If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
The one word I have never liked to describe anything is “normal”!
There is no such thing…a thing can be average or typical, but not normal.
A small example…if I have my temperature taken and it reads “normal” at 98.6 degrees, I have a fever.
During all the Covid stuff and people were taking temperatures before they would let you in the door, I got some funny looks because mine never even hit 98; it was in the low 97’s.
Christians believe in the Golden Rule of treating others as you would like to be treated…well, that doesn’t always mean kindness. What if “normal” includes lashing like some sects of Opus Dei? I don’t know about anyone else, but that is not “normal” for me, nor is it a part of the Golden Rule.
Assuming something as “normal” can be very dangerous. What is “normal” in one part of the world will not be “normal” in another.
In the United States it is considered the proper behaviour (normal) to look a person in the face when speaking to them. In Russia, if a female looks too long in the face of a man, it means something totally different…something Americans call a crime. We were told to be very careful about looking in the faces of men when walking down the street.
In the United States it is considered “normal” for a restaurant to tell a patron that they are full if every table is being used, but in Europe it is “normal” for a restaurant to fill every seat. If a seat is empty, you ask if it is being used, if the answer is no, you simply sit down.
“Normal” is definitely a word that needs to be taken out of the lexicon, no matter what the language…simply because it does not exist and can cause more issues than it solves.