Must we be normal?

https://www.verywellmind.com/magical-thinking-2671612

"It's when magical thinking clearly does not fit in with acceptable social norms that it can be a cause for concern."

The author of the above article seems to think that the difference between acceptable magical thinking and possible mental illness is simply one of social acceptance.  I thought to myself once, a number of years ago, "why is it relatively acceptable for people to believe that a wafer and some alcohol-free wine turn into the body and blood of a Jew who died 2000 years ago, but you are borderline schizophrenic if you believe it is possible with modern technology to mess with somebody's nervous system using high frequency radio waves and a sophisticated computer program."  I think the answer to this poor logic might give us an insight into the thinking processes of many internet skeptics and debunkers.

Yes - the whole question of when paranormal beliefs cross the line into mental illness is a tricky one. "Acceptable social norms" does seem a disturbing criterion to judge people's thinking by. The idea seems to be that if you've just picked the magical thinking up from your culture it's fine, but if it's something you've come up with yourself it's "worrisome". I don't think it makes much sense.

The article seems pretty superficial, but I don't suppose a more profound analysis would come up with any clear-cut answers.

From the article:

Magical thinking is a clinical term used to describe a wide variety of nonscientific and sometimes irrational beliefs that are generally based on a supposed cause-and-effect relationship between two events.

I suppose a typical example of such magical and irrational thinking would be the idea that consciousness emerges from inert matter of the brain.

I sometimes wonder if the real ways used to evaluate such things are mostly a matter of who holds the political and/or economic power at the time.

Yes - the whole question of when paranormal beliefs cross the line into mental illness is a tricky one. "Acceptable social norms" does seem a disturbing criterion to judge people's thinking by. The idea seems to be that if you've just picked the magical thinking up from your culture it's fine, but if it's something you've come up with yourself it's "worrisome".

The idea that people might start thinking for themselves is always troubling for the establishment.

Yes - the whole question of when paranormal beliefs cross the line into mental illness is a tricky one. "Acceptable social norms" does seem a disturbing criterion to judge people's thinking by. The idea seems to be that if you've just picked the magical thinking up from your culture it's fine, but if it's something you've come up with yourself it's "worrisome". I don't think it makes much sense.

The article seems pretty superficial, but I don't suppose a more profound analysis would come up with any clear-cut answers.

Do you think the emphasis placed on being socially normal might be the (or an) underlying motive behind debunking obsessions?  It happens in religion a lot that, although an independant thinker came up with the ideas upon which a religion is built, when the conforming masses reach a certain volume, independant thinking becomes frowned upon.  Even intelligent people often fall for it so we can't judge intelligence levels on that basis.  How powerful is social acceptance?

There is another matter, one which is important though I don't know the answer.

I know from involvement with some of my close friends, now and over the years, that sometimes people hold ideas which are harmful to themselves. As a non-professional, and as a friend, I've mostly just offered a listening ear. It doesn't always work very well, but we must all do as we think best.

There is another matter, one which is important though I don't know the answer.

I know from involvement with some of my close friends, now and over the years, that sometimes people hold ideas which are harmful to themselves. As a non-professional, and as a friend, I've mostly just offered a listening ear. It doesn't always work very well, but we must all do as we think best.

I agree wholeheartedly and I have known some difficult cases but I really want to get away from mental illness specifically and look at the attitude behind "if it's not the social norm, then there must be something wrong with it"  I remember as a child being thought weird by other children because I had thoughts and beliefs that weren't normal.  Where does this insistence that everybody should be normal come from and is it the real underlying motive of the "new atheism" etc.

How powerful is social acceptance?

As powerful as you choose it to be.

As powerful as you choose it to be.

Go f*ck yourself and stop stalking me!  That's five alerts because of you in a very short space of time.  Be very careful...sometimes people like you get traced!!!!!

Go f*ck yourself and stop stalking me!  That's five alerts because of you in a very short space of time.  Be very careful...sometimes people like you get traced!!!!!

Brian, Brian, Brian, stalking? You are going to bribe Laird and Ninshub for my IP addresses and give them to Mueller? Or Muller? 

How does one fuck themselves, btw? You must believe, among the many over-the-top concepts that you believe, is that your dick is long enough to reach your duplicitous ass and that others are so well endowed. Doubt it. It won't make your nose ether. No, fucking yourself doesn't compute.

I'll save you a lot of LEO embarrassment. I live just outside Everglades City, Fl. Hire a hitman, send him down here, with a GoPro. If you can get past the square groupers, the local popo, the alligators/crocodiles/cottonmouths/pythons, the mosquitoes we call 'birds' and my relatives, then your GoPro-ed hitman will have some very interesting footage.

If you come along, I can make sure Community Mental Health will have a look-see at you.

I remember as a child being thought weird by other children because I had thoughts and beliefs that weren't normal.  Where does this insistence that everybody should be normal come from...

It comes from your belief that the POV of others regarding you is relevant, that it is, as you perceive it, judgmental and worthy of consideration. Valid experience.

In Pssst case, I understand that there can be no judgment that is valid for the simple reason no one has a clue who I really am.
But that is Pssst just being Pssst making the choices that Pssst makes. YMMV and obviously does.