Calling People Sheeple

[leghog]

Sheeple = people how are easily herded or led and who blindly follow without applying their own critical thinking to the issue. Sheeple exist in many endeavors. Even knife collecting.

Using the term sheeple is just calling it like it is.

 

[Yonose]

The Incredibles, I love that movie.



You may want to leave politics outta this, just some advice as you could get gigged for bringing it up here. You could always upgrade your membership and post in the political forum.

Crud, that would be my second warning in 2 weeks of membership, but the my first offense was much more political.. . I hope this one could be dismissed as "stating a fact" vs political opinion fingers crossed!

 

[22-rimfire]

Not in my office. Sometimes you will get thanked. Sometimes. I have seen people reach for keys or an open pair of scissors to deal with boxes. Even when there is a knife available. Most of the time it's the women. I just don't get it.

BTW, my office knives are a red handled SAK Mechanic and a Gerber EAB. Nothing threatening. Very conservative.

It is how you use the knife and your body language that gets people concerned. In the case of "it's the women", I think it simply never occurs to many to use a knife outside the kitchen or as a weapon (in the case of a mugger/rapist).

Sheeple = people how are easily herded or led and who blindly follow without applying their own critical thinking to the issue. Sheeple exist in many endeavors. Even knife collecting.

Using the term sheeple is just calling it like it is.

It is just an observation even if it is just a tad negative. As mentioned before.... but I will add that on the sliding scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 3 (perhaps a 4) in negativity which is pretty low. The western world is just a bit too PC for me.

 

[SCWillson]

Sheeple = people how are easily herded or led and who blindly follow without applying their own critical thinking to the issue. Sheeple exist in many endeavors. Even knife collecting.

Using the term sheeple is just calling it like it is.

It's still neither diplomatic nor wise. Why use derogatory terms if you're trying to get along with non-knife people, or attracting newcomers to our hobby?

 

[SCWillson]

Being from rural Ohio growing up it was common for people to carry knives every day and not view them as simply a weapon. If you had a real SAK holy crap you were top dog at school. So now when I see this irrational fear, especially when they know me well (I'm definitely level headed and non-violent), it irritates me to no end. What's worse is when these people chastise you for having a weapon and accuse you of being a closet psycho, but then they act like your friend when they need your knife.

I grew up in Cincinnati and the Twin Cities. In junior high and high school, almost every boy carried a pocketknife. Nobody was afraid of them, nobody ever tried to stab anyone. It was just something males carried, just as modern people carry cell phones.

 

[22-rimfire]

When I use the term Sheeple, it is not usually intended to be particularly derogatory. It is more of a personal observation (judgement if you will) and calling a "spade a spade" or "the kettle black". Interesting that I chose those two.... one can see some racial overtones in those which I never really thought about. Again just an observation and the western world is just too damn PC. And why can't we make negative observations about people?

 

[James Y]

I'd like to make a point about name-calling, and to be clear, this is NOT directed at anyone who's posted in this thread.

I've noticed nowadays that there are many people who complain that everything is overly PC, and people (they) should be able to use any type of label or slur against any other individual or group(s) of people with impunity; that this is America and they have freedom of speech. However, those same types who complain about political correctness almost always show themselves to be thin-skinned when they themselves (or their self-identified group) feels or becomes targeted with derogatory labels by others. Then they feel that those others had better shut the heck up and/or get the hell out.

Everybody on all sides is OK with freedom of expression, as long as such expressions agree with their own viewpoints.

For me, when I make negative viewpoints about other people, I refer to the individual(s). Because I've had experiences of being negatively judged, and had slurs used against me because of my appearance/ancestry, over things that had nothing at all to do with me personally.

To put some knife content into this post, I do agree that too many people who don't carry knives also don't want anybody else carrying knives. As SCWillson said, when I was a kid in school, most boys I knew carried a pocketknife, and nobody tried to use them as weapons. Somehow, at some point that benign, practical view of pocketknives all changed.

Jim

 

[HJK]

Many of us had pocketknives. Cub Scouts had knives for heaven's sake, and were taught how to use them. Now if you have one in the trunk of your car at school they call a SWAT team.

 

[GermanyChris]

I'd like to make a point about name-calling, and to be clear, this is NOT directed at anyone who's posted in this thread.

I've noticed nowadays that there are many people who complain that everything is overly PC, and people (they) should be able to use any type of label or slur against any other individual or group(s) of people with impunity; that this is America and they have freedom of speech. However, those same types who complain about political correctness almost always show themselves to be thin-skinned when they themselves (or their self-identified group) feels or becomes targeted with derogatory labels by others. Then they feel that those others had better shut the heck up and/or get the hell out.

Everybody on all sides is OK with freedom of expression, as long as such expressions agree with their own viewpoints.

For me, when I make negative viewpoints about other people, I refer to the individual(s). Because I've had experiences of being negatively judged, and had slurs used against me because of my appearance/ancestry, over things that had nothing at all to do with me personally.

To put some knife content into this post, I do agree that too many people who don't carry knives also don't want anybody else carrying knives. As SCWillson said, when I was a kid in school, most boys I knew carried a pocketknife, and nobody tried to use them as weapons. Somehow, at some point that benign, practical view of pocketknives all changed.

Jim

When things like knives and guns become symbols that's when the problems arise.

 

[Emre]

I grew up in Cincinnati and the Twin Cities. In junior high and high school, almost every boy carried a pocketknife.

That was the case even around here. I started grammar school in the early '80s in the suburbs of NYC. All my friends and I carried a pocketknives (usually traditionals or SAKs) all the way through the end of high-school. No one looked twice. In fact, it was weirder not to have one LOL

 

[Insipid Moniker]

When I use the term Sheeple, it is not usually intended to be particularly derogatory. It is more of a personal observation (judgement if you will) and calling a "spade a spade" or "the kettle black". Interesting that I chose those two.... one can see some racial overtones in those which I never really thought about. Again just an observation and the western world is just too damn PC. And why can't we make negative observations about people?

Nothing wrong with making negative observations, but blanket judgements are almost invariably arrogant, frequently foolish and always on some level wrong. As with almost everything, precision matters. Heck, in this very thread I was imprecise and insulted someone in a way I didn't intend. Obviously, I don't mind insulting folks, but doing it by accident and without intention means I went somewhere undeserved and shames me far more than when I do it on purpose.

 

[Sonnydaze]

I find that there seems to be a parallel in this "classification."
Cops, in general, have an exceptionally strong brotherhood, well-justified, and deal primarily with bad guys much of the time. This can lead to cops viewing "all" civilians as questionable unless they first prove themselves to be honest folks. Of course, this doesn't appear to be "fair" but does have some justification when you look at it from their viewpoint. The "sheeple" thing seems to be along similar lines. Since you could apply the same logic to fear of guns, gays, or racial differences, I'm not in favor of this sort of thing.

 

[22-rimfire]

....I've noticed nowadays that there are many people who complain that everything is overly PC, and people (they) should be able to use any type of label or slur against any other individual or group(s) of people with impunity; that this is America and they have freedom of speech. However, those same types who complain about political correctness almost always show themselves to be thin-skinned when they themselves (or their self-identified group) feels or becomes targeted with derogatory labels by others. Then they feel that those others had better shut the heck up and/or get the hell out.

Words matter and precision matters. As Insipid said, it doesn't bother me that much to insult someone intentionally, but to do it unintentionally is shameful.

 

[palonej]

Yup!! I was in school in the '70's in Brooklyn and it was the same then. Everyone had a knife in school.......and I went to Catholic school!!
No one stabbed anyone.
Where did you grow up brother???
Joe

That was the case even around here. I started grammar school in the early '80s in the suburbs of NYC. All my friends and I carried a pocketknives (usually traditionals or SAKs) all the way through the end of high-school. No one looked twice. In fact, it was weirder not to have one LOL

 

[Emre]

Where did you grow up brother???

Just over the GWB in Bergen County, NJ

 

[zzyzzogeton]

I grew up in Cincinnati and the Twin Cities. In junior high and high school, almost every boy carried a pocketknife. Nobody was afraid of them, nobody ever tried to stab anyone. It was just something males carried, just as modern people carry cell phones.

That was the case even around here. I started grammar school in the early '80s in the suburbs of NYC. All my friends and I carried a pocketknives (usually traditionals or SAKs) all the way through the end of high-school. No one looked twice. In fact, it was weirder not to have one LOL

Not just boys. In my small Texas hometown, even most of the girls carried pocket knives in their purses in elementary school. The best mumbletypeg player in my 3rd grade class was a girl. That girl could stick a pencil in the cork board from 10 feet (half way across the class room).

Words matter and precision matters. As Insipid said, it doesn't bother me that much to insult someone intentionally, but to do it unintentionally is shameful.

Part of the problem nowadays is that too many people are LOOKING for a reason to be insulted and taking slight when none was intended, implied or stated.

 

[stabman]

Part of the problem nowadays is that too many people are LOOKING for a reason to be insulted and taking slight when none was intended, implied or stated.

I was unaware that calling people "sheeple" was a compliment.
My bad.

 

[CookieRawwr]

I remember hearing that term used by followers of certain conspiracy theories, regarding those who haven't "woken up."
Its not something I'd call someone who isn't as interested in knives as myself. Although yes I do get a private chuckle if someone is afraid of an inanimate object that's not being waved menacingly at them.

 

[unklfranco]

That looks delicious. Nice pic.

 

[fjblair]

Sheeple is a dated term that would not apply in this instance, even if it were currently in play. We're talking about knives. Focus.