I just ran into a most curious concept. (Well… “just” might be an exaggeration, but it makes for a great opening line to the posting, don’t you think?)
“Alpha Sheep.”
Huh?
Alpha, in these terms at least, refers to one who dominates and exerts his will over his part of the Herd. He dominates by making all others into Sheep. Nasty way to behave, but very common. Is, in fact, the basis for (or, at least, the explanation for) the majority political and diplomatic behavior.
Sheep, generally means a benign, quiescent follower. A devoted member of the Herd interested in doing nothing that goes against the grain. One who would never, under any circumstances, risk irritating any nearby Alpha nor anything that might raise the ire of the Herd.
How do those go together?
Well, according the Urban Dictionary (which is actually quite a good resource, in spite of its name), “Alpha Sheep” are those who, when young, are better called “black sheep” — as in ostracized from the Herd for doing “weird things” — and then later in life become the ones who set the Trends — as in, control the Herd by doing “weird things”.
Hmm… how’s that again? The ostracized become the leaders?(1) So, let’s boil that down into a little hip-shot sociology.
The Young and Weird have no power, because the Young are not well tolerated, even by other Young. (Especially by other Young.) The mature and Weird sometimes have power because of how the rest of the Herd responds to them and also because they have continued to be Weird, didn’t get blunted by the Herd’s constantly “black sheep’ing” them.
I think the short lesson here is: don’t be a Sheeple, be yourself. But that also means not trying to be an Alpha Sheep because that’s just another role and also leads to suppression of the self. Be yourself, your total self and I suspect you just are an Alpha Sheep, even if no one notices.
“We the Sheeple, in order to create a more uniform Herd…”
But then, I really don’t want you being a Sheep in any case. Neither do you. Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma or any other Greek letter type of Sheep.
Besides, “Alpha Sheep” is a very silly term, annoying in fact, to a logical mind. (You agree, right? 🙂 ) Or is it just that I’m me, here on this website where Rules are what’s Really Ostracized?
Short version: Or let’s just admit that that’s why the subject is called “sociology” and not “logic.”
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(1) Cool. Does that mean I get to run the World now?