POLL

[permetaform]

I have had an eyebrow raising convo with fashes.


Deepak Chopra

Do you have any clue who this guys is/does? Have you heard the guys's name before, and is he supposed to be part of one's general knowledge?

[edit] addendum: is not knowing who he is and what he does tantamount to not knowing who Luke's father is?

Comments

[xenacryst.livejournal.com]

Vaguely. Certainly know the name, and a wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Chopra) entry reminds me that he's been involved with (embroiled in?) both transcendental meditation and intelligent design. Probably both reasons that I haven't had the desire to keep him further at the front of my consciousness. Eyebrow raising, indeed. Part of one's general knowledge? Enh.

[sweetestdrain]

Sure, in the vaguest sense. He's an author/spiritual dude, writes a lot about self-healing and meditation and things. I've known the name for a long time, but I've also worked in a bookstore for the past six years, so that might give me an advantage.

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

Seen his name associated with mental/parapsychological stuff--wrote a few books, I recall. I doubt he's 'general knowledge,' though.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

He's been a part of pop culture for the last however many years. I'd say most people would have heard of him. But then, I'm often wrong. ;)

I've never seen him on TV or read any of his books myself.

[emptybackpack.livejournal.com]

Definitely recognize the name, and have heard it dozens of times. Never had any clue who he was and didn't bother to find out before today.

[tallulah71.livejournal.com]

I used to work in a book store, so yes very familiar, without ever having read any of his books. I believe he is/was an Oprah fav.

[klia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've known about him for over a decade, since a friend who was dying of cancer got really into his books and methods.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yup, fluffy feelgood healing methods.

[kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com]

I do know that if he married Oprah, her name would be Oprah Chopra.

[xanphibian.livejournal.com]

My stepdad had all of his books. This was like, um, 1994ish? I don't think I would know the name if not for that.

edited, because I don't want to offend anyone

[permetaform]

::blinkblinkgiggles::

[obsessive24.livejournal.com]

I wonder if this kind of reply-poll would yield accurate results spanning your entire friends list, as people who don't know the name may be less inclined to pop in and say so, either for fear of sounding unknowledgeable or simply because they might not be bothered commenting with a one-word answer. I don't have any idea who this guy is, and I was just about to skip over this post when I thought that this might be a good point to bring up.

[permetaform]

there is that. heh, however I don't have polls so ::shrug::

[http://users.livejournal.com/solo____/]

Never ever heard of him. Googled him just now, and feel that my life has not been poorer for the lack of knowledge.

[phoiniks.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

[phoiniks.livejournal.com]

I think he's a "guru" for a new age stuff. I passed by his books when I visit book store. Nope, don't know whether he's supposed to be a general knowledge thing.

[myniamh.livejournal.com]

When I think of his name I think of mumus (those floral dress things), big weird seventies hair and the five billion self 'I talk to aliens and dead people all the time' help books he's put out.

[permetaform]

Part of one's general knowledge? Enh.

::wry:: yeah. fashes stared at me like I just said I didn't know Ghandi and while I know that I am lacking in pop culture to the point that I'd only seen the original Die Hard recently, I didn't think it was THAT large of a transgression.

[permetaform]

He's been a part of pop culture for the last however many years. I'd say most people would have heard of him.

See, while I know that I'm lacking in pop culture I didn't think it was a...like you didn't know who Luke's father was thing. So...I dunno. ::wry wince::

[permetaform]

o.0 he's an Oprah fave?

ah, no wonder he's part of pop culture then...and possibly part of how I missed him? While I know of Oprah I don't bother following her.

[permetaform]

thank you, for pointing this out

[permetaform]

::blink:: seventies hair?

would...he be a person more known if one and one's family were in America before 1980?

[myniamh.livejournal.com]

He really had this kind of hair but (http://www.intouchmag.com/Images/deepak.jpeg) I had the impression he had one of those 'clouds' of hair that just sat on people's heads in the seventies.

My family has never actually been in America but I think he'd be familiar to people in western countries born before 1980. =P

[permetaform]

oh. heh, my family immigrated from mainland China in the 80's. People in other comments were mentioning finding him in their parent's bookshelves.

[myniamh.livejournal.com]

I think it might be an age thing, if it's only up to hearing about him on recent Oprah shows I'd have no hope in knowing who he was. =D

[permetaform]

::wry grin:: not one for talk shows?

[myniamh.livejournal.com]

I'm not even sure we get Oprah on free-to-air tv anymore. =O

[permetaform]

ohh.

::grins:: I was still surprised that she's still going strong with new shows here...then again it's sorta the same feeling I got when I found out how long SG1 had been running. o.0

[fred-god-of.livejournal.com]

Haven't the fainstest ideaa, but then again the crazy people in my family stick firmly to the Babtist church and I've never watched Oprah anywere besides the dentist.
His name makes think of aliens were our forebearers though.

[fred-god-of.livejournal.com]

Now after reading the wiki I feel silly because that's actually his name and not an assumed one, I need to rememeber to actually look before leaping.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

addendum: is not knowing who he is and what he does tantamount to not knowing who Luke's father is?

Oh, heck no. *g*

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

I've known who he was for some time now. He seems to be one of the less useful guru-types out there. The fact that he has the perfect guru name gives him more credibility than he may deserve.

I rarely see serious references to him outside of ads. I often see jokes made about him but, less often in the past couple years.

I don't think you missed much.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. I'd suppose it would depend on what kinds of things you pay attention to. I don't think it's *important* cultural knowledge.

Anyway, it's a lot better than not having heard of Chairman Mao (a little disagreement some friends of mine had, solved by interrogating the pizza guy when he arrived during the argument). ;)

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

I agree. :p

[gelasius.livejournal.com]

I probably wouldn't know who he was if I didn't work at Barnes&Noble in a particularly new-age-friendly neighborhood so that I sell his books all the time. And the people who buy them tend to be... excessively chatty in that pseudo-hippie new-agey way.

Yeah.

::giggles madly::

[fashes.livejournal.com]

is not knowing who he is and what he does tantamount to not knowing who Luke's father is?

But here's the thing. Most of the people who *know* who Deepak Chopra is would likely not have any idea just who Luke's father is. They'd be all
Luke, who? And then you'd say
Luke Skywalker... and then they'd be all
OH! You mean Luke from STAR WARS!
THEN they'd get it.

::smiles innocently::

Re: ::giggles madly::

[permetaform]

::raises eyebrows::

fine. it's my year. =P