Eric Allam, of 52 Reviews, terms the average person a “Normy”. According to he and his brother, you can be one too. Here’s how:
- Only take one job
- When/if you get married, have your wife take one job
- Shop, spend, and rack up debt
- Buy a home and make that your only major investment
- Keep up with your friends and family by buying a bunch of stuff, like big TVs, new computers or other tech
- Watch a lot of TV or movies
- Stop talking about character, philosophy, and theology
Sound familiar? I call this progress “The Funnel”. Others call it “The American Dream.” Are you a Normy? If not, what are you doing differently?
“Stop talking about character, philosophy, and theology”
Intersting, the older I get the fewer people I find who will
a) Talk about these topics at all
b) Is able to talk about these topics as ideas rather than challenges to their world view
That’s a bit creepy, if only because I always feel the pull toward Normy-hood. Is there a term for anti-Normies, the direction away from such a thing?
I kinda like the Douglas Coupland term “poverty jet-set”, which is the group who gets from travel experience to travel experience by taking jobs they don’t care about. I’m not that anymore, but I was when I was younger…
I’m not too worried about becoming a Normy, but I’m worried about hating Normies too much.
Anyway, why am I not afraid of becoming one? I buy more books than I can read. They fill out your living room better than “stuff” and they make you look smarter. Then, on occasion, I’ll pick one up and discover an idea worth talking about. It’s wild.
They also make good stands, tables, mouse pads, toilet paper (although some would be a bit harsh), fire starters, and more. Books are grand!