full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Yana Buhrer Tavanier: What is "normal" and what is "different"?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


When these limited or inaccurate definitions of normal are used to make dinsioecs that impact people’s lives, they can do real harm. Historically, such cceontps of normal have been hugely influential. The Eugenics Movement of the erlay 20th century weaponized the concept of normal, using it to jtifsuy exclusion, violence, and even extermination of those deemed not normal. To this day, people are often targeted and discriminated against on the basis of dtiileabisis, mental health issues, sxueal orientations, gender identities, and other features demeed “not normal.”

But the riately is that the differences in our bodies, minds, perceptions, and ideas about the world around us— in short, diversity— is the true normal.

Open Cloze


When these limited or inaccurate definitions of normal are used to make _________ that impact people’s lives, they can do real harm. Historically, such ________ of normal have been hugely influential. The Eugenics Movement of the _____ 20th century weaponized the concept of normal, using it to _______ exclusion, violence, and even extermination of those deemed not normal. To this day, people are often targeted and discriminated against on the basis of ____________, mental health issues, ______ orientations, gender identities, and other features ______ “not normal.”

But the _______ is that the differences in our bodies, minds, perceptions, and ideas about the world around us— in short, diversity— is the true normal.

Solution


  1. early
  2. reality
  3. deemed
  4. disabilities
  5. sexual
  6. justify
  7. decisions
  8. concepts

Original Text


When these limited or inaccurate definitions of normal are used to make decisions that impact people’s lives, they can do real harm. Historically, such concepts of normal have been hugely influential. The Eugenics Movement of the early 20th century weaponized the concept of normal, using it to justify exclusion, violence, and even extermination of those deemed not normal. To this day, people are often targeted and discriminated against on the basis of disabilities, mental health issues, sexual orientations, gender identities, and other features deemed “not normal.”

But the reality is that the differences in our bodies, minds, perceptions, and ideas about the world around us— in short, diversity— is the true normal.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
normal distribution 3
body fat 2


Important Words


  1. basis
  2. bodies
  3. century
  4. concept
  5. concepts
  6. day
  7. decisions
  8. deemed
  9. definitions
  10. differences
  11. disabilities
  12. discriminated
  13. early
  14. eugenics
  15. exclusion
  16. extermination
  17. features
  18. gender
  19. harm
  20. health
  21. historically
  22. hugely
  23. ideas
  24. identities
  25. impact
  26. inaccurate
  27. influential
  28. issues
  29. justify
  30. limited
  31. lives
  32. mental
  33. minds
  34. movement
  35. normal
  36. orientations
  37. people
  38. perceptions
  39. real
  40. reality
  41. sexual
  42. short
  43. targeted
  44. true
  45. violence
  46. weaponized
  47. world