The Bellwether and the Great White Hope

We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. Long ago, it was common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning “bell”) and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep that has been castrated). It eventually followed that bellwether would come to refer to someone who takes initiative or who actively establishes a trend that is taken up by others. This usage first appeared in English in the 15th century. — Did You Know: Merriam Webster Dictionary Online[1]

Hmm… Bellwether. The ringing in my ear portends the occurrence of someone who, according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary is, “one that takes the lead or initiative; a leader; an indicator of trends.”[1] I thought it appropriate to pull this term from its long standing English lexicon to assist in describing Ron DeSantis today. Another term taken from Howard Sackler’s loosely based novel turned movie on the life of Black boxer Jack Johnson titled, ”The Great White Hope,” was also appropriate in my view, given how it brought the anticipation of a white messiah back into the lexicon of American literature during the early 1900s and how it is especially comparative to events occurring…