leeway in odd behavior, with the belief that they will become wiser (and normal) with age. Kids in college especially can behave in ways that would be untolerated in a 40-year-old. So "normal" for them isn't what it is for me.

Lastly, I think perhaps that people tend to hang with like people. On my two short attempts at a thru, I met many people you would classify as normal, and never once saw heavy drinking. Or hardly any drinking at all, actually. Never saw anyone drunk. Perhaps it is the same for people who like to drink heavily. Perhaps they wonder where all the other type people are. Perhaps not. I have no idea.

I'm not a psychologist or sociologist, but I did stay in a cheap motel just down the road from a Holiday Inn Express a coupla week ago.

[SalParadise]

[QUOTE=Newb;322178] I don't go to Church on Sunday, but that's because God doesn't work on a fee for service basis. [QUOTE]

what about the collection plate? ha!


yeah, I fit in the far majority of those categories, too. I guess that makes me The Beaver, since Wally was clearly a pothead.

[Moose2001]

if we're so abnormal, why do so many "normal" people say they would love to do what we do!

[derekthered]

i'm more like eddie haskell...

[Gray Blazer]

[quote=SalParadise;322200]

I don't go to Church on Sunday

.....and people who do should not be tolerated!

[Moxie00]

Well I started this thread because everything is closed in Maine today, schools, airports, stores, roads, and snow is falling at 3 inches an hour and the wind is blowing 40mph.Birds are lined up at my feeders and I thought it might be fun to stir thr soup a little. I tought it might be nice to discuss how Ozzie and Harriet never stay at shelters or hostels. People who many think of as normal just don't fit into the thru hiker community. Even some of the boy scouts you meet out there on weekend hikes often behave like junior vikings, especially when you are trying to fall asleep 100 yards from their campsite. Some normal people start but few get ver far. From my observation, and I am juat a simple country boy from Mount Vernon, Maine, the successful long distance hiker is far from normal and that is why I LOVE THE TRAIL COMMUNITY. I am different and on the trail I can associate with others that are also different. Some day Beaver and Wally may walk into my campsite but until that day I will cherish all my weird and different trail friends.

[Gray Blazer]

Well I started this thread because everything is closed in Maine today, schools, airports, stores, roads, and snow is falling at 3 inches an hour and the wind is blowing 40mph.Birds are lined up at my feeders and I thought it might be fun to stir thr soup a little. I tought it might be nice to discuss how Ozzie and Harriet never stay at shelters or hostels. People who many think of as normal just don't fit into the thru hiker community. Even some of the boy scouts you meet out there on weekend hikes often behave like junior vikings, especially when you are trying to fall asleep 100 yards from their campsite. Some normal people start but few get ver far. From my observation, and I am juat a simple country boy from Mount Vernon, Maine, the successful long distance hiker is far from normal and that is why I LOVE THE TRAIL COMMUNITY. I am different and on the trail I can associate with others that are also different. Some day Beaver and Wally may walk into my campsite but until that day I will cherish all my weird and different trail friends.

I'm not weird....I'm just like you.

[Gray Blazer]

I guess what I'm trying to say is.....what's wrong with being weird? What's wrong with being normal? Should you not tolerate people because they are weird? Should you not tolerate people because they are normal? This is the USA is it not? Our troops fight for our right to be weird (or normal). Zawahiri wants us all to be normal like him. That's weird (or normal) to a lot of people in this country.

[weary]

What's wrong with that? I know that's not tolerable to some people, but I repeat, what's wrong with that?

Well, I guess it depends on you. I prefer reality. But some prefer myths. Perhaps, GB, when you get really gray, you will understand the grayness of America -- that Americans are not just black and white, but mostly murky shades of gray.

Weary

[Frosty]

Perhaps, GB, when you get really gray, you will understand the grayness of America

Gray Blazer gets his name from his vehicle, not his hair. Lucky for him he traded in that purple Pacer for the gray Chevy Blazer before he got his trail name.

[Gray Blazer]

Well, I guess it depends on you. I prefer reality. But some prefer myths. Perhaps, GB, when you get really gray, you will understand the grayness of America -- that Americans are not just black and white, but mostly murky shades of gray.

Weary

Personally, I think I understand the grayness of USA better than a lot of people in my country. What I'm trying to say is why can we not tolerate "normalness" as described in the original post when we are expected to tolerate everything else in this society? Believe me, I am far from normal as described in the first post. But, I am American....what are you?

[Gray Blazer]

Gray Blazer gets his name from his vehicle, not his hair. Lucky for him he traded in that purple Pacer for the gray Chevy Blazer before he got his trail name.

Don't forget the pink escort before that. Now that would be a weird trail name.

[mudhead]

Most interesting people are half a twist from tight. I would like to meet the Beaver's Mom, as long as it would not end badly. Funniest thing I've seen since-forever.

[woodsy]

Normal defined:http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=normal

[Gray Blazer]

Weary, I apologize for the american crack. If you read between the lines in my posts, i'm saying the same thing as you. I never said I prefer the myth. I never said I prefer anything. I was saying why are the people described in the first post not to be tolerated or in my exact words....what's wrong with that? What's wrong with a person who goes to church? What's wrong with a person who doesn't? What's wrong with being white? What's wrong with being a purple pacer? To me the answer to all these questions is nothing. But, that is my opinion. You're telling me I'm not gray enough, but I know where I can buy hair dye.