What We Mean When We Call You ‘Sheep’
We’re trying to get you into the habit of thinking for yourselves
Across decades, the term “sheep” has picked up steam as a common insult against people who cannot seem to get their brains to work properly. Those who fail to use multiple sources for news-gathering and fact-checking. Simpletons who recite the same types of canned lines over and over again. People who are so dense and gullible that they tend to easily believe what others tell them.
I’d say this is a legitimate problem within our society…unless you enjoy living amongst Pod People.
Last year, through my civic advocacy work, I met a Texas congressional candidate who made a very astute point while we were discussing the dangers of groupthink:
“Most people are followers, not leaders,” she told me.
She was right. And with good reason. It isn’t practical or feasible for everyone to assume a leadership role in every single scenario.
This was also someone who was partially missing the point. This candidate privately insisted to me that America had to honor corporate deals with foreign countries even when it comes to them exploiting resources (and possibly violating environmental standards) within American borders. Once, when I expressed regret about how…
