"Sheeple"

“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 are told, especially if told so by authority figures, without processing it to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them. The term is generally used in a political or religious sense. The singular form of the term is "sherson;" however, the plural form is most often used.

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.”

- Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheeple

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