Body scanners spreading

[Dmitri]

Who exactly makes up the "herd"?

"the governed", i.e. everyone who is "not at the top in the government." I know it's a bit silly a definition, but it again comes back to one of those gray areas, there is no precise answer to "who exactly governs and who exactly doesn't". So if you don't know what I mean than I guess we'll just have to leave it at that, not a big deal, I don't mind being not-understood.

[Steve James]

"the governed", i.e. everyone who is "not at the top in the government."

So, are you among the governed or at the top?

[Dmitri]

You know the answer... so why ask?
I'm a black sheep. Or at least a very-dark-gray one.

[Steve James]

Ah, everyone knows that he's one of the governed; but nobody wants to admit being a sheep. Sorta like wanting to get to heaven, but not being in any particular rush. I don't agree when either side suggests that the people as a whole are a herd that need new shepherds. If they are lambs, there's no reason for them to listen to wolves.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Are body scanners under FBI's jurisdiction? This is a job cut off for all these Fabulous Body Inspectors out there.

[Dmitri]

Ah, everyone knows that he's one of the governed; but nobody wants to admit being a sheep.

Steve, I'm relatively far "out of the box" and off-mainstream as far as the common stuff like elections, politics, etc. goes. I am specifically "disturbed" by some of these things I write here about at times, whereas the vast majority of people doesn't really care much. I don't know who is who on American Idol, nor do I know who the hottest CNN female news anchor is because I almost never watch TV, etc., etc., etc. the list goes on.

I have a lot of flaws and problems and I'm not in denial and not at all afraid of admitting any of them, but I'm rather far from what you would call "masses". I realize I'm a part of it obviously, but I'm far from being "a majority" in some of these ways. In my last pres. election the guy I ended up voting for got 0.3% of the vote. I'm not gonna ask how many percent did the guy you voted for got, but I hope you see the point I'm trying to make. I'm not saying I'm so incredibly rare that they should write me up as endangered species, there are a lot of people with similar off-mainstream views, but percentage-wise we ARE the black sheep.

[Steve James]

But, what I mean is that everyone thinks he's special. Blame in on Mr. Rogers, but t's just plain ol American "exceptionalism." Well, it's somewhat of a human trait, but it's more socially acceptable some places than others.

Anyway, I think what you're saying is that when people talk about the "herd" and sheeple, etc., they're not talking about you. It'd also be safe to imply, wouldn't it, that the black sheep feel/think/believe it'd be better if they were in charge of the sheep. They's the talented, informed sheep in the family after all ... being oppressed and held back by their white sheepfellas. (Needless to say, if you've lived on a farm, you know that the black sheep are just as stoopid as the white ones). On the farm, D., on the farm

[Ron Panunto]

In my last pres. election the guy I ended up voting for got 0.3% of the vote. I'm not gonna ask how many percent did the guy you voted for got, but I hope you see the point I'm trying to make. I'm not saying I'm so incredibly rare that they should write me up as endangered species, there are a lot of people with similar off-mainstream views, but percentage-wise we ARE the black sheep.

So you purposely threw your vote away - what do you think you accomplished by that. Pissing in the wind is not thought of as a particularly smart activity - maybe it's better to work within the system and try to change it.

[Dmitri]

But, what I mean is that everyone thinks he's special.

Of course, but that's not relevant here.

It'd also be safe to imply, wouldn't it, that the black sheep feel/think/believe it'd be better if they were in charge of the sheep. They's the talented, informed sheep in the family after all ... being oppressed and held back by their white sheepfellas.

No it wouldn't. Recognition of differences is not even remotely related to desire for power or self-assertion as "better", more talented, informed, or whatever.

black sheep are just as stoopid as the white ones

Absolutely, no argument there. But they are different from the statistical majority. But you're missing my point again. Not sure why you are having such trouble with this logic, but like I said before, no big deal, let's just write this off as mutual misunderstanding (or whatever you want to call it) and stop, because this doesn't seem productive at all. And it diverts from the topic a bit.

So you purposely threw your vote away - what do you think you accomplished by that. Pissing in the wind is not thought of as a particularly smart activity - maybe it's better to work within the system and try to change it.

Pissing in the wind eh? If I wanted to "throw away my vote", I wouldn't have voted at all. I voted for whom I thought would be the best president, of all the choices presented at the time. It's really that simple, even though it might be a weird idea that's hard to grasp for some people. I refuse to follow what I believe to be an imposed pattern of thinking/action when it comes to things like elections. See above re. sheep and all that. And it may very well be that it wasn't particularly smart; that's not up to me to judge, nor do I care, as I did what I felt was the right thing to do. Just like everyone else I guess.

[Steve James]

No it wouldn't. Recognition of differences is not even remotely related to desire for power or self-assertion as "better", more talented, informed, or whatever.

Well, if I say that "the herd" is uninformed, uneducated and uninterested, but I'm not one of the herd, then it automatically implies that I am (at least) more informed, educated and interested than they are. If they are in the majority, that means I'm in the minority. Now, whether I call myself a member of the elite or not is another thing. ... Of course, I don't consider myself part of the herd either. Yet, I get the funny feeling that because I support certain things and don't support others, that I'm included in with the "sheep." I know it's really just political rhetoric --disguised as "anti-think-speech." I.e., certain groups claim that most of the rest are under thought control, but they are somehow immune.... for example, because they don't watch tv but get their news from a particular website or because they support a particular politician's platform and not another's.

I'm not making claims about "you." But, in case you do think I am, I admit that this is my usual fucked up technique of turning things around and getting off the topic. I'm damned for sure. However, my only point is that I don't assume anyone here is either incapable of independent thought "or" incapable of having their feelings of being different or entitled used for the political and economic gains of others. That goes for every single socially important issue, whether health care, abortion, war/weapons, financial corporations, taxes. There are those who will profit no matter which side wins; and I'd bet there are many that will benefit one way or the other.