This Is Not Normal: The Politics of Everyday Expectations

by Cass R. Sunstein

How our shifting sense of "what's normal" defines the character of democracy

"A provocative examination of social constructs and those who would alternately undo or improve them."— Kirkus Reviews

This sharp and engaging book by leading governmental scholar Cass R. Sunstein examines dramatically shifting understandings of what’s normal—and how those shifts account for the feminist movement, the civil rights movement, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the founding itself, political correctness, the rise of gun rights, the response to COVID-19, and changing understandings of liberty. Prevailing norms include the principle of equal dignity, the idea of not treating the press as an enemy of the people, and the social unacceptability of open expressions of racial discrimination. But norms can turn upside-down in a hurry. What people tolerate, and what they abhor, depends on what else they are seeing. Exploring Nazism, #MeToo, the work of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, constitutional amendments, pandemics, and the influence of Ayn Rand, Sunstein reveals how norms change, and ultimately determine the shape of society and government in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Sociology, Audiobook, Essays

208 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2021

About the author

Cass R. Sunstein is an American legal scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics, who currently is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. For 27 years, Sunstein taught at the University of Chicago Law School, where he continues to teach as the Harry Kalven Visiting Professor. Sunstein is currently Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, where he is on leave while working in the Obama administration.

Reviews

[Gopal Sadagopal]

I did not finish this book. The tone of it 'I will tell you what it is' totally put me off. He is probably right in what he says, but I couldn't stand that 'looking down the nose' tone.

[Jakub Dovcik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of the book is fascinating, but it feels more like a collection of essays on loosely connected topics - most of which are very interesting, but they do not fit into a larger narrative or argument. Some are in the sphere of law, legal history, others in behavioural science and one of the most fascinating ones was about Ayn Rand - which I found particularly interesting and at points hilarious.

The book articulates some interesting points, provides some scientific backing for common-sense arguments, but ultimately and unfortunately, does not develop any unique argument, although it is still an enjoyable read.

[JDK1962 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up mainly because I'm a fan of the work that Sunstein has done with Richard Thaler. I'd agree with others who noted that this seems less like a unified work, and more like disconnected essays on a theme. But it's always interesting to hear coherent intellectual arguments on any topic these days. I especially enjoyed the essay on liberalism, and his deconstruction of the arguments made by a conservative "intellectual" against it. The essay on Ayn Rand was fun as well, though I would have liked more on the train wreck that she and others call a philosophy, and less on her personality.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunstein, Cass R. This Is Not Normal: The Politics of Everyday Expectations. Yale University Press, 2021.
Environments with big evils lead us to overlook small evils. The idea of what is normal changes over time. (In olden days a glimpse of stocking was something shocking.) Sometimes we ought to expand the idea of what is normal; sometimes we ought to contract it. Democracy is forever a battleground for our conceptions of normality. In This is Not Normal: The Politics of Ordinary Life, Cass Sunstein focuses on the psychology of normality to explain challenges faced by democracies, which he maintains are the best form of government, not just the least bad. He analyzes this history of political liberalism and its struggle to be born in the Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers.
He explores the historical example of changes in public perception in Nazi Germany. Germans who were not persecuted tended to look back on the Nazi period as the best years of their lives. They thought the holocaust was fake news. Their antisemitism grew in increments. Sunstein does not omit the obvious connections between these changes and the changes in American right-wing thinking under Trump, but he does not dwell on them exclusively. His interests are broader and more psychological and philosophical than political polemics. He is most interested in what he calls “opprobrium contraction” in which people are led to accept evils they would not have accepted a few years before. The abominable leads us to accept the merely bad.
Sunstein’s approach resembles virtue ethics more than it does deontology or utilitarianism in that it does not suggest a one-size-fits-all fix, but rather recommends techniques that we must be careful how we use, including social reform movements and revolutionary action, both of which can be either beneficial or disastrous to civilized society. He also discusses what we now might call cancel culture, which he calls “lapidation,” a term he coined as a gentler form of stoning. He also offers a scary analysis of the popularity of Ayn Rand, who he says is best considered as a cult leader, and it is hard not see the similarities between her bullying, vindictive personality, and the vindictive bullying of Donald Trump. Sunstein has written a thoughtful book that is perhaps shorter than it should be. 4.5 stars.

[Vagisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the book is interesting - that politics depend on norms and political change depends on expansion of certain norms and contraction of others. This process is slow and thus, democratic recession or expansion may occur as a continuous process without us realising.

The psychological concepts cited are - prevalence based concept change, group polarization etc.
They are relatively simplistic and thus I believe inadequate to account for a relatively complex sociopolitical process. Other variables including but not limited to terror management, norm violation, moral foundations, etc. may have helped to develop a sound psychological model.

The book feels incoherent (perhaps this is because it moves from more general statements about politics to focussing on American politics, which I'm not familiar with).

The premise was powerful and parsimonious. Could have been dealt with better by incorporating multidisciplinary concepts. But, I couldn't sustain interest. The definition of the problem, it's causes and even the remedies felt repetitive.

[Steven]

This book is essentially the author admitting that the entirety of the neoliberal world order's morality - and by extension its sense of progress - is wholly arbitrary. It's strictly a set of assertions held up by psychological crowd control measures that need to be secured against dissent.

With zero sense of irony, Sunstein trashes Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead. That book has the exact same issue as neoliberalism stemming from the explicitly autonomous epistemology it sells as its key message. The Fountainhead was, afterall, an adaptation of Max Stirner's Unique and Its Property designed for the audience that ended up buying it.

Generically, the book is pretty flimsy, but at least he doesn't just spam the old Solomon Asch studies at every opportunity. He's got more contemporary citations, which I'm sure could interest some readers.

[Saif · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book possesses enormous knowledge of politics, American history, radicals and terms related to politics. It was my first political book and experience was really great. If you are interested in knowing what is liberalism and how radicals changed the world as well why we need democracy you must read this book.

[Andrea Benecchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

can't really say if I liked the book. There are off topic parts that don't link well with what supposedly is the book about. On the other side the change of "norms" is not really discussed at depth. The only thing I remember is "change can be sudden and hard to predict" kinda not that surprising or helpful.. as others also said, the book had much unexploited potential.

[Nate Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, very good book about norm breaking, and changing the expectations of what is acceptable behavior. Great recap highlighting good Right wing authors ideas, even from a Democratic Author. One of our great contemporary thinkers and a prolific writer.

[Mikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but it's rather academic and many may find its style too dry. As a lifelong academic (with strong artistic and alternative traits), I read as much as I wanted - dipped into it, learnt some new stuff sometimes, and then moved on, skimming the parts I was already au fait with.

[JP Ferreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a good book here, but Sunstein didn't find it.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I will go through it again soon

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great points in the first half of the book, but seemed like it was rambling/not cohesive towards the end

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely book from 2021 about shifting norms. Particularly relevant in resisting the normalization of extremist positions and behavior.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy his books! This one, a little less, though.

[Jacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and thought-provoking book that offers a compelling theory of politics.