I’ve never seen this discussed online before, but does anyone else have copycat siblings who try to emulate you? That is, siblings who study you, your goals, your ideals, your attitudes, your activities, then try to steal them. That is, act like those selfsame goals etc. were actually theirs from the beginning. Then they insinuate themselves into your social milieu or circle of friends, so you have to go find another place to live after having your fill of their epigonic ways. They followed after me in choice of sports, college study, political views and so forth, all the while behaving as though they’re the maverick. It’s the closest a human can come to being replaced by an android.
Are you the oldest sibling? If so, it’s pretty common that younger siblings might continue down a path you have selected. But why do you see this as such a bad thing? That they might have similar political beliefs or choose the same college (or one of your other examples) only affirms that they respect you and think you make great choices. Your word choices indicate that you have a lot of hostility toward your siblings. Is it that you need to be affirmed as an individual, or that you just genuinely don’t like them, or something else?
I chose the word “emulate”, versus “imitate”, to indicate competition and the desire to beat me at my own game, so to speak. Do you have siblings?
Actually, I was referring more to your choice of epigonic and steal, and the fact that you’re focusing on how other people perceive them as being interesting.
Yes, I am the oldest of many children. I had a similar problem when my next-oldest sister was bumped up to go to the same summer camp as I went to when I was in middle school, but now, I am happy to see them following in my footsteps (the ones that have chosen to).
I am the younger sibling. It has taken years and many meetings of the Younger Siblings Club (I think I just violated the first rule), but I’m finally about to finish the program. The only thing I need to do now is wait for my older brother to fall asleep next to one of the pods, then the assimilation process will be complete.
Of course, now that you’ve caught on to the global conspiracy, we’ll have to hold an emergency meeting to see about moving your timetable up. You have no one to blame but yourself. Don’t meddle in things you don’t understand.
If you have siblings, you have copycat siblings. I think Amasia has it right. The level and severity of copycatting is found in the eyes of the perceieved copycattee.
I’m the firstborn of 5. For years, I heard: “You’re the oldest - you need to set the example!”
Guess how many of my sibs joined the Navy - or any military branch for that matter?
Heck, guess how many have moved away from the metropolitan area where we grew up??
Apparently, I wasn’t much of an example setter.
What about copycat cousins? I have alot if those…
I have a copycat son. The little prick.
Awe, that’s sweet!
I have a younger brother. I took French in high school, and so did he. We went to the same college - I majored in English and he majored in French. Both of us had our first real job at the same company for a similar number of years. He moved out at 18, like I did (although he had the advantage of being able to move into my house :)). His second real job was to take my old position with the company where I had my second job.
I could say he’s trying to steal my life. Or I could say that I’m honored he’s thought so highly of the choices I’ve made, and extremely fortunate to have been able to help such an incredibly cool, smart person start his own path through life.
My situation is a variation on the theme: I’m the youngest, with a sister 15 years older and a couple of much older brothers in between. My sister grew up in the '50s and was a teen in the '60s. I grew up in the '70s and was a teen in the early '80s.
My mother was so happy to have another girl, as she’d enjoyed my sister’s activities, interests, and various styles of dress so much that she was determined I would be my sister mark II in a number of respects. So when a local independent tv station began re-running the Mickey Mouse Club around 1975 when I was 10, my mother insisted that I stay in and watch it, as my sister had loved it, for example. Not only did I have to take piano lessons as my sister had done 15 years before me, but from the same teacher – my mother insisted we learn the same pieces. There were other little things as well, like my mother hanging on to my sister’s old clothes (mostly outerwear) and insisting I wear my sister’s ‘good coat because it has a lot of wear left in it.’ (Arguably, I do understand this now as an adult, but the styles were very out of date, and at that time retro fashions just weren’t happening in my 5th and 6th grade classes!)
Fortunately it wasn’t some weird Village of the Damned scenario, and my mother didn’t do this with 100% of my activities, but just enough to be annoying. My sister and I actually have very little in common; we’re opposite physical types and do have different interests, pursuits, outlook, etc., and she was the one who finally told my mother to give it a rest as it was obvious that a '70s kid wasn’t happy being a '50s kid redux!
Not in my family. We’re all so different that I can scarcely believe we were raised in the same house.