Pet peeves. Everyone has them. Most people I know have a kennel’s worth. Here is one of mine: when politicians, pollsters, and experts (self-proclaimed or otherwise) speak about the populace in general, there is no consensus as to what to call us. Their choices are either annoying or downright insulting. Let’s look at some of them.

Regular. The word “regular” is too closely associated with America’s ongoing pursuit of digestive health. Any survey or poll espousing the habits or preferences of regular people is bound to leave visions of Jamie Lee Curtis dancing in my head.

Normal. This choice is worse. I’m reminded of a scene in David and Lisa a film about two young people with mental issues. When a respectable couple overreacts to the harmless approach of Lisa, David defends her, yelling at the upstanding citizens, “If you’re normal, who wants to be normal?” It’s a valid question.

Who determines what is normal, especially given the widespread discussion of “the new normal”? On the family level, instead of “Mom and Dad and Buddy and Sis,” now it might be Mom and Mom and Buddy and Sis every other weekend. Normal just won’t stay still. And that, I feel, is as it should be.

Ordinary. Any claim as to how ordinary people are thinking, trending, or consuming reminds me of the novel and film of the same name. Judith Guest’s title doesn’t fit the Jarrett family. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that they are anything but ordinary. Grand passions, love, resentment, guilt, roil just beneath the surface. For me, the implication in the title is clear: the closer we look at people, the less likely the word “ordinary” applies.

Average. This term irks me the most. Are average people all C students? And if so, is that most-famous of C students, George W. Bush, included? How does celebrity factor in? Are Paris Hilton and Snooki no longer in the category? On the other hand, surgeons, professors, and research scientists laboring in anonymity: are they average?

Perhaps the whole concept of average should be suspect. Carl Jung uses “a bed of pebbles” to make a point. In his example, the average weight of a pebble is 145 grams. If someone were to pick up a pebble, Jung warns, “it might well happen that however long he searched he would not find a single pebble weighing exactly 145 grams.” If the exception is the rule regarding pebbles, wouldn’t it be even more the case when it comes to humans?

All that being said, there is a term that I like. I hear it used occasionally. It’s inclusive and, as far as I can tell, not offensive in any way. It is also the title of a song by Sly and the Family Stone. Different stokes for different folks…I am everyday people.

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