Is your content good enough for the media?

Do you ever get sick reading the news? The Norm is a recent publication of shared knowledge across cultures, races, sex, and religion. In today's climate, content triggers a reaction and sells the reader/viewer a specific viewpoint. We change the narrative to make The Norm an open dialogue of stories on topics people usually shy away from because of a certain stigma. Why is there no open discussion about these topics?

This publication is focused on people because people make up our communities and can have a positive impact. As a teenager, moving to the United States gave me a unique perspective on shifting American culture. Future generations are slowly detaching themselves from many of the country's norms. We are witnessing a considerable shift in employment and the importance of work-life balance. Balance is a perfect example of how young adults are fed up with the old ways and encouraging change.

The Norm gives a voice to people in this country who want to take action now.

Robert LaMacchia and I were college roommates and discussed starting a publication like this for years. We both come from very different backgrounds and have widely different views on the abovementioned topics. However, over the last 15+, the open discussions we've shared have strengthened of friendship and helped in our personal growth, and we want the same for other like-minded individuals.

Every person has a story to tell, and my story is most likely different from yours. But what we see on mainstream news networks and online publications is often divisive, seemingly making people with different ideals enemies. Have you ever thought it's strange that before the holiday family dinner, the discussion as you drive over is, "remember, no politics or religion?" Yet, oddly, we can't discuss topics that affect our day-to-day lives without being combative. In a world where there are few universal truths, the only thing I think people agree on is that green texts are the worst!

So why the Norm? The Norm is a community for open dialog and, more importantly, a place to help enact positive change. So let's change combative conversations into constructive dialogue, provide differing viewpoints reasonably, and finally, create the difference in the world we all want to see.