{"id":7358,"date":"2025-09-06T11:59:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/?p=7358"},"modified":"2025-09-06T11:59:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:59:22","slug":"excellent-sheep-maga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/","title":{"rendered":"From Excellent Sheep to MAGA Sheep: How Higher Education Trains Herd Mentality"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5\">\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7362 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MAGA-sheep.jpg\" alt=\"Sheep wearing MAGA hat illustrating excellent sheep to MAGA sheep herd mentality transition\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MAGA-sheep.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MAGA-sheep-500x263.jpg 500w, https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MAGA-sheep-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MAGA-sheep-768x403.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/h3>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#Bottom_Line_Up_Front\" >Bottom Line Up Front:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#The_Excellent_Sheep_Training_Ground\" >The Excellent Sheep Training Ground<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#From_Campus_Conformity_to_MAGA_Sheep_Behavior\" >From Campus Conformity to MAGA Sheep Behavior<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#The_Hypocrisy_of_%E2%80%9CInformed%E2%80%9D_Voters\" >The Hypocrisy of &#8220;Informed&#8221; Voters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#Outro\" >Outro<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/06\/excellent-sheep-maga\/#Additional_Resources\" >Additional Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bottom_Line_Up_Front\"><\/span>Bottom Line Up Front:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><em>College-educated conservatives started as excellent sheep in higher education, learning conformity and herd mentality, then became MAGA sheep applying those same behaviors to politics. From campus groupthink to political conformity, education trained them to follow rather than think independently.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">America&#8217;s college MAGA supporters represent a fascinating case study in learned conformity. These individuals mastered the <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/billderesiewicz.com\/books\/excellent-sheep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">excellent sheep behavior described by William Deresiewicz<\/a> &#8211; following prescribed academic paths, chasing prestige, and conforming to institutional expectations. After graduation, they simply transferred this herd mentality from campus to politics, becoming MAGA sheep who follow conservative talking points with the same blind conformity they once applied to college admissions.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Excellent_Sheep_Training_Ground\"><\/span>The Excellent Sheep Training Ground<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Higher education created the perfect breeding ground for political conformity. College-bound students learned to follow checklists, chase rankings, and suppress independent thinking in favor of approved outcomes. The system rewarded those who could:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7\">\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Navigate admissions requirements without questioning their purpose<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Pursue prestigious majors based on external validation rather than genuine interest<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Follow academic trends and faculty expectations over personal curiosity<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Prioritize credentials and networking over actual learning<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Accept debt and delayed gratification for promised future rewards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">This excellent sheep training taught students that success comes from identifying the &#8220;right&#8221; answers and conforming to institutional expectations. While critical thinking was officially encouraged, the grading system rewarded those who could identify and reproduce faculty-approved viewpoints. Students learned to read social cues, follow academic trends, and avoid positions that might jeopardize their grades or recommendations.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_Campus_Conformity_to_MAGA_Sheep_Behavior\"><\/span>From Campus Conformity to MAGA Sheep Behavior<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The transition from college to politics required no new skills for these conformists. College MAGA supporters simply applied their learned sheep behavior to conservative politics, following talking points with the same dedication they once brought to academic requirements. The pattern remains identical:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7\">\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Following authoritative sources without independent verification<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Adopting group positions to maintain social standing within conservative circles<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Repeating approved narratives from MAGA influencers and media<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Avoiding dissent that might damage relationships or credibility<\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Prioritizing group loyalty over individual analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">These college-educated conservatives demonstrate their herd mentality through consistent parroting of MAGA talking points, whether discussing economics, foreign policy, or social issues. They exhibit the same sheep behavior that made them successful students &#8211; identifying what the group wants to hear and delivering it reliably.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Trump&#8217;s Role in Activating Sheep Behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Donald Trump didn&#8217;t create these conformist tendencies &#8211; he simply provided a new authority figure for college-educated conservatives to follow. His populist messaging gave these former excellent sheep a sense of rebellion while maintaining their comfort with hierarchical thinking. Trump became their new professor, and MAGA talking points replaced academic orthodoxy as the approved curriculum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The irony runs deep: these individuals believe they&#8217;re thinking independently while following Trump&#8217;s lead as faithfully as they once followed campus trends. Their college training prepared them perfectly for political conformity &#8211; they just needed the right charismatic leader to activate those dormant sheep instincts.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Hypocrisy_of_%E2%80%9CInformed%E2%80%9D_Voters\"><\/span>The Hypocrisy of &#8220;Informed&#8221; Voters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">College-educated conservatives exhibit remarkable cognitive dissonance about their own conformity. They regularly claim to be the truly &#8220;informed&#8221; voters while dismissing others as misinformed sheep. Conservative blogs like The New Neo feature posts and educated commenters who confidently assert that <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/thenewneo.com\/2025\/09\/04\/more-evidence-that-part-of-being-a-leftist-for-some-people-is-being-misinformed-uninformed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">leftists are uninformed<\/a>, completely oblivious to their own herd behavior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">This elitist attitude reflects their college training &#8211; they learned to view themselves as intellectually superior while conforming to group expectations. The same mindset that made them successful students now makes them confident political followers. They possess the credentials to feel smart while lacking the independence to think critically about their own positions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Progressive Sheep: The Obvious Comparison<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The progressive sheep phenomenon has been apparent for over a decade. Liberal college graduates exhibit identical conformity patterns, from coordinated messaging campaigns like suddenly calling Trump &#8220;weird&#8221; to following academic orthodoxy on social issues. Their herd behavior is well-documented and predictable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">But college-educated conservatives represent a more interesting case study because they claim to reject elite conformity while exhibiting it perfectly. They criticize progressive groupthink while demonstrating identical sheep behavior in conservative contexts. In reality, both sides function as <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/06\/democrats-republicans-two-peas-in-the-same-pod\/\">two peas in the same pod<\/a> &#8211; different herds following different shepherds, but exhibiting the same fundamental conformity patterns learned in higher education.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outro\"><\/span>Outro<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Higher education succeeded in creating conformists, not independent thinkers. The excellent sheep who once chased college rankings now chase political approval with identical dedication. Whether progressive or conservative, college graduates demonstrate that education failed to break their herd mentality &#8211; it simply gave them credentials to feel superior while following the crowd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The transition from campus sheep to political sheep reveals the fundamental flaw in American higher education. Students learned to conform rather than think, to follow rather than lead, and to seek approval rather than truth. Trump didn&#8217;t create sheep behavior among college conservatives &#8211; he simply became their new shepherd.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-lg font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-1.5\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Additional_Resources\"><\/span>Additional Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Herd Mentality Research:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7\">\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herd_behavior\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Herd Behavior &#8211; Wikipedia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ogilvy.com\/ideas\/implications-herd-mentality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Implications of Herd Mentality &#8211; Ogilvy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/news\/podcasts\/speaking-of-psychology\/group-behavior\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Group Psychology &#8211; APA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Excellent Sheep Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7\">\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com\/2016\/07\/12\/book-review-excellent-sheep-the-miseducation-of-the-american-elite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Book Review: Excellent Sheep<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/whyevolutionistrue.com\/2022\/05\/24\/are-college-students-excellent-sheep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Are College Students Excellent Sheep?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/we-arent-raising-adults-we-are-breeding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">We Aren&#8217;t Raising Adults &#8211; The Free Press<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Political Herd Behavior:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7\">\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/mosesma.medium.com\/herd-behavior-in-the-maga-movement-984045f08016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MAGA Herd Behavior Analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/adamkinzinger.substack.com\/p\/the-perpetual-victimhood-of-maga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Perpetual Victimhood of MAGA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bottom Line Up Front: College-educated conservatives started as excellent sheep in higher education, learning conformity and herd mentality, then became MAGA sheep applying those same behaviors to politics. From campus groupthink to political conformity, education trained them to follow rather than think independently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162,231,245,30,57,235,251,270,66,275,106,69,105,234,31],"tags":[246,271,55],"class_list":["post-7358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deep-state","category-big-govt","category-2026-midterms","category-blogging","category-democratic-party","category-judicial-overreach","category-lawfare","category-maga","category-progressivism","category-project-2025","category-republican-party","category-totalitarianism","category-trump","category-trump-tally","category-wordpress","tag-2026-midterms","tag-maga","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7358"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7363,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7358\/revisions\/7363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karmismusingstech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}