Signs your a Sheeple

[David Boots]

To me it is obvious that believers are the greatest example of those docile, foolish, or easily led. But these traits are in each of us… as at their heart they have some evolutionary (or efficient) benefit to mankind.

My personal sheeple pet peeve are sheeple who queue because others queue. Once upon a time a queue indicated quality or reputation or a bargain. It is a long time since this has been the case as marketing has usurped any signalling role a queue had. I will put it simply – just because people are lined up does not mean the food is good!

Here are some signs you might be more sheeple than you think:

1. you say ‘google it’ rather than ‘search’

2. you have an iphone

3. you read restaurant reviews

4. you vote for the same political party regardless of the candidate or issues

5. you eat ‘gluten free’ despite not being a celiac

6. you use facebook

 

[Noel]

I’m having a heaping table spoon of that sheeple!

1) I say google and xerox

2) have had iPhones since 07

3) read reviews on account of diphtheria, salmonella, and other assorted nasties

4) yep Guilty as charged

5) nope I eat anything

6) don’t have one of those

think I’ll run out and get a T-shirt made!

[Strega]

Seems you are categorizing ‘sheeple’ on the things they are using (iPhone, Facebook, reviews) rather than what they are using them for.  Basically, according to your argument, if you do something that many other people also do, you are in the ‘sheeple’ category.

Lets pick the iPhone. I have step children who cannot always afford to have their phone service connected.  Because they all have iPhones, we can communicate via WiFi when their service runs out. I don’t see what that has to do with an absence of thought process.

Lets look at Facebook.  It enables me to keep roughly in touch with people who I know and love in many different countries, without having to constantly call or text.  My Fijian friends are not able to have telephones, especially in areas struck by poverty.  I keep myself aware of how they are, by scanning their Facebook pages from time to time (which they access from work computers). I also joined a few closed groups, mostly Pink Floyd related.  As a result, I’ve been sent a few cds with bootleg content, adding to my collection.  The rest of my Facebook newsfeed is precisely that – news feed.  I’ve tailored my preferences to enable me to use Facebook as a headline of what’s happening today in the fields that interest me.

And so on.  I’m not particularly impressed with this definition of ‘sheeple’ at all.  I guess deep down, I don’t see people as sheep, merely as individuals coming to grips with technology and seeking their comfort areas within that technology as they go.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Strega. Reason: Typos

[JadeBlackOlive]

nope

nope

nope

nope

nope

…..and nope

[David Boots]

7. you watch ‘Game of Thrones’

8. you watched or participated in the ‘ice bucket challenge’

9. you follow a sports team because you live in that town

There are some people who have looked at this from a psychological perspective – https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/identity-shift/201511/why-people-become-sheeple

but I think the more interesting approach is used by economists. An economist would argue that a sheeple is someone exhibiting group behaviour that produces sub-optimal outcomes for them as an individual that arguably is exceeded by the benefit of doing something as a group.

An economist would also argue that sheeple behaviour often exhibit signs of market failure.

 

[JadeBlackOlive]

Again, nope to all of the above.

[David Boots]

10. you name your child (or children) after a TV actor

On the sheeple scale above I get a 4 out of 10 (owned 2 iphones but not currently, read restaurant reviews, have a facebook account and follow a sports team simply because i lived there).

[Strega]

I watched Game of Thrones because I’d read the books first. Why is it that this is defined as sheeple?  I have no idea what an ice bucket challenge is. What is it?

re sports, I support teams from the countries I’ve spent time in and come to care about, so that’d be the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Italy, Germany, Egypt and a few other places.

Again, the term ‘sheeple’ seems to be a perjurative word. Sometimes the flock actually knows where the best grass is.  And I’m all about finding the best grass 🙂

[Matt]

Seems like I’m at 3/10 so far, but like Strega, I don’t think merely doing/using these things is what makes someone a sheeple… just that there’s lots of sheeple doing/using these things.

 

For what it’s worth: I say “google it”, have a facebook account, and watch Game of Thrones

 

also…

Signs your you’re a Sheeple

Fixed your title for you.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

1.       I use both terms, depending on the person I am speaking with.

2.       Android user.

3.       Sometimes, so I can surprise someone with a good meal.

4.       I vote for the candidate, party is irrelevant.

5.       I eat Woo for breakfast, especially on Sunday mornings.

6.       I have not given Facebook a profile of myself.

7.       I watched GOT Series 1-7 over 3 weeks, last September. Valar morghulis.

8.       No.

9.       I don’t care for teams or groups with static memberships (see answer 10 below).

10.       The fact they are called Kris, Caitlyn, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie is just a coincidence.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

@JadeBlackOlive – You need to change your profile picture from a black cat to a black sheep 🙂

[JadeBlackOlive]

Hahaha…..that’s a thought……

[JadeBlackOlive]

How’s that?

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Excellent. But I suspect you will change it again whenever it suits you to do so. How are you with committee meetings?

[JadeBlackOlive]

Committee meetings? For what?

[Author]

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