I would like to discuss the concept of "sheeple", page 1

Many, most people in fact, make independent minded decisions for themselves.

Most people, the majority in fact, even here on ATS can only and often will only be able to make those decisions based on their own pre-established knowledge of life, the world, and the universe and the sum total of their own unique experiences and perceptions as a guide.

Think of it as vocabulary. Some people are at a loss for words because they know few, some people have a command of the language where words just roll magically off of their tongue and some people have such an extensive vocabulary and way of using such words as to less magically but more manipulatively state and frame things in ways that make their statements seem valuable and authoritative instead of the whole lot of nothing and gibberish it was.

Simply put people can only make their own decisions with the limited tools that they have.

Some people have a very limited number of tools in their shed. If you offer to loan them or give them a new tool
they reject it. This tool does just fine for me they say suspiciously.

A sheeple, is not capable of thinking outside of the box. A sheeple is so committed to what they have decided they know as to dismiss and reject any additional information out of hand without first investigating or contemplating it’s validity.

People are institutionally educated to certain standards that provide limited and incomplete points of reference to make their decisions. Often they are taught false and deliberately false information to accept as the truth to make their decisions.

Call these blinders or fence railings, corrals or pens but the reality is people tend to accept that box and are taught through peer pressure and validation and absolution not to think or look too hard outside of the box.

They make decisions for themselves in the box. What ever the decision is it will always be about staying inside the box.

This is what makes them sheeple. I was fortunate to start peering outside and getting outside the box at an early age.
I discovered many shocking things in short order. So shocking in fact I could well appreciate why most people felt comfortable and safer inside the box. As time went on though things of a shocking nature outside the box became less shocking because life is a far more fluid, interesting, and entertaining, engaging and challenging thing outside the box. Nothing really shocks or frightens me anymore. Par for the course I would say.

Sheeple prefer not to confront what’s outside the box. There decisions are made solely on how to govern themselves within the box. The reality is much of what they will need to survive and enjoy a decent standard of life comes from outside the box. They are hostage to how people outside the box manage the box for them!

Because they don’t know who is outside of the box, and what’s going on outside the box, when times get difficult and uncertain as they are now inside the box, they are stuck looking inside the box for the solutions to their dilemma.

There is no solution to their dilemma because ultimately the box is managed from the outside and not the inside.

I actually understand why some people prefer the box. I understand why some people prefer life outside the box.

Your post is a valid and thoughtful one OP but in my humble opinion it simply is the typical how can we make an unpleasant life inside the box more pleasant in how we view and react to life inside the box and one another.

This might make a more palatable box, but it’s still a box!