
Seth Walsh
The man in the mirror is my only threat
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- Jan 12, 2020
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Let’s talk about “normies.”
Yeah, the people who post sunset pics instead of memes, hang out IRL without irony, and don’t know what “ratio” means. We mock them, but secretly? They’re onto something.
And I say this as someone who’s logged 10,000 hours in the algorithm mines.
First: What’s a “normie” really?
It’s someone grounded in the physical world. They’re not optimizing their vibe for dopamine or clout. They’re just… existing.
Eating food without filming it. Laughing without subtweeting. Having conversations that vanish into air, not archives.
Here’s the thing: the internet rewards extremes. Hot takes, niche obsessions, curated personas. But normies live in the average—the messy, boring, beautiful middle where most of life happens.
And that middle? It’s where connection survives when the Wi-Fi dies.
To my neurodivergent friends: I get it.
The real world is loud, unpredictable, and full of NT rules that feel like a bad UI. But normies aren’t the enemy. They’re proof that humans can thrive without hyperfixating on existing correctly.
No masking required—just being.
The magic of normies:
You don’t have to become a normie.
Just… let them exist in your periphery. Let their “basic” lives teach you something:
Life isn’t a performance. You’re allowed to enjoy things unironically. You’re allowed to be boring.
The real world isn’t a normie monopoly, either.
They’re just better at accessing its default settings. But those settings are open-source! Go people-watching. Sit in a park. Small talk a cashier. The stakes are zero. You can always crawl back to your niche later.
Normalcy isn’t about conformity—it’s about access.
Access to spontaneous moments, shared silence, the 3D humanity we pixelate online. Normies aren’t “coping”; they’re living in the only reality we all (yes, even you) are stuck in: this one.
Final take:
Being online sharpens your mind, but normie shit nourishes your soul. You don’t have to pick—you can have both. But never let your disdain for “basic” become a cage.
The older you get, the more you’ll crave what normies have: roots.
Go eat an overpriced coffee shop pastry with a friend. It’s worth it.
