Gaussian Curves

In the 1800's, apparently it was believed that the ideal man (being the 1800's, the focus was always on men, by men) was average. Statistics was a recently devloped course of study and graphs would be made up charting everything, from the average size of peas, to how many times people blew their nose, to the average amount someone was willing to spend on a blowjob. And they also accumulated information on the more basic stuff of life, such as height, weight, age, income, intelligence, hair colour, eye colour, eyebrow length and so on.

When charting these results, they found the results were nearly always plotted in a symmetrical curve, like a "u" that has been turned upside down, with the open ends splaying out towards the edges to hold themselves in place. The center, the highest point, represented the greatest accumulation of results, while the legs reaching up to that point tapered inwards as they approached the center.

This curve pattern, also called the error curve, was originally come upon by astronomists who were attempting to chart courses of the stars and other such useless but interesting information, as they realized that the greater number of samples they had, the fewer the errors, and that it was always on the edges of those samples where the greatest errors (but fewest in number) occurred.

This was all very confusing to me to read in a book which delves into quasi-scientific language, but I swear, I understood it. Least errors -- highest point of the graph. Essentially these astronomist fellows were merely charting the rate of errors. Okay. So, I am following all this so far, although my retelling may be decidedly lacking in coherence. And in the next logical step, this error curve was found to be reflected in statistical information collected about mankind (although most likely it reflects only western European society) and it came to be viewed, even by Darwin, that in order to be ideal, one must be average. The most mundane person would also be the most perfect according to these blinkered statisticians.

I will allow that at the time, statistics was a very new mathematic and quasi-scientific course of study, but really, having lived in one of those places where the average man is omni-present for the better part of 4 years, I can't even begin to grasp how this is a good thing. Sure, if you're going to venture into the arguments that government should be dissolved and man free to rule himself, then I can kind of go with it, as the average man wouldn't really think to himself that he wants more, which should mean anarchy and rebellion will not follow, but really? That Darwin would see the epitome of the species as the average Joe down the street?

It scares me as I start to wonder about exactly whose average they were expecting everyone to fit into, because there are some people I have met, even recently in the newest batch of teachers to arrive (straight out of the oven, made of poppin' fresh dough!) with whom I would desperately wish never to have to sink (my greatest fear would be having to rise to the level of them, good god, that the obsessively whining and self-centered rude girl I met yesterday could form any kind of ideal caused me nightmares last night. Shudder!) to the level of...Right, the train of thought I was carefully attempting to follow has met with another in an unfortunate accident and everything inside my mind has been all shot to hell. I give up, this isn't going anyhere right now.