Initial Analysis of Good and Bad Deeds

Word Cloud of the Good Deeds of Everyman

Time for some initial analysis of the Good and Bad Deeds presented by Everyman audiences.  The data set is incomplete at the moment, as there are more Bad Deeds as yet not inputted - and there's more sifting of categories and placement.  Some answers cross over a number of Good and Bad Deeds and some are just unclassifiable - and this isn't a full survey - we're only asking people to name one Good and Bad Deed and not a number of them, ranked in order of severity - and people forget or deny their deeds - but I think we can identify some trends.

Good Deeds

Saving a Life, Helping Animals and Patience with Idiots all came in at 3% each.

Smiling as a Good Deed comes in at 5% (Which is a very interesting quirk - because is smiling a good deed, or even necessarily a good thing?)
Lots of people stated inner aims as Good Deeds - almost aspirations, rather than active Good Deeds (thinking well of others, trying not to be selfish etc) - these came in at a joint 6% along with classifiable abstract or joke responses, as well as Caring for the Sick.
Volunteering or Charity Work - 9%
Donating Money or Goods - 14% 

But, by far the most common were Little Kindnesses at 45% - many of which involve Wheelie bins.

Word Cloud of the Bad Deeds of Everyman -
a few slightly random words, isolated from context,
raise more questions than answers...

Bad Deeds are easier to classify - fitting into the classic seven deadly sins, or into a 'Thou Shalt Not' Commandment.  By and large we admit to violent thoughts or deeds, accompanied with a fair amount of lying and cheating.  On the plus side, Pride, classically the worse sin, isn't in much evidence. (Though you could argue that by writing a Good Deed you are giving into Pride - the list of Good Deeds can feel uncomfortably like bragging at times, but that can't be helped because of the nature of the exercise.  It would be different if I only asked for a Bad Deed and people insisted on telling me their virtues.  By and large the audiences have struggled to think of a Good Deed and struggled to choose a Bad Deed, which either suggests we're all hopeless sinners, or that we're simply more aware of doing harm and dismiss our basic niceness.  I prefer the latter assumption, it's less judgemental.)

Pride                            3%

Lechery                        9%

Sloth                            10%

Gluttony                       13%

Theft                            14%

Lying & Cheating          23%

Wrath                           28%

The Summoning of Everyman: Touring April 2015
All shows will be Pay-What-You-Want and tickets can be reserved by phone or online.

Leavenheath Village Hall                            -              Sunday 5th April at 6pm

Hundon Village Hall                                   -              Monday 6th April at 7.30pm

Creeting St Mary Jubilee Hall                     -              Tuesday 7th April at 7.30pm

Assington Village Hall                                -              Thursday 9th April at 7.30pm

Brettenham Village Hall                             -              Tuesday 14th April at 7.30pm

Steeple Bumpstead Village Hall                 -              Wednesday 15th April at 7.30pm

St Mary’s Church, Chilton                         -              Sunday 19th April at 3pm

Boxted & Hartest Institute                         -              Monday 20th April at 7.30pm

Stisted Village Hall                                    -              Wednesday 22nd April at 7.30pm

All details correct at time of press – updates, corrections and directions to shows can be found online – or contact us direct.