Society's Perscpective? My perscpective?

My family has what most would refer to as a "history" of mental illness or "different" personalities.  I must say that as any introduction, this is not typically included in my first couple of conversations with new faces.  Why not?  Well, I think it is obvious that it is not something we would refer to as positive traits in people. Even though the likelihood of stats would suggest that we all have an eccentric family member and some of us have those that talk to cats....we don't all like to introduce our dates to them!

I very much love my family and to me (somewho who understands their quirks) they are just part of a diverse family.  Even as my nephew was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome I understood the difficulties and the trials of relating to him on his level, but watched others view my sister in judgmental ways.

However, I felt about my family or the history of having that strange uncle or that really eccentric aunt I have recently read a book that changed every thought I once had.   This book was called "The Short Bus, a journey beyond normal" by Johnathan Moore.  Beyond the strangely titled cover, this book fought itself about the social necessity of ab-normal labels with the rather blunt reality that some people are simply not ever going to "fit in" to what society feels is a self-reliant citizen.  Johnathan Moore was himself diagnosed with learning disabilities and placed (however inappropriate) in a special ed class and began a journey that some have considered a road to normalcy but what John describes very differently.  He interviews many others who are labeled with different disabilities or syndromes or even ADHD throughout the book.  I immediately saw some similarities to those I knew and then saw the drastic differences as well.  The most interesting thing about this journey in the book is the way John mixes his years of learning disability studies (Brown University) within the book to give the reader an actual understanding of each "label" and where it came from, the "discovery" from the doctors and even what become of those labeled throughout the recent history.

This book is compassionate and informative and is written from the perspective from someone who ahs lived a life being "labeled" so the information is written with sensitivity but also the cruel reality of what young children and young adults really think about "normal". Be aware and clearly warned that vulgar language is used to express the anger toward society and in some instances to simply ease the tension within a situation described.  This author is authentic regardless of what others may judge it as.   So, read it with an open mind that you (even if you are a caregiver to someone different) may not have the WHOLE inside tract on what may lay ahead of the journey.

I am compelled to handle many situations differently and I look at my own struggles with the norm very differently. How I describe my sons learning struggles will be much different than I have for the last two years. Different is good.  Different requires a unique path but does not indicate abnormal.  The society has changed everything we see and even taken it a step further with selective reproduction.  A subject many don't like to talk about but none the less a subject vastly changing the need for our society to understand those with down syndrome or special needs or disabilities and especially physical deformation.   You may not even be aware that almost all of the fetus' in this country that MAY appear with a disability are immediately aborted.  REALLY!!! I didn't make that up.  Some of the tests are even standard in all OBGYN offices and most of those offices will not tell the same young women the rate of false tests results.  Resulting in a vast number of babies (pending your definition so I will stick with mine) who are disgaurded as abnormal so that the parents or society doesn't have to "deal with" any of the unknowns.  You can say what you want about the right to choice, but understand that testing progression and fetal development research is not always looking out for how to create the God-given social enviroment but instead looking out for what they deem as the "standard of normal". 

What's your normal?

Is there normal in our society?

My last thought on this subject would be my 7 year old's realization recently, "If I was just like everyone else, we would all be very boring." 

I pray that you read controversial books like this one that compel us to reach within ourselves and tackle ALL of these issues and gain some understanding of just what we are judging when we use certain vocabulary considered politically correct.