By: jaha Knight, poet
"Here's the church, here's the steeple, open it up and there are the sheeple." -jaha Knight
We all want to be saved, so we go to church. We all want to feel connected so we immerse ourselves in relationships(personal or familial.) We all watch television for entertainment, news and our one stop source for what's trendy and hot. Independent thinking has almost become a side dish in a buffet filled with entrees and the people who are motivated by their singular thoughts are shunned, and pushed aside on the plate like brussel sprouts. What happened to individuality? And I don't mean individuality as in you painted polka dots on your Nike kicks so you've established yourself as an individual. Because to me, that's is mediocre individuality and nowadays people pride themselves on being unique in the most unoriginal ways.
Advertising, marketing and pr spin have made impressions on us for products and services in ways that skew our thinking and remove all traces of resistance. Media personnel tell us what to think with their colored portrayal of the news and biases based on their personal beliefs. Reality shows are now presenting us with such an unrealistic version of "reality" that we are all thinking our lives are boring in comparison.
Yet we turn on the television everyday to unwind, but we receive messages through that medium faster than our minds can process them. All forms of entertainment force you to think whether you want to or not. How is that relaxing? Our opinions are formed based on public opinion but what does that say about a nation that houses more sheeple than it does shepherds? What can you do to change your sheeple-like tendencies?
For more information, visit the Jackson Knight Show podcast on Itunes. Based on our ¡°Groupthink, the Evolution of Peer Pressure¡± Episode