Not Normal: The Power of Counterculture

Prompt

What's normal? (list as many things you can think of that you consider normal--dress, words, behavior, relationships, etc.)

What is not normal? (list as many things you can think of that you are consider abnormal--dress, words, behavior, relationships, etc.)

Discuss

• Concept of normal: what is right, what is acceptable
• Oppressive history of "normal" for certain groups (consider gender, race, sexual orientation, age, class)
• Culture is always changing: how? Who changes it?

Explore & Reflect

For each of the clips below, "normal" is being molded. As you will see, some of the clips are pushing the social boundaries in order to include more people, more behaviors and more ideas in the realm of "normal," while others are tightening social boundaries in order to confirm the place of certain people in society.

For each clip, consider the question in context: What is normal?

Find Your Own Example

1.  Find an example of a song, image, website, speech, organization or film that is tightening the boundaries of "normal."

2.  Find an example of a song, image, website, speech, organization or film that is pushing the boundaries of "normal."

Publish it on your blog with a short discussion of your thoughts.