Sheeple: Signs That You Might Be Part Of The Herd

Sheeple can be found in every country, every ethnic background, every religious organization, and every subculture.

The ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ Sheeple: Also known as the “Yuppie”. Life is a party for these folks. As long as they are not affected by the immediate circumstances of the troubles surrounding them, they couldn’t care less about politics, economics, war, or governmental deceit. They may even be aware of the terrible facts behind a certain issue, but as long as the routine of their mundane existence remains intact, they will have little motivation to effect changes in their thinking or their world. In fact, some ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ Sheeple ENJOY a random catastrophe or two, because it gives them conversational fodder for the small-talk around the water cooler that they love so much. Their primary drives are unchecked consumerism (the accumulation of useless things), and emotionally empty sexual exchanges (the accumulation of false self-confidence). Most of what they know about the world they derive from watching fifteen minutes of mainstream television news a day. They often parrot talking points they overheard on MSNBC or CNN, and rarely have an original thought.

I have found that these men and women are normally from upper middle-class, white collar families. They have likely been coddled and sheltered from the suffering that goes on outside of the affluent bubble they were born into, and have probably never had to truly struggle for anything in their lives, giving them an audacious sense of entitlement. Plenty of these people break out of this one track thinking pattern on their own. I have known quite a few. But others will refuse to see the obvious unless confronted with the prospect that they personally might lose something if they do not take action.

The ‘Quasi-Intellectual’ Sheeple: My favorite kind of sheeple. These people hold themselves in very high esteem. Some even see themselves as part of the elite (though most of them are not). Normally from the “professional class”, they often hold positions as Doctors, Lawyers, Bankers, Investors, Professors, Scientists, etc, though some have not yet left the university setting, and are simply getting a head start on their superiority complex.

Quasi-Intellectual Sheeple believe in the world of academia as unerring, as opposed to true scholars, who always have the wisdom to question the conclusions of academia. To me, an Ivy League degree is little more than a $100,000 piece of paper; it tells me nothing of the true intelligence of the person holding it. One need only look at the thousands of mainstream “professional” financial analysts who blindly supported Keynesian economics and refused to acknowledge the bubbles being facilitated by the private Federal Reserve’s artificially low interest rates and free money mentality. Their expensive education counted for nothing, and the economy is now on a ruinous downward slide.

At bottom, most “higher education” is really indoctrination. People attaining degrees in economics learn what the financial establishment WANTS them to learn, and nothing more. The same goes for any other field of study in which information is extremely centralized and filtered. Yet, Quasi-Intellectual Sheeple have such misplaced faith in the ivory tower that they assume through the system they have reached the pinnacle of knowledge. Those who have not assimilated themselves into this system as the Quasi-Intellectual has are to be ignored or ridiculed when presenting an opposing view.

This type of sheeple is driven by the desire for respect, power, and sometimes sycophantic admiration. Actually being intelligent is less important to them than having others believe they are intelligent without question. When asked to prove their intelligence, they often respond with indignance. They rarely if ever consider the possibility that they may be wrong on any subject, especially if it’s a subject they received a degree in. When they find themselves facing someone who has a better grasp of an issue than they do, they will not relent. Instead, they will turn towards subversive debate tactics to confuse the discussion, go off on tangents to avoid direct confrontation, and when he is really cornered, he will throw out barrages of obscure vocabulary in an attempt to impress others and distract them from the fact that he has no idea what he is talking about.

Quasi-Intellectual Sheeple are easy to identify by their arrogant demeanor. They tend to distance themselves from FOX and CNN and read periodicals like Forbes and Foreign Affairs, which are still propaganda, just of a more complex nature. They respond to most arguments with a smile, due to overconfidence, until they realize they are being soundly outmatched, and then they tend to lose composure. It takes a lot of public embarrassment before they will mend their ways.

The ‘Working-Class Idiot’ Sheeple: Otherwise known as “the good ole’ boy”. (Special Note: I came from a parallel background, and am highly familiar with these sheeple.) You would think that people who fancy themselves as hardcore conservatives would be aware of the push towards global government and the fact that groups like Al-Qaeda are a fairytale distraction away from the real threat: Socio-Corporate Elitism and overgrown Federal bureaucracy. Apparently, they would ‘love’ to hear about it, but the football game is on and their wife is in their ear and the rugrats won’t stop eating all the damn frosted flakes. Such is the life of men without valid priorities.

These folks are usually Neo-Conservative lapdogs, an ideology suspiciously identical to Socialism with a corporate twist. Mussolini had a name for this combination, though the term escapes me…

Its not that they LIKE big government, Socialism, and the loss of liberties, it’s just that they are too ignorant to realize that that’s what they are supporting when they support the current Republican Party. These sheeple are very competitive. Sadly, however, they are often not accomplished in much of anything, which forces them to live vicariously through the exploits of others; like sports teams, political figures, and soldiers sent to third world hell-holes to blow up “bad guys”. Winning, regardless of whether or not the fight is legitimate or justified, is at the top of the Working Class Idiot’s list.

They like to believe that they have a deep relationship with their conscience, which adds pain when attempting to explain anything to them. These men are vindicated in their own minds by a set of logical fallacies that would boggle the likes of Freud. Being rational is not important to those who are vehemently self righteous. They ARE the “good guys”, anyone who disagrees is a “bad guy”, and that is that. This mindset makes them very easy to dupe, and very easy to lead.

The Working Class Idiot worships television. More than a couple of days without it and he shivers like a starving drug addict. He watches FOX religiously, and not intelligent commentators like Andrew Napolitano. He’s a much bigger fan of frothing psychotics such as Bill O’ Reilly, spewing baseless nonsense like a third grader’s baking soda volcano spews foam. When cornered in an argument, this type of sheeple will try every trick he knows to degrade or intimidate his opponent. When that does not work, he has no problem resorting to violence. How to get through to this sheeple? Find a sports figure, prominent Republican, or military man who talks openly about the NWO (there are some out there). Only then will he take the blinders off.

The ’New Age’ Sheeple: Otherwise known as “unabashed collectivists”. Not to be confused with people who do legitimate study into mythology, spiritualism, and the teachings of the ancient past. These are the folks who read Oprah throwaway books like “The Secret”, and think they have actually learned a secret.

You don’t have to walk on egg shells with New Age Sheeple when it comes to the NWO. They are just as likely to approach you about it. The problem is, they think it’s the best thing since patchouli sticks! Why? Because their vision of a one world order comes from an overexposure to Gene Rodenberry-esque fantasy and a subversive form of propaganda I like to call “Positivism”.

Most ‘New Agers’ are people who have at one point or another in their lives met with serious struggle, unlike the ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ sheeple. However, instead of holding steady through this struggle, they gave up, curling into a ball never to put any real effort into anything substantial again. They often make elaborate excuses for themselves, and adopt Eastern philosophical concepts they don’t really understand. Zen becomes an excuse to ignore the rest of the world and focus on something pointless like underwater basket weaving. Karma becomes an excuse and vindication for any unfortunate event. Self awareness gets confused with self-centeredness. While Happy-Go-Lucky sheeple focus superficially on the outside world, New Agers focus superficially

There is actually much more to this article: ______beforeitsnews/story/39815/Sheeple:_Signs_That_You_Might_Be_Part_Of_The_Herd.html

Any sheeple here at ATS?? hehe darn good article. im sure we all know sheeple... its sad really, sheeple... they're just a bunch of sheep...

this is so accurate S+F for you!

I love the commentary on the New Age Sheeple. As a holistic practicioner myself (massage therapist) I run into these New Age Sheeple's all the time. This is the greatest thing I have read in a while, thanks for posting!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/9d559a18b2ef.jpg[/atsimg]



[edit on 4-5-2010 by xynephadyn]

Yes s + f very well written article. This is the type of article everyone needs to read. Ill have to forward this to a few pompous people I know.

Wonderful post! I enjoyed reading it very much.
The author has summed them all up rather nicely.
S&F for you

They forgot one!

The 'in-denial' sheeple: This peculiar type of sheeple is typically identified by it's unwillingness to admit it's just another sheeple. It can usually be found pointing out the wool on the rest of the herd. The 'in-denial' sheeple is smart enough to see that everyone else is a sheeple, but not smart enough to work out that it, itself is a sheeple. These unique attributes allow the 'in-denial' sheeple to disregard the fact that it is in the same grazing paddock as the rest of the sheeple.

[edit on 4/5/10 by GobbledokTChipeater]

reply to post by GobbledokTChipeater


You certainly make a valid point. I haven't clicked to read the entire article, but you may have identified a little known variety. So, would these sheeple be basicly everyone who isn't considered one of the elite?
I guess we're all screwed then. Darn the luck!

reply to post by TheCoffinman


Very good thread, though I must say that not all people from academia are as you/the article describe/s, not even those from the ivy league. While there may be some that are "quasi-Intellectual" as you/the author suggest/s, there are many more who actually do seek the truth in everything they analyze. However, some may be afraid to speak up about their beliefs outside and inside of academic research due to a plethora of reasons, such as tenure and/or funding. You have to remember, as someone like a professor or scientist, anything you say publicly, could be twisted around and spun. This could ultimately hurt either your research, or your career. People tend to put more wait in your words and they will turn conjecture into fact. So again, not all of those in academia are "quasi-intellectual".

As far as higher education being a form of indoctrination, I somewhat agree with you/the author, though only for undergrad courses. In graduate school, you no longer learn how to recite, memorize or learn from a teacher on any given topic, as you would in undergrad school. However, in graduate level courses you do learn how to research on your own and figure things out for yourself and sometimes by yourself.

I also agree with you/the author that a college degree doesn't mean that someone is smart or even vice versa. All it really means, is that you had the self discipline to stick with a schedule and the personal finances to pay for it all. Some of the smartest people I have met, never even so much as stepped foot into a college setting. One thing that I did notice however, is that they didn't even realize how smart they were, due to lack of structured challenge and an effective researching method. I can see that the author must have hated his/her professor, for whatever reason but that is hardly an excuse to stereo-type all of those good folks who cling to the ivory tower. Most of them are just like you.

Kind Regards,
--airspoon

reply to post by GobbledokTChipeater


Nice

You beat me to it...

Definition of Sheeple: More than one person standing adjacent to one another agreeing that everyone else they see is some form of Sheeple...

reply to post by Legion2112


Same - the first thing I was thinking as I was reading that, is the very fact someone is spending so much time pigeon-holing others and pointing fingers suggests to me they are a closet sheep.

It's typically those who most loudly accuse others of being 'such and such' whom are deflecting those very same flaws in themselves onto others.

People are like mirrors, deriding those parts of themselves which they recognize in others.

Aww the sheeple

Like their animal namesake, they make you frustrated when they run the wrong way or get in the veggie patch, but all the same, they are so cute and naive you just want to hug them when they are scared

Then fatten them up and eat them.

I was disappointed to see that so many others had already beat me to it.

Ahh well, I'll put my own spin on it, I suppose:

"Let's all non-conform together!"

Well, I have to add the compulsory sheeple picture, with their overlords and one saddened founder.

Entertaining article to say the least. I thought this comic was just all too fitting so I had to post it...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/809da36940bd.png[/atsimg]

Credit goes to my favorite web comic of all time: XKCD

Very succinct and accurate article! I can't help but think this guy is channeling me or I am channeling him LOL!

I must admit though that after having been through most of the stages he describes to some degree or another and then realizing it I tend to want to fall back on the what is described as the new age sheeple;

"Zen becomes an excuse to ignore the rest of the world and focus on something pointless like underwater basket weaving"

However I tend to focus on preparedness and other more pragmatic things rather then try to get enough people on the same page to effect change as i have found that impossible after many years of trying. And I would consider myself far from a new ager

So the article points many an accurate observation of people which reinforces my belief that nothing will change until enough people are feeling enough pain. Which tends to go along with the principle ascribed to new agers that if enough people focused on the positive everything would be fine. I do agree though that many new agers tend to think it will just happen magically if they think about it enough. While I am open minded enough to believe in that possibility I am also grounded enough to know we certainly are far from mastering it if it is indeed possible.

Everything begins with thought but does not come into existence without action at least not on this plane... If anyone can prove otherwise I would love to learn...

Great thread. I also got kick out of the defensive replies and will just say; if the shoe fits... LOL!