Why do people love normal when it benefits them, but question or ignore it when it does not?

Normal means: “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.”

Likewise, abnormal means: “not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard.”

Normal seems to refer to the frequency of a phenomenon and its place in the universe. If something is “normal”, it occurs often, it is accepted by most people, it is easily recognized, it fits common patterns, etc. Nowhere in the definition does it say “good” or “right”, likewise, nowhere in the definition of “abnormal” does it say “bad” or “wrong”.

Unfortunately, there are connotations to words and we have become wary of describing something as “abnormal” (or “not normal”) because we fear we are implying said thing is “wrong”, “bad”, or “weird”. When really, that’s not necessarily the case.

I don’t have a problem using the word “normal” according to its actual definition. We have to describe some things as “normal” just as we have to describe some things as “natural”. Otherwise these terms have no meaning.

Why do people love normal when it benefits them, but question or ignore it when it does not?
I believe you answered your own question. Because it does not benefit them to do so.

It is normal for people to love that which benefits them, and to not love things which do not benefit them.

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE INSIST ON GENERALIZING?

@DominicX Normal means: “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.”
Likewise, abnormal means: “not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard.”

Those are the text book definitions, but if those definitions plays to the disadvantage to someone or a group, they question the standard. As if to say if the origination of the standard cannot be trusted the standard is invalid.

If something is “normal”, it occurs often, it is accepted by most people, it is easily recognized, it fits common patterns, etc. Nowhere in the definition does it say “good” or “right”, likewise, nowhere in the definition of “abnormal” does it say “bad” or “wrong”. To see that one would have to use logic further than emotion. Just as unique and odd both are classically not normal, unique is the “not normal” people want to be, and odd is the one they want to avoid. “Your daughter is so unique”, is different in a better more interesting way, more so than, “Your son is odd”. The misuse of abnormal comes down to if you have an abnormal birth it is usually a condition less than the perfect baby everyone hopes. That all changes if the baby was born with abnormal hearing that was equal to a dog’s, then it might seem something to be desired, or unusual strength for a baby. Then all of a sudden it is a good thing.

We have to describe some things as “normal” just as we have to describe some things as “natural”. Otherwise these terms have no meaning. Therein lies the problem, some people do not want to accept “natural” if what they are doing do not fit under “natural”, or “normal”.

I don’t see that you have proved your contention (oh, I am shocked).

“Why do people love normal when it benefits them, but question or ignore it when it does not?”

They don’t.

Most people accept that there are norms of height and norms of behavior.

Dunno. I did a lot of bad things to some of my relatives yet they still love me. It toked me a while to really understand it [I was very young then]. Now that I’m older I still can’t understand it perfectly. I do love some of my friends/relatives yet sometimes I act really rude toward them when they do small things [mistakes or things like this].

It was when I was in my philosophy class way back college, and deep thought that I realised everything is meaningless. It is us humans that interpreted and assigned meaning to things. Everything is neither normal nor abnormal, good nor bad, but because we existed and we’re selfish and strive to survive, everything that harms us is said to be abnormal, and what’s personally and generally accepted is normal.