How to be a sheep

How to be a sheep? Commit the fallacy of guilt by association, without a doubt the most pervasive fallacy today. The basic form is as follows:

Person P accepts idea I.
Therefore, I must be wrong.

For example: "Adolf Hitler breathed air, therefore you're evil if you breathe air." But that is a worthless exaggerated example. You might have heard some of the more realistic ones:

1. "Libertarian" sounds like "liberal." Liberal is bad. Therefore, libertarian is bad.
   
2. The NRA is nuts. Conservatives favour gun rights. Conservatives must be nuts.
   
3. The previous Republican governments ruined America. Ron Paul is a Republican, so he will do the same.
   
4. The previous Democrat governments ruined America. Barack Obama is a Democrat, so he will do the same.
   
5. Cows are slaughtered in horrific ways. Therefore eating meat is immoral.
   
6. The British Empire committed atrocities in its heyday. The British today ought to be ashamed of themselves.
   
7. Loose Change is full of factual errors. Therefore the 9/11 truth movement must be lying.

This is considered sheep-like because sheep need not follow a shepherd, but can instead follow a sheepdog. The shepherd leads the sheepdog, who in turn leads the sheep.

Sometimes multiple sheepdogs lead a single sheep in different directions. For example: "Joe is pro-gun rights, pro-choice. Pro-gun people are typically conservatives, who are typcically pro-life... but Joe is pro-choice. I don't like conservatives but Joe is my friend. I don't know what to feel." No further comment needs to be made.

It bores me to see this kind of thing happen on such a large scale, especially on a forum whose motto is "deny ignorance." Usually I would try to provide solutions after describing a problem, but this time I will not. Those who think like sheep--deserve it. I find that the easiest thing to do is to ignore them and their bleating.

The "guilt-by-association" thing is so large-scale that it seems kind of overwhelming to want to stop it. Its part of the overall stupidity and lack of discernment in our under-educated world where people learn what to think instead of to think. If someone is too lazy to think and discern, they`ll just generalize. I guess the only way we can do something about it is by trying to set good examples in our own writing.

reply to post by Tadeusz

Do you know what is even worse?



Allowing an inflated ego to convince one's self that they are undoubtedly superior to the average person, thus referring to them as 'Sheep', in an attempt to dehumanize a majority of the human race.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


You know what's even worse than that? Rather than contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way, whether agreeing or disagreeing - immediately launch a personal attack against the OP.

Stay classy.

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

You know what's even worse than that? Rather than contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way, whether agreeing or disagreeing - immediately launch a personal attack against the OP.

Sorry, but you are incorrect. That wasn't an attack only against the OP. There are many many others that come from that same mold.

If you want to consider that as an attack, then so be it. However, if that's the case, then go ahead and consider it as an attack against a majority of the members who frequent this site.

reply to post by BrokenCircles

Sometimes, that inflated ego is justified. There is a reason why "elites" are the way they are--it is because they are not sheep.

I'll ignore your attack on me... hell, I'll even forgive you.

Originally posted by BrokenCircles

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

You know what's even worse than that? Rather than contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way, whether agreeing or disagreeing - immediately launch a personal attack against the OP.

Sorry, but you are incorrect. That wasn't an attack only against the OP...

I hope you don't mind me pointing out the fact that you contradicted yourself in the same sentence.

reply to post by AwakeinNM

You really should just stop, and let the leaves fall from the tree as they wish

Originally posted by Tadeusz

Sometimes, that inflated ego is justified. There is a reason why "elites" are the way they are--it is because they are not sheep.

Key Word = "Sometimes"

Originally posted by Tadeusz

I'll ignore your attack on me.....

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

I hope you don't mind me pointing out the fact that you contradicted yourself in the same sentence.

Nope. Don't mind. Go ahead and do it.

How silly for all of us.
I am a sheep!
However, so are you.
From time to time we are all duped and made to believe we are above the rest.
The beginnings of wisom are the words, "I do not know".
Right now, I am wrong about something, I'm sure I do not know what it is.
But I'm sure that I do not have all of the answers.
I am also sure that neither do you.
I think this is why we realize that we all have rights, so as to not overstep our bounds.
My rights end where yours start.
We are all sheep, those who cannot or will not see this are the dumb ones.
Hope it helps

Hey....

You're either with us, or you're with the tarr'ists.

Let us not entertain outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the events of 9/11.

Fool me once, shame on...shame on you..... fool me can't get fooled again!

reply to post by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by BrokenCircles

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

You know what's even worse than that? Rather than contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way, whether agreeing or disagreeing - immediately launch a personal attack against the OP.

Sorry, but you are incorrect. That wasn't an attack only against the OP...

I hope you don't mind me pointing out the fact that you contradicted yourself in the same sentence.

Well, are you gonna follow through with it?
Where is this supposed contradiction of mine, that you speak of?





This↓ is the best example of a contradiction, that I noticed.

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

You know what's even worse than that? Rather than contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way, whether agreeing or disagreeing - immediately launch a personal attack against the OP.

Wow. 'Baaa'. I must be a sheepie because I don't eat meat because today's meat industry IS immoral.
I must be a sheep because I have chosen a healthier and more compassionate, less selfish lifestyle due to the fact that animals today are put through great amounts of suffering, and there is no way of telling which supposed 'halal' or 'free range' meat places are actually using some compassion in the killings (unless I went to all of those individual places myself), so I chose not to support a greedy and cruel industry.
Eating meat is not immoral. When hunting (fairly, not with guns), raising your own livestock, not wasting anything, treating the animal whilst living with kindness and killing it quickly.... That is not immoral. However, that is generally not how that meat you buy in the shops and restaraunts gets on your plate. Eating meat TODAY is immoral. If I am a sheep for giving up the luxury of eating the flesh and tendons of another being, so be it. I'd rather be that then cruel.