Wolves, Sheep and Sheep Dogs

The "wolf, sheep, and sheepdog" analogy was popularized by military psychologist, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in his book “On Combat” and was brought to the mainstream in the film “American Sniper.” The concept divides the human population into three distinct archetypes based on their relationship to violence and capacity to act as a protector. The concept has been part of military and law enforcement training since its introduction.

The three roles are defined as follows:

• The Sheep: Representing the vast majority of the population. They are peaceful, kind, and everyday individuals. They generally prefer not to believe that evil exists or that violence could ever reach their doorsteps, often remaining blissfully unaware of lurking dangers.

• The Wolves: The predators of the world. These are murderers, street criminals, violent offenders, and malicious actors, who use violence, deceit, and exploitation, to prey upon the innocent and the weak.

• The Sheepdogs: A rare breed of people blessed with a protective instinct and an engrained capacity for controlled aggression. These individuals, such as military personnel, police officers, and first responders, stand between the wolves and the sheep, willing to confront danger to keep the flock safe. They are generally distrusted by the sheep because of their capacity for violence. Their fangs reminds the Sheep too much of the wolves.

While this metaphor is widely respected in military and law enforcement circles for highlighting the vital role of protectors, it faces criticism for its rigid framing of people from liberals, who believe that categorizing people so strictly, into these three boxes, oversimplifies complex social dynamics, which ignores the many other non-violent ways people contribute to and safeguard society, such as through journalism, community building, and peaceful civic engagement.

They also believe that this "sheepdog" mentality can sometimes foster a superiority complex, wherein protectors view everyday civilians as weak or lesser than themselves.

You do recognize the fallacy of the liberal mindset here don’t you? They aren’t willing to accept the concept, because they don’t have the capacity to be either the Wolf nor the Sheep Dog. Their natural disposition does not have the predatory instincts of the Wolf. They also lack the protective instincts and abilities of the Sheep Dog. Some pretend to be Sheep Dogs until the Wolf is in front of them. Remember the call for defunding the police? It was the liberals making the call. They are Sheep.