Everything about Sheeple totally explained
Sheeple is a
term of disparagement, a
portmanteau created by combining the words "
sheep" and "
people." It is often used to denote persons who acquiesce to authority, and thus undermine their own human individuality. The implication of
sheeple is that as a collective, people believe whatever they're told, especially if told so by authority figures, without processing it to be sure that it's an accurate representation of the real world around them. The term is generally used in a political or religious sense.
Usage
The label seems to have originated among those in the
United States of a
far right political persuasion. The
Wall Street Journal first reported the label in print in
1984; the reporter heard the word used by the proprietor of an
American Opinion bookstore affiliated with the
John Birch Society. In this usage, taxpayers were derided for their perceived blind conformity, as opposed to the
conspiracy theorists and
tax protesters who thought independently. A piece of folk poetry circulating among conspiracy theorists puts this particular usage in a nutshell:
» Oh yes, I'm a sheeple, and oh so proud to be.
I am way too smart to believe in a conspiracy.
The term is also used for those who are tolerant of government intrusion and regulation. In a column entitled "A Nation of Sheeple," columnist Walter E. Williams writes, "Americans sheepishly accepted all sorts of Transportation Security Administration nonsense. In the name of security, we've allowed fingernail clippers, eyeglass screwdrivers and toy soldiers to be taken from us prior to boarding a plane." This usage emphasizing unneeded or excessive tolerance is sometimes extended to those who are very accepting of capitalism, those in favor of globalization, or those affected with
consumerism. It is also used to describe those who easily recognize and submit to authority figures or appointed leaders.
The term also has been applied to zealously religious people. In political usage, it can be used to refer to a member of any political party, but especially those who take a hard party line stance or who are especially trusting of any politician.
The term is also used more broadly to describe any person the speaker feels is exceedingly conformist to consumer culture and popular culture.
Popular culture
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sheeple'.
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