Hate Log #2: Cultural Normality

No doubt you'll be shocked to learn this, but I belong to several nerdy sub-cultures.  I love Fantasy and Science Fiction, History and Logic, etc. etc.  I don't really care for sports.  Oh, I'm okay with playing, although it's not something I prefer to do by any means.  The real disconnect for me was watching sports.  I tried when I was younger, and I eventually just lost all interest.  (The details aren't really relevant to my topic.)

I don't hate sports though.  What I hate is the use (or misuse) of normality when it comes to culture.  A lot of people today talk about our culture being fractured or sharply divided, and I can't disagree with that if you're talking about politics or philosophy or morality.  I think however that people conflate (for lack of better terms) civic culture with social culture.

Civic culture is all about right and wrong, who we are and who we ought to be (etc. etc.)  Social culture is about what we like, and when it comes to that divided isn't really the right term.  It seems to me it is more of a system of self-selected distribution.  We no longer have a united social culture because (to an extent never before seen in human history) we have options, but co-existing with mass communications allowing us to fully recognize our differences.

For most of human history the vast majority of people had very few options, but they were also relatively isolated such that they were not confronted with the differences of anyone but their extremely proximate neighbors.  That changed a bit with printing presses and newspapers, and was altered dramatically by radio and television.  Although civic culture remained divided (as evidenced by politics and wars and such) social culture was somewhat homogenized.  A person might not care for it, might not fully participate in it but they could not help but at least be aware.  (For example during the Battle of Bulge American soldiers tried to detect German 5th Column soldiers using pop culture questions.)  Obviously this can be overstated, but it is generally true.

By contrast today people have greatly variated interests and customs.  This is nothing new historically, but it seems that way because it follows a generation where such social variations were diminished.  Additionally, thanks to mass media we have the potential to be much more aware of the differences than most people previously.

So far so good, but you're probably wondering where the hate joins the party.  Right here.  I hate it when people try to use the word 'normal' in regards to social culture.  It is a misapplication of the word.  There may be norms of human behavior, or normative biology and so on and so forth.  I take no stance on such issues here.  My point is that there is no longer a normal set of likes, tastes and interests.  The frantic multiplication of possible interests has allowed us to drift, each to his own.

There are approximately 320 million people in these United States.   https://www.census.gov/popclock/
Of that number approximately 87 million households subscribe to ESPN.   http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-losing-subscribers-not-ratings-viewers-2017-9
About 16 million people watched a recent Game of Thrones finale.   https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/arts/television/game-of-thrones-finale-sets-ratings-record.html    About 26 million play basketball.  https://www.sfia.org/press/433_Over-26-Million-Americans-Play-Basketball
Around 30% of Americans don't drink alcohol.   https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/debunkingaddiction/2015/04/many-americans-dont-drink-alcohol/    https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Health-Statistics-US-Adult-Population-Including-Alcohol-Consumption-Obesity-Rates-7805021
Etc. etc.

My point is that calling a taste or interest 'normal' is detached from reality.  In many cases it is a way to avoid having to make a case for or against your hobbies or those of others.  Or perhaps, to avoid thinking about the matter at all?

Is the teamwork shared and exercise gained from basketball more valuable than that accrued from Larping?  Is stamp-collecting or model railroading more edifying than tabletop miniature games?  Is Poker better than Pokemon?  Can more of value be found in 'prestige television' than in anime?

Perhaps.  But calling one thing normal does not make that case.  Muster your arguments.  Reflect.  Compare and contrast.  Or don't, and instead save your strength for disagreements that really matter.  Just don't hide behind a false normality in order to do so.