Defining Normalcy Through Political Lens
Mike Kimbrel of Oakville has published a letter to the editor in the Chronline in which he describes a shift in his personal political labeling. While stating that he has always voted Republican and identified as a "political conservative," Kimbrel wrote that he is now relabeling himself as a "normal" individual.
Despite this change in self-description, Kimbrel affirmed that he will continue to vote Republican. The letter, titled "What is normal?", serves as an explanation of the criteria he uses to define normalcy in contrast to what he describes as "abnormal behavior." This rebranding marks a specific rhetorical pivot for the resident, moving from traditional ideological labels to a definition rooted in his personal assessment of societal standards.
Specific Criteria for Normal Beliefs
In the letter, Kimbrel lists specific tenets that constitute his definition of normal beliefs. He asserts that these include the existence of a loving God creator and the belief in marriage between a man and a woman with a family.
Kimbrel further states that normal beliefs encompass the view that women should not kill their babies and that citizens should love and defend the United States and its Constitution. Regarding sports, he writes that only females should compete in women’s and girls’ sports. He also asserts that only females should be allowed in girls’ and women’s showers and bathrooms.
On issues of governance and immigration, Kimbrel states that parents should have absolute rights to manage their children’s lives and that only legal immigrants should be allowed into the country. He describes capitalism as superior to "super state socialism" and emphasizes truth-telling as necessary to maintain trust.
Additional points in his definition include the belief that human beings are more important than spotted owls and that the United States is a free country where citizens can choose between normal or not normal actions. These criteria form the comprehensive framework Kimbrel uses to categorize societal norms, blending theological, familial, economic, and civic elements into a single definition of "normal." The inclusion of environmental hierarchy, specifically placing human importance above spotted owls, highlights his prioritization of anthropocentric values within this framework.
Critique of Abnormal Behavior
Kimbrel claims that many people are attempting to promote "very crazy, abnormal behavior" and consider unsuccessful political movements to be acceptable or desirable. He argues that the central problem is not individuals choosing abnormal behaviors, but rather their attempts to represent those behaviors as normal.
He specifically criticizes efforts to teach children to accept the abnormal as normal and describes these efforts as an attempt to change reality. Kimbrel concludes his letter by stating that "normal has worked for thousands of years" and declares that he is voting for normal. This conclusion ties his personal political identity directly to his definition of historical continuity, suggesting that adherence to his listed norms is essential for societal stability.