That's not normal!

In my last 15 years of friendship with France and the French, if there's one sentence that I can pick, which almost all French keep pronouncing (some very credible statistics put it at, at least once in a day... :)), it has to be 'mais, c'est pas normal !'... :)

It is as if on every matter, on every subject, the French mind has a preconceived notion of what is normal and what is not! And this judgement comes as a natural reflex. As much culturally as cognitively. For example, be it a case of comment on the quality of a product, an incivility, a case of social injustice, lack of integrity, etc.... In general, anything that could cause a nuisance to the individual or public eco system, could be termed as, 'c'est pas normal' ! In terms of structured thinking and efficiency, this is excellent to have a high expectation, both individually for a citizen and collectively for a society. However, when it comes to adaptability to unknown or chaotic situations, this same quality could pose as a handicap. Also, the kind of self-certitude it brings along is a bit problematic. In any case, for someone who comes from India, where nothing ever 'was' and 'is' normal, even to be able to think in this manner is a luxury... :) On my part, I am thoroughly enjoying this 'new normal'!