A Condemned Species

[Guest AuntJess]

Completely seconded. The sheeple are your friends and family and you will need them and they need you. That is what it is to be human and just because we get the impression people don't get stuff from their current behaviour doesn't mean that they won't soon enough. I think they will. Every where I go most people seem to sense something is very wrong they just don't have any information to guide them as they rely on things like the BBC and newspapers. They will figure it out as they lose their jobs, houses, pensions, benefits, drugs, etc. And when that happens it's fairly safe to say all hell will be let loose. This is still the calm before the storm believe it or not.

Added to which, I have seen sheep-like tendencies displayed on here, when panic sets in and races through the 'herd' quite easily, based on a few typed words.

Pot - kettle - black.

Edited October 16, 2008 by AuntJess

[flatnose]

One small point:

Can I kindly request you don't use the word sheeple.

Kind of making it a mission of mine, every time I see it I'm going to call the perp a f*ckwit and see how they like it.

People can be stupid, but talking about the general public this way is hardly a great way to win friends and influence people.

How about lumpen instead!

[Y-QUERK]

The problems we see now are all based on greed, which is itself a genetic trait.

A trait important to survival. If being an a$$hole meant one would more likely survive this world than a 'nice guy', would the world would quickly fill up with a$$holes?

[Mrs Bear]

I dont think the term is derogatory, personally. I have called myself it a few times...

I think it accurately describes how we are viewed and treated by our leaders/media etc...

We must be herded to the "right" judgements ....and to support gvt policy/finance through our actions

en masse and out of control the "sheeple" are very dangerous.

Where the real danger in this term is people thinking they are not "sheeple" - no matter WHAT you think you know about what is going on... no matter if you missed jumping on a certain roundabout at a certain time when everyone else was.... you cannot have the whole picture - it does not do to think you are not being fooled. That is the nature of the beast...

Not derogatory? I must beg to differ. Nearly everyone on this forum who uses the word does so in a sneering manner to describe huge swathes of other people, never themselves. To me it's on a par with politicians who so patronisingly refer to ordinary people.

[Wait & See]

Not derogatory? I must beg to differ. Nearly everyone on this forum who uses the word does so in a sneering manner to describe huge swathes of other people, never themselves. To me it's on a par with politicians who so patronisingly refer to ordinary people.

I don't think anyone on here uses these terms because they think they are a superior race. I think these references are used to try and explain the posters frustration at the fact that all their friends and family (population in general) have thought about nothing else but themselves for the past decade, worrying about who's house is worth more and who's got the bigger plasma tv etc etc.

This kind of behaviour is tragic and sheep like IMO.

Who gives a toss about working/middle class insecurity?? 95% of the population do for some crazy reason.

[Quoth]

Old fashioned, but a good word, and I am one!

I particularly dislike the words "sheeple", and "chav", and don't use them myself!

Both imply a sense of superiority!

We all know exactly what is meant though, and I'm not for "thought crime" or any PC rubbish!

Agree wholeheartedly. You will struggle to find a term more dripping with conceit than sheeple.

I can't stand it - reinforces the "them vs us" mentality that some on this site seem to push.

Q

[awf]

To me 'sheeple' is simply an aphorism for the 'herd mentality' which is a relevant term to describe a phenomenon that occurs in groups of peers.

I once heard someone say (and if anyone knows the source please post) "A person is intelligent, people are stupid."

[Guest AuntJess]

Not derogatory? I must beg to differ. Nearly everyone on this forum who uses the word does so in a sneering manner to describe huge swathes of other people, never themselves. To me it's on a par with politicians who so patronisingly refer to ordinary people.

Whilst we are into spiritual cleansing mode, I would like to register MY objection to being called a 'boomer' and then being sneered at and having contempt flung at me.

The FACT that I grew up just after the war, and suffered more hardships than many on here can shake a stick at - being barely out of puberty and the shelter of their mummies and daddies - is scarcely a cause for derision. I guess focusing on one aspect of society and blaming them for ALL ills that befall you, is a less-than-admirable human tendency, causing much grief amongst the human race throughout its chequered past.

I had a(materially) impoverished childhood, but was rich in love and friendships. Probably quite the reverse of certain folk on here.We weren't poor - we just didn't have any money.

Thus I learned the value of money and its limitations. I never hoarded it, neither splashed it about, and I can honestly say - hand on heart - that I never profited at someone else's expense: quite the opposite in reality.

Bet a lot of mud-slingers on here can't say that.

[Bloo Loo]

I'm with you on that one. According to Wikipedia the word seems to have originated among the US far right (appearing in print as early as 1984): that seems a good enough reason not to use it. Imagine the outcry if Gordon Brown was overheard using this term to refer to the electorate for instance. If it's too good for Gordon then it's too good for us.

Oh yes, and let's ban "chav" while we're at it.

and "HPCer"

and Sheep arent stupid, but they do flock, they do panic en mass and they seem to follow what the DOGS tell them to do. They are shorn when they are told, OK they are free to graze, but if food is put out they take it, They protest at nothing. describes the actions of a human crowd too.

perhaps calling a group of people the"unthinking herd" is better than sheeple. I think sheeple sounds better to be honest.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Bloo Loo

[mid_gen]

Sheeple says : "The rest of the world that isn't as smart as I am".

Chav says : an obnoxious anti-social moron. I like it as it's classless. My sister is a chav. Looks like a chav, acts like a chav. Bless my mother, she thinks the sun shines out of her ****. "She just dresses like that, she's lovely really". That's why she's been into drugs, trouble with the police, and fighting since her early teens, right! Ignorance is bliss though I suppose.

[waynezilla]

I will surely be an ugly sight on the way down, but could be beautiful on the way back up...

Live in hope.

[Scunnered]

Perhaps calling a group of people the"unthinking herd" is better than sheeple. I think sheeple sounds better to be honest.

Grex Venalium.

[Bloo Loo]

Grex Venalium.

a venerial throng? yep, that describes some parts of the UK.

[awf]

Can we ban the use of 'nicer' sounding words to replacing 'less-nicer' sounding words to convey basically the same thing?

Isn't it all about the intent behind the words? For instance no-one bats an eyelid when a black man calls another black man the n-word but it's just out of bounds for folks of other race.

I think banning words is the last refuge of those who are not witty or intelligent enough to master the fine art of conversation or culture.

[Bloo Loo]

Can we ban the use of 'nicer' sounding words to replacing 'less-nicer' sounding words to convey basically the same thing?

Isn't it all about the intent behind the words? For instance no-one bats an eyelid when a black man calls another black man the n-word but it's just out of bounds for folks of other race.

I think banning words is the last refuge of those who are not witty or intelligent enough to master the fine art of conversation or culture.

I expect "proletariat" was an insult once

[Guest Steve Cook]

One small point:

Can I kindly request you don't use the word sheeple.

Kind of making it a mission of mine, every time I see it I'm going to call the perp a f*ckwit and see how they like it.

People can be stupid, but talking about the general public this way is hardly a great way to win friends and influence people.

It does my head in as well.

Indeed, the growing tendency of some people to jump on the bandwagon in their use of this word is, well, sheeplike

[Scunnered]

If they're the sheeple, are we the goatles?

[Bloo Loo]

It does my head in as well.

Indeed, the growing tendency of some people to jump on the bandwagon in their use of this word is, well, sheeplike

it is part of the human defence mechanism to typecast according to an experience,

For example, if you get bitten by a white dog, you will be wary of a white dog for some time, and you may even refer to a bad event as a white dog event.

You may also have a bad experience with a brand of good, so you will tend not to buy that brand.

If you see something happening in the world and somebody describes its behaviour with a new word that seems to encaspsulate that behaviour, then it is natural to start using it. This is how language is changed all the time.

OK, I dont like the way people these days do that Australian thing at the end of a sentence, but it is now ubiquitous and I am sure Ive caught myself doing it as well.

Sheeple is a quick and convenient way to pass a sentiment between humans. It works, we all know what it means and its here to stay.

[Guest mattsta1964]

The problems we see now are all based on greed, which is itself a genetic trait. The altruistic members of our species died throwing themselves in front of tyrannosauruses (what’s the plural?) in order for our greedy ancestors to steal all of their belongings.

The sheeple want ‘things’ and ‘stuff’ by which they can measure their own success and attract a mate who is impressed by shiny things. Back when our ancestors spent the best part of their days clubbing mammoths to death for food, those who were good at it could show just how good by wasting time chasing bears and presenting the designer bear skins to impress the ladies.

Unfortunately we are all the sons and daughters of a bunch of evil greedy sods.

Our genes condemn us as a society to commit these errors over and over again.

To finish on a positive note, you and I can ultimately fix all this, all we have to do is to ensure that if we choose to sleep with a banker or politician then make sure we use protection.

We are living in very strange times indeed

There is a deep unease about the debt based monetary system we live under. Nation States and people exist in insolvency. Even if your assets are worth more than your debts, you hold a share of the national debt, which has probably just doubled after the current debacle.

Are we doomed..........or is the system we llive under doomed?

Read this and become enlightened

http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/freedom/mary_croft.pdf

[Scunnered]

... or perhaps we're the ubersheeple?

[Guest Steve Cook]

it is part of the human defence mechanism to typecast according to an experience,

For example, if you get bitten by a white dog, you will be wary of a white dog for some time, and you may even refer to a bad event as a white dog event.

You may also have a bad experience with a brand of good, so you will tend not to buy that brand.

If you see something happening in the world and somebody describes its behaviour with a new word that seems to encaspsulate that behaviour, then it is natural to start using it. This is how language is changed all the time.

OK, I dont like the way people these days do that Australian thing at the end of a sentence, but it is now ubiquitous and I am sure Ive caught myself doing it as well.

Sheeple is a quick and convenient way to pass a sentiment between humans. It works, we all know what it means and its here to stay.

I do accept that humans tend to characterise classes of entities in the world as an excercise in cognitive brevity. It is certainly a natural tendency. If we didn't do this, then then we would have to uniquely describe every "chair" we came across, for example, because they are all slightly different.

However, it is also used as a means of socially protecting ourselves. In doing so, we can often miss important aspects of the behaviour of ourselves and others.

In that respect, it can be extremely counter productive

Edited October 16, 2008 by Steve Cook

[Mrs Bear]

Whilst we are into spiritual cleansing mode, I would like to register MY objection to being called a 'boomer' and then being sneered at and having contempt flung at me.

The FACT that I grew up just after the war, and suffered more hardships than many on here can shake a stick at - being barely out of puberty and the shelter of their mummies and daddies - is scarcely a cause for derision. I guess focusing on one aspect of society and blaming them for ALL ills that befall you, is a less-than-admirable human tendency, causing much grief amongst the human race throughout its chequered past.

I had a(materially) impoverished childhood, but was rich in love and friendships. Probably quite the reverse of certain folk on here.We weren't poor - we just didn't have any money.

Thus I learned the value of money and its limitations. I never hoarded it, neither splashed it about, and I can honestly say - hand on heart - that I never profited at someone else's expense: quite the opposite in reality.

Bet a lot of mud-slingers on here can't say that.

May I please ditto nearly all of that?

Exception: while Mr Bear and I have never splashed it about, we certainly have hoarded our hard-earned stash, because we both know exactly what it's like to have two and fourpence (12p) to last to the end of the week, with no Bank of Mum and Dad to call on (M&Ds also broke and we'd never have asked even if they weren't), absolutely no ATM cash on credit, and exceedingly stern and scary bank managers to see if you ever had the temerity to ask for an overdraft.

And we don't ever want to go there again.

[Bloo Loo]

I do accept that humans then to charachertise classess of entities in the world as a kind of cognitive brevity. It is certainly a natural tendency. If we didn't do this, then then we would have to uniquily describe every, say, "chair" we came across because they are all slightly different. However, it is also used as a means of socially protecting ourselves. In doping so, we can often miss important aspects of the behaviour of ourselves and other. In that respect, it can be extremely counter productive

Agreed. Indeed, I beleive MUCH of the FEAR in society is down to this misunderstanding.

You watch an event on the telly and see some kids jumping on cars, then you peak out onto your previously unthreatening street and you see a "gang" of kids larking about.

You become wary...

you have lost a little bit of you...because somebody else showed you what that "gang" might do. Its very hard to ignore this type of influence, especially if you are weakened in some way, or are alone.

[Tiger Woods?]

The problems we see now are all based on greed, which is itself a genetic trait. The altruistic members of our species died throwing themselves in front of tyrannosauruses (what’s the plural?)

The collective noun for a collection of Tyrannosaurs is "an OH SH!T" of Tyrannosaurs

[snowflux]

The problems we see now are all based on greed, which is itself a genetic trait. The altruistic members of our species died throwing themselves in front of tyrannosauruses (what’s the plural?) in order for our greedy ancestors to steal all of their belongings.

Have you ever read Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene"? In it, he makes it clear that evolution works to propagate successful genes rather than successful gene-carriers, i.e. people. Now remember that you share copies of the same genes with your relatives and tribe. This provides the rationale for altruistic behavior and makes it genetically sensible to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of your siblings and tribe. Hence the culture of self-sacrifice (under the guise of patriotism or religion) for providing e.g. WW I cannon fodder, WW II kamikazis and modern suicide bombers.

Evolution also rewards the good guys, or, at least, their genes.