I read a news item that referred to the three House seats in Virginia districts that are up for a potential flip from Democratic control to Republican. The article referred to Virginia as a bellwether. You most likely know that a bellwether is a leading indicator of something – elections outcomes, in this instance.
Unless you are one of my FB friends who is a teacher, you may not know that the etymology of the word bellwether goes back to Middle English. A wether is a castrated ram, and the bellwether is the one that wears a bell around its neck. Shepards used a bellwether to follow their flocks. Even when the flock went over a hill, the Shepard could follow the sound of the wether’s bell.
So, when I read this item this morning in bed, it led to a conversation that went like this:
Me: “Isn’t a bellwether a goat with a bell around its neck meant to lead a herd to slaughter?”
Susan: “Maybe; I think we’ve looked this up before.”
Me: <reading from Wikipedia> “It’s a castrated ram … Okay, I’m confusing the Judas goat with the bellwether. I wonder why it has to be a castrated ram.”
Susan: “It probably makes the ram more docile, less likely to engage in fighting, and more likely to comply with human directions.”
Me: “Hmmm, maybe we should consider the potential benefit of doing this to any male national leader. Let’s start with Trump, Putin, Kim, Orban, MBS, and a few Ayatollahs. I think I’ll post that on my blog later today.”
Susan: “Just don’t post it on FB or you’ll be sent to the Gulag for sure.”
Me: <smiling>