Sheeple Illustrated

I was reading a book on buzz marketing. The author was making sense until I arrived at the statement “the media has credibility.” Wha? Surely he can’t be serious. He actually wrote, “A reporter has no incentive to make up false claims…” What suburb of Oz does this dude live in? (I’ve worked in newspapers and this simply isn’t true. Big advertisers have a lot of pull – especially when print is struggling.) Then I remembered he stated that his father was a journalist that later owned newspapers. Yea. Don’t believe everything daddy says. How embarrassing.

An average of only 25 percent of people generally believe what they read and hear from the news media.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2008/08/19/media-credibility-plummets-most-trusted-cnn-believed-just-30

It looks like at least a few of the sheeple are waking up. One can only hope. I’ve had some basic statistics in my head for quite a long time. Just the result of basic observation: About 10-15% of people just aren’t equipped to actively participate, probably through no fault of their own. They were damaged in some way. About 10-15% of people are awake and aware and actively use their brains. It doesn’t mean they are right about everything and it most certainly doesn’t mean they are good. But the gray matter is active. Then there’s the remaining 70-80% who are just grazing with their heads down and following the sheeple path before them. I’ve been coming across statistics in seemingly unrelated areas that continue to match the percentage breakdowns of these three main groups. (Obviously this is not a scientific double blind study -- just something to ponder in the pasture.)

One example is a person’s response to the news that they have cancer. I think I read this in a book by Bernie Siegel. About 10-15% immediately accept defeat and are ready to die. About 10-15% fight it tooth and nail, self-educating themselves and defying traditional medicine if they think it will benefit them (a.k.a. survivors.) The rest do what they are told by the medical establishment.

Emanuel Rosen in his book “The Anatomy of Buzz” gave some statistics on how people adopt innovations: About 2.5 percent are called innovators – people willing to take risks. They are followed by 13.5 percent called early adopters. Together they make up about 16 percent of the population who basically aren’t waiting around for the herd. Then 34 percent are called an early majority and another 34 percent are called the late majority. I call this 68 percent the super majority – the mainstream – Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Then the last 16 percent to adopt an innovation are called the laggards.

Also, about one third of the American population is registered Democrat. About another third is registered Republican. A total of about 66% of the population = that majority sheeple = that majority herd that decides elections of national and international import. Despite “the land of the free, home of the brave” bravado they are not exactly the independent sort. The other third is apparently made up of people who simply don’t or can’t give a damn and the enlightened rebels.

An estimated 16 percent of people have an I.Q. below 85 (affectionately known as the room-temperature crowd.) About another 16% have an I.Q. above 115. The remaining majority of people (68%) have I.Q.s between 85 -115. I suspect, yet again, most are these are sheeple.

Just take a look at the top five television shows (according to TV Guide): NCIS, Dancing with the Stars, The Game, The Biggest Loser and American Idol. (Ok, I’ve never watched The Game so I can’t say anything about that one.) Massive quantities of caffeine couldn’t keep me awake through the other four. How are they interesting? Pie chart, please. DWTS is cheesy. It reminds me of Love Boat casting all B list celebrities. I know they need to work and I don’t fault them for that; but honestly I can’t find it entertaining. It’s just sad. And those grins that people wear when they are dancing are downright nightmare-inducing. The Biggest Loser is tragic. No one involved seems to give a shit about the health of the contestants. They dehydrate themselves (and whatever else they can get away with – enema anyone?) to hit those big numbers of weight loss. All of us mortals know fat loss doesn’t happen that way. And being a devious asshole should earn one an automatic ticket home in any reality show. Then there’s American Idol with its karaoke-tired songs and Simon who is about as pleasant as a raging yeast infection. Paula might want to not sit so close to him. It’s just a matter of time before his crop comes in. I know his cruelty means ratings but what does that say about the popular American psyche. Maybe we should just televise executions. At least there’s a hint of justice.

I glanced down the list of the rest of the top 100 shows -- pretty lame for the most part. If an estimated 11 percent of the population watches American Idol I’m sure that most of those viewers of top 100 shows make up that 66% herd of sheeple. I’m not saying that empty entertainment has no place but it’s like living (or slowly dying) on a steady diet of junk food.

Here’s a little tv-related statistic illustrating stupidity: 25 percent of TV air time is commercials. 92 percent of those commercials are ignored thanks to viewer muting, changing channels, TVO, taking a piss … whatever. Yet … it continues. Hello? Sheeple advertisers. Please get your heads out of your asses and either make commercials entertaining (see Geico or Real California Happy Cow commercials for inspiration) or stop interrupting our collective grazing. (Don't forget that we all pay for the commercials. The advertisers should just give their employees a raise and skip the commercial money pit.)

This one’s sad but … it is said that at a world population of 2 billion we humans could all live our lives to western standards. At 4 billion we could all eat and drink. With a population over 4 billion there is starvation and misery in general. We are currently at 6.7 billion. It ain’t looking good for the Earth team. Do the percentages ring a bell? I don’t think the human powers-that-be are going to let the sheeple sink their earth ship. Wake up. Wake up.