We talk about being "normal" as if it were an eternal, universal standard. But in human history, this idea is actually very new - less than a hundred years old. We borrowed the idea of "normality" from astronomy and math to create the "average person." Then, we turned this "average" into a goal that everyone must reach.
In the "marriage" of industrialization and capitalism, the average person became like an industrial standard: productive, replaceable, and efficient. In this world, being different is not just a personality trait - it is seen as being "broken" or "defective." When this concept entered the psychiatric system in the twentieth century, it offered a convenient explanation for why masses of people seemed "unfit" for modern society.
It may be simplistic to treat diagnostic systems purely as social products, or dysfunctions solely as social symptoms. However, it would be at least as simplistic to imagine that mental suffering or barriers to integration are purely an individual problem, or perhaps a mere "chemical imbalance."
To be clear: diagnosis-based care - whether pharmacological or therapeutic -provides a genuine lifeline for many. At the same time, we must recognize how our current systems protect society from forced self-reflection: if the problem lies within the individual, we need not question the justice of the system.
It seems we have crossed a threshold: when inadequacy is this widespread, it can no longer be seen as an individual failure or responsibility. Behind this flood of diagnoses, a community is growing that demands systemic transformation instead of "fixing" itself. Yet, rather than through overt oppression, the capitalist system now "invites this community to the table," transforming its struggle into a commodity of performative politics. Therefore, while tempting, our goal is not the superficial consumption of "diversity," but genuine, systemic solidarity.