When the Ridiculous Becomes Normal: Why Diverse Perspectives Matter

Everyday Behaviours We Stop Questioning

I often find myself wondering whether road rage reveals a level of explosive anger in otherwise ordinary people that rarely appears elsewhere in daily life. There are countless reasons why that might be the case, but one particular behaviour has always fascinated me.

Driving home one evening, I witnessed something I see far too often: what I now refer to as the "outrage siren."

Picture the scene. A driver pulls out of a junction, causing another vehicle already travelling on the main road to slow down slightly. The moment passes, both vehicles continue on their way, and the situation is effectively over.

Then, several seconds later, the inconvenienced driver begins repeatedly sounding their horn.

At that point, I found myself asking a simple question:

What is the intention now? What is this trying to achieve?

After all, the Highway Code is clear:

"A horn should only be used when warning someone of any danger due to another vehicle or any other kind of danger, and not to indicate your annoyance."

A horn exists to alert others to danger. It is not an outrage siren.

Yet the use of a car horn to communicate frustration has become so embedded within our culture that many people may barely notice it happening at all. In fact, if someone used their horn exclusively for hazard warnings, it might feel unusual precisely because the original purpose has become overshadowed by a new, socially accepted meaning.

This led me to a broader reflection: how many behaviours have we collectively accepted without ever questioning whether they make sense?

The Power of Changing the Context

As I reflected on this roadside encounter, my mind naturally wandered into absurdity.

Imagine if cyclists used their bike bells in exactly the same way. A driver passes too closely. The cyclist, outraged, sprints after the car, ringing their bell continuously while shouting in frustration and shaking a fist.

Bring. Bring. Bring.

To any observer, the scene would be ridiculous.

Or imagine a runner carrying an air horn, waiting until long after a close pass before sounding it repeatedly at a vehicle already disappearing into the distance.

Again, completely absurd.

The behaviour only appears normal because we are accustomed to seeing it performed by drivers in cars. The moment we change the context, the underlying irrationality becomes obvious.

And road use is far from the only place where this happens.

The Workplace Version of the Outrage Siren

Take the humble "CC" field in an email. Originally, CC stood for carbon copy and was designed simply to keep people informed. Secondary recipients were copied into a conversation without any expectation that they would take action.

Today, however, the CC field is often used very differently.

Many employees have experienced receiving an email where a manager suddenly appears in the copied list, not because they need the information, but because their presence subtly communicates:

"The boss is watching."

When viewed through a different lens, the behaviour becomes surprisingly strange. Imagine physically walking to your manager's desk, asking them to accompany you, and then standing beside you while you ask a colleague:

"Any updates on this?"

Most people would immediately recognise that as unnecessary and unhelpful.

Yet the digital equivalent has become an accepted workplace norm.

Again, changing the context reveals how easily we normalise behaviours that might otherwise appear absurd.

What Gender Perspective Can Teach Us About Blind Spots

One of the most effective ways to reveal normalised behaviours is through perspective reversal.

A recent example can be found in the Netflix comedy Ladies First, which uses gender role reversal to highlight everyday experiences and assumptions that often go unnoticed.

By turning the social script upside down, behaviours that are usually accepted become impossible to ignore. Mansplaining, stereotyping, tokenism, objectification and workplace assumptions suddenly appear in a dramatically different light.

The comedy works because it exposes something important:

many people only recognise a problem when they experience it from another perspective.

A particularly memorable moment involves a character expressing frustration that opportunities are supposedly harder for him because of his identity. When the same sentiment is repeated back to him in the reversed world, he immediately recognises how unreasonable it sounds.

His reaction captures the lesson perfectly:

"God, it sounds so much worse coming out of someone else's mouth."

And that is exactly the point.

Often, it is not until our own experiences are mirrored back to us through someone else's perspective that we recognise the assumptions embedded within them.

Why Discomfort Is Often a Sign of Growth

Some readers may feel uncomfortable with some of these comparisons. That is entirely understandable. None of us are immune to normalising the ridiculous.

Every person has behaviours, assumptions or ways of working that have simply been accepted because they are familiar. When those assumptions are challenged, discomfort is often the natural response. That discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is frequently the starting point for meaningful growth.

As I often tell my children:

"Growth is difficult. That's why we have growing pains."

Progress rarely begins with certainty. More often, it starts when someone questions something we have always assumed to be normal.

Women's Ergonomics and the Value of Different Perspectives

This is where the conversation becomes particularly relevant to women's ergonomics and inclusive design.

Historically, many products, workplaces and systems have been designed around assumptions that reflected the experiences of a relatively narrow group of people. When those assumptions become normalised, important perspectives can be overlooked.

Whether we are designing workplaces, technologies, policies or services, diversity of thought helps us identify blind spots before they become accepted practice.

Multiple perspectives help us:

• Challenge assumptions.

• Improve user experiences.

• Reduce unintended barriers.

• Create more equitable environments.

• Encourage innovation and continuous improvement.

When people with different lived experiences contribute to discussions, they often notice things others have missed entirely. The result is not just fairer outcomes. It is better outcomes.

From Normal to Better

Matthew Syed explores this idea extensively in Rebel Ideas, highlighting the risks of homophily, the tendency for people with similar backgrounds and experiences to think in similar ways.

When organisations become echo chambers, important information can be overlooked simply because nobody present sees the problem differently. A fresh set of eyes is valuable. A fresh perspective can be transformational.

It can lead to the moment where someone says:

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Or perhaps:

"I'd completely forgotten about that."

Those moments are often where improvement begins. The more perspectives we invite into our conversations, the more likely we are to identify weaknesses, challenge outdated assumptions and create solutions that work for everyone.

Because sometimes, the first step towards improvement is simply recognising that something we've accepted as normal may have been a little ridiculous all along.