Why are people like sheep?

More than anything, Mush, it's the easy way out. If we follow others, we don't need to be creative or innovative. Individuality can be hard, because being different can attract negative comments, especially from ourselves. My students object to having to wear uniforms for school, yet when I see them at the mall or out anywhere, they seem to dress as alike as possible. They need courage to be themselves.

Partially, I think it goes all the way back to our evolutionary roots. Take early man for instance, if one went out and made the first ever mammoth coat and was warmer than the others you can bet they'd go make a coat too. I believe this tendency to copy the "success" of others is mostly genetic and just part of being human. Yet in todays world, where we're not constantly threatened by giant saber toothed cats, freezing temperatures while living in a cave and other various woes, the trait takes on a different form. We still copy, some of us, what we feel to be success. Being "cool" or "fitting in" is success to some people, therefore they'll copy what they have seen others done to reach that. Same with somebody wanting to look like a paper thin super model. We do need to be careful with how much crap we throw at the young ones. As their parents, siblings and mentors it's up to us to sort of act like a filter and teach them they no longer need to conform to the mold to satisfy their primal desire for survival.

When you stop using your brain and start using others, you become a follower and not a leader.

i think this happens because our society discriminate who arent like them or like their idols so i think the people dont like to be alone and the want as you said to "fit in" on a group who accept it.