Sheeple
Sheeple (a portmanteau of "sheep" and "people") is a term of disparagement in which people are likened to sheep, a herd animal. The term is used to describe those who voluntarily acquiesce to a suggestion without critical analysis or research. By doing so, they undermine their own individuality and may willingly give up their rights.
Contents |
[edit] Usage
The label originated in the United States, possibly referring to British John Brunner's novel The Sheep Look Up, and designates people who tend to accept and take statements at face value, especially if it is cited in mainstream media. There is documented print usage of this word as early as 1950, in the form, "We, the Sheeple", in the Emory University Quarterly, v.6-7 1950-1951, page 64.[1] "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.[2] In this usage, taxpayers were derided for their blind conformity as opposed to those who thought independently.[3] Shortwave radio host Milton William Cooper used the term commonly during his Hour of the Time radio show during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The label had been used by authors of fiction: as a title for Canada's ex-MP Garth Turner's 2009 book, also in numerous other works.
The term is also used more broadly to describe any person who the speaker feels is exceedingly conformist.
[edit] Governance
The term is also used for those who are deemed inordinately tolerant, or welcoming, 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."[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Emory University Quarterly v.6-7 1950-1951, page 64, By Emory University Published by Emory University., 1950
- ^ Bob Davis, "In New Hampshire, 'Live Free or Die' Is More Than a Motto," The Wall Street Journal, 1984, quoted online at Word Spy
- ^ "Word of the Week: Sheeple" at Macmillan Dictionary.
- ^ "A Nation of Sheeple", Capitalism Magazine, October 19, 2005.
[edit] External links
 |
Look up sheeple in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
