Dear Designer
Dear Designer: Beware the Judas Goat
Don’t be led to slaughter by someone who’s not really on your side
Dear Mike,
A few weeks ago, something bad happened at work. It upset me enough that I discussed it with HR. They said they’d handle it but they never got back to me and the bad situation is still happening. Should I follow up? Should I forget about it? Should I trust that HR handled it?
Dear Designer,
Let’s talk about sheep. Besides being a handy metaphor, sheep are herd animals. They enjoy each others’ company because it not only provides safety, but it also gives them other sheep to hang out with and talk to. It’s a community. The group names for sheep are flock, herd, and mob, words that are also used to describe groups of people in various contexts. Maybe that’s why they’re a handy metaphor. Another reason might be because they’re highly suggestible and very trusting. It’s easy to get a sheep on your side, especially if the sheep thinks you’re one of them.
Enter the Judas goat.
Judas goats are used by ranchers to herd sheep from pasture to pasture, and eventually to slaughter. The goat is trained by the ranchers to follow their commands, then it gets in with the sheep who accept the goat as one…
