The author states we are copycats, agree or disagree?

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cd20
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Re: The author states we are copycats, agree or disagree?

Post by cd20 »

AtienoMagero wrote: 19 Jun 2021, 02:00 I don't entirely agree with his sentiment. I think it's true that we often try to follow or imitate what successful people do. But I don't think people shift focus from their lives to obsess over "successful" people's lives.
I would agree that we do often try to follow or imitate what successful people do. I would disagree that people do not shift their focus to obsess over what others are doing and trying to be like them. Some people do. I wouldn't necessarily say that it is something all people do, but some do, especially when they are searching for their identity and trying to figure out who they are. I saw this in my son's early teen years. He acted like the guys he hung out with most, he would mimic one for a while, then another, until he finally became himself. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by cd20 »

AngieOdeh wrote: 19 Jun 2021, 09:54 I wouldn't dare to say it in that way. We are not copycats; but, it is human nature to imitate others. Then again, there is the sense of judgment of each person to evaluate whether or not something is worth copying. Each one of us is unique, but we are strongly influenced by the people and circumstances surrounding us. It takes a strong character to chose your likes instead of copying others.
It is human nature to imitate others, especially when we are young. As we get older we are trying to figure out who we are, and tend to copy others until we figure it out. I think as adults we do try to seek inspiration from others, and sometimes that looks like copying, and other times it is tweaking what someone else has done and then bringing our own unique talents to a situation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by NISSE »

What the author has stated is correct up to a certain extent. The reason we look up to successful people is because we are curious about what they have done to become successful and how they have done that in order to impart some of the virtues in to our way doing things. Having said that, not everyone is the same. so, some will succeed and some will not. This is why the author highlights this fact. He says that not be obsessed with everything that successful people do, and start doing our own things that we think will be helpful for us to be successful in whatever we do.
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Post by Agnes Masobeng »

It is a proven fact in the basic education department that copy chatting is how children learn. As adults, we observe successful people with the intention of improving ourselves and growing. That's as far as I agree that we are copy cats as per the author's statement.
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NISSE wrote: 19 Jun 2021, 23:00 What the author has stated is correct up to a certain extent. The reason we look up to successful people is because we are curious about what they have done to become successful and how they have done that in order to impart some of the virtues in to our way doing things. Having said that, not everyone is the same. so, some will succeed and some will not. This is why the author highlights this fact. He says that not be obsessed with everything that successful people do, and start doing our own things that we think will be helpful for us to be successful in whatever we do.
I see your point. We do all have to do things in our own ways. I also agree that even if we copy others, some will succeed and some will not. What works for one person may not work for the next. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by cd20 »

Agnes Masobeng wrote: 20 Jun 2021, 04:27 It is a proven fact in the basic education department that copy chatting is how children learn. As adults, we observe successful people with the intention of improving ourselves and growing. That's as far as I agree that we are copy cats as per the author's statement.
I do agree that as children we are taught to imitate and copy others. As adults, we can choose our own path. There will always be some people who choose to be copycats who never bring an original idea to the table. However, there will also be others who will learn from someone else, adding their own individual gifts and talents to the situation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by Wesusa »

Of course. Nearly everything you do is rooted in what you saw others do. Eating, speaking, writing, reading, none of these are things we would initially do ourselves. So in a way, yes, we are all copycats.
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Post by cd20 »

Wesusa wrote: 23 Jun 2021, 13:49 Of course. Nearly everything you do is rooted in what you saw others do. Eating, speaking, writing, reading, none of these are things we would initially do ourselves. So in a way, yes, we are all copycats.
I would agree with your assessment. I believe we start out as copycats, but at some point, we have to start incorporating our personal beliefs and original ideas into life. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by Nathaniel Owolabi »

I do agree that humans are copycats in nature. It is the way the human race have succeeded for centuries. We observe people who are doing things that work for them and we emulate and try to make it work for us too. I, however, do not think this is necessarily a bad trait, if one can make it work for himself, adapting the process to fit his own ability, then it can definitely turn out great.
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Post by t_mann23 »

I definitely agree that we tend to be copycats--I mean, look at all the celebrities whose hair and clothing and lifestyles we try to imitate in the hopes it will make us successful. It's easy to see someone succeed and try to do the same thing in the hopes it will work for us. Coming up with our own methods is harder and scarier. That doesn't mean being a copycat is necessarily a good thing--it's just the easy thing.
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Post by cd20 »

Nathaniel Owolabi wrote: 28 Jun 2021, 08:57 I do agree that humans are copycats in nature. It is the way the human race have succeeded for centuries. We observe people who are doing things that work for them and we emulate and try to make it work for us too. I, however, do not think this is necessarily a bad trait, if one can make it work for himself, adapting the process to fit his own ability, then it can definitely turn out great.
I agree that we are taught from an early age to be copycats. However, I like to think that most of us, especially as we mature and age, go from copying to looking to others for inspiration, yet adding our own unique abilities and talents. Not just simply copying someone else. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by cd20 »

mohamed benziane wrote: 28 Jun 2021, 12:33 I believe that all of us have copycatted someone else at least once in our lives, one way or another, some intentionally because they want to be like that person whom they copied, some maybe unintentionally because they have habits or routines like others.
You just need to make sure not to erase your personality while doing it.
I agree that we have all copied someone at some point in time. Some people continue to copy others, and unfortunately, do lose themselves in the process. I do not think of myself as a copycat, but do like to look to others for inspiration. Not necessarily doing exactly what they did, or even something similar, just a jumping-off point, if you will. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Post by cd20 »

t_mann23 wrote: 28 Jun 2021, 13:15 I definitely agree that we tend to be copycats--I mean, look at all the celebrities whose hair and clothing and lifestyles we try to imitate in the hopes it will make us successful. It's easy to see someone succeed and try to do the same thing in the hopes it will work for us. Coming up with our own methods is harder and scarier. That doesn't mean being a copycat is necessarily a good thing--it's just the easy thing.
I agree that we do have tendencies toward being a copycat. For me, personally, it is not in the hair and clothing of celebrities or their hairstyles, I could care less. But, imitation (copycat) is the sincerest form of flattery, so I do not think that it is necessarily bad either. I think you need to find a balance of what worked for you without losing yourself in the process.
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Post by Purplesturv »

I totally agree that we are copycats. As humans, we are designed to learn from experiences. Our characters and perceptions are shaped from copying or observing role models i.e. parents, mentors, teachers etc. Also, most major inventions were keyed from theories by other people. We mostly copy and improve on what we copy, which is fair enough because life would be difficult if we had to start from scratch every single time.
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Post by Chukwuebuka Ifedigbo »

Yes. Most of us are copycats, but not all. It will be fallacious to say that we are all copycats. But people who want to follow a particular path always look up to successful people there. This is exactly why we have mentors. It's a better way of ensuring continuity that just letting people define success in their own terms.
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