You hear a lot about how the “average person” does this or thinks that, of things that will or won’t appeal to the average person — but does such an entity really exist? Is there really an average person? National Geographic says yes. They have crunched the numbers and come up with an answer. Check out the video.
So I have some of the characteristics of the average person. I’m male. I have a cell phone. And, although it isn’t specifically mentioned, I think my fondness for Chinese food is one that I share with the typical resident of this planet. But I’m pretty different, too. I’m older, I’m of a different ethnicity, and I have a bank account.
Upon first viewing this video, I was feeling kind of bad for 28-year-old-Han-Chinese men. I mean, we all like talking about the average person, but how much fun is it being the average person? But it occurred to me that having the set of characteristics shared by the most people on Earth doesn’t really diminish individuality. Among that cohort you will find astounding diversity of opinions, attitudes, approaches to life, not to mention things like height, weight, facial characteristics — that composite picture is just a composite, after all.
It raises an interesting set of questions about being typical vs. being distinct. I’ve been linking my talent profile a lot lately (I can’t help myself; I think it’s really cool) which is one way of displaying my distinctness. On the other hand, above I was quick to point out the ways in which I’m typical.
Interesting…
Cross-posted to Transparency Revolution.