It is easy to answer that question with regard to a 'thing'. It is 'normal' if it is devoid of defects. A 'normal' tomato would be one devoid of defects, or a 'normal' rock might be one that has managed to avoid being encrusted with dirt or barnacles. Normalcy can even be extended to animals: one can discern between a 'normal' dog and a rabid dog, a 'normal' horse and a lame horse, etc.
But when consciousness comes into the picture, it is a different story. One can only make comparisons based on outward appearances of others, and since consciousness is an entirely internal phenomenon it presents two problems: first, how can one know if another person is 'normal' if one cannot see into another's consciousness and internal thoughts, and second, how can one know if one's own consciousness (and therefore oneself) is 'normal' if there are no other known consciousnesses that it can be properly compared to?
So if one wishes to appeal to a notion of normalcy within humans, one is limited to assumptions based on observable acts in others. If one sees another constantly in tears where everyone else maintains a more sober expression, one may have strong grounds to believe that such a person is not 'normal', or, at the very least, not in a 'normal' frame of mind.
The danger, however, is when one begins to equate 'normalcy' with 'predictability'. If one is playing chess, for example, a queen sacrifice would be considered an 'abnormal' phenomenon because it has a very low percentage chance of occurring in a given game. One might say "I didn't see that coming", i.e. I couldn't PREDICT that that would occur. And so one's idea of a normal person might be heavily skewed towards a seemingly equivalent notion of a person whose actions are predictable, whereas one who is constantly acting in such a way that seems 'out of the blue' may be seen as 'abnormal' since one ascertains that their consciousness and thoughts patterns are working in a different manner than what the norm might be deemed to be. However, it is only through the unpredictable that we can have the notion of the 'new' and forms of 'development'. An inventor, especially one as ingenious as Da Vinci would, with good reason, be deemed highly 'abnormal' given the machines and/or artwork that he is able to conceive of.
But then we must conclude that 'abnormal' is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is what allows the human race to evolve from a species of cave-dwelling creatures to what they are today. Indeed, to see that 'abnormalcy' is good, we need only consider the notion of 'normalcy' in lieu of evolutionary biology and genetics, wherein evolution is deemed to occur through genetic aberration or mutation or some form of aberrant behaviour.
Of course, not all such aberrations can be deemed 'good', and indeed some genetic mutation that cause sterility or severe mental incapacitation or actions that reflect said 'problems' could not be considered 'good' at all, even if they should be deemed 'abnormal'. When I ride the local trains in Cape Town, oftentimes there are individuals who will preach fanatically and endlessly about Christianity, and the salvation provided by God through Jesus Christ. I will think to myself 'if the topic of your sermon was not religion, I'm fairly certain you would be locked up by now', which goes to show how 'normal' religion and theology have also become, but even further than this, how normal it has become to advocate your religion through preaching and recruiting on the one hand, while discrediting other religions on the other. It is akin to the idea that if you take out a machine gun and mow down a bunch of people in a quiet village, you are seen as VERY 'abnormal', but if it is in the heat of a battle or war, it is not only acknowledged as acceptable, but even encouraged. So 'normalcy' must also depend on a social context.
Despite these problems, we cannot deny that it is because of the 'abnormal' that we have all of the machinery and luxuries and ideas and entertainment and 'interesting' things of the world today. And so in the end, I must put my lot behind Giota, who, when she came to the door to greet me the first time I arrived in Los Angeles six or so years ago completely unknown and completely unannounced and heard me say "I'll try to explain but you'll think I'm crazy" calmly replied
"Crazy is good."
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