Blacksheep of the Family.

The term originated from the fact that the occasional black sheep will be born into a herd of white sheep. Black sheep were considered undesirable because their wool cannot be dyed. White is the preferred color for wool as it is most easily dyed and easiest to market. Usually it refers to a person that has been shunned by others, or one who has chosen to be an outsider, due to actions and aims that separate them from the rest of the people or family. A typical example might be a family member who has chosen to follow a religion other than that of the rest of his family. We have an embroidered picture of 5 white sheep and one blacksheep facing butt first. My step sister and I used to argue over which one of us was the blacksheep...lol

I have always considered this term to mean someone in the family who does not agree with the way the rest of the family thinks and feels about different issues . I have always considered myself the black sheep of the family as I don't do things they way they do . I am not as smart as all of them and was never any good in school . I had two of my children before I got married and did not see this as wrong and still don't . I got hooked up with someone that the family did not consider suitable because his family came from nothing . I do not have the education the rest of the family has and don't have a good job and don't make a lot of money . I took in a child that is not mine but consider her one of my family as even though she is not my biological child she is just as important to me and I have four of my own children which everyone considers to be too many children in this day and age . I am not comfortable cooking like the rest of my family and my idea's and values are not similar to theres and I don't consider mine to be wrong or and more right then anyone else's idea's .

First off the word Black, is a very negative word. Black balled, in the black and so forth. Actually it is a racial slur. Sheep are followers. So, Blacksheep put together dosen't make sense, as a black sheep is one who is different and rebels. So, it's kind of weird that the word is used that way.

Well I guess that it has come from the fact that Sheep are white and there has been the Odd Black one so it will have been the outsider. And the Black Sheep of the Family is the Outsider of the Family for one reason or another

I dont know but our family has 2 blacksheep in the family. I mean they dont look like sheep.LOL

I have no idea where it came from but it has been used for years and it is true. Maybe not in the immediate family but at least a couple generations back. I dont think that my family has one (menaing my husbnd and daughters) My brothers and sisters dont have on in that family either but I have an Uncle on my Moms side who has always been referred to as the Black sheep. Eveyone loves him the same as the rest but he is the one who drinks and gets into trouble

I am not sure how "blacksheep" came about but if you look around our countryside you will find very few among the other sheep, so hence maybe it is the fact that they are the odd ones out! I consider myself the "blacksheep" of my family as have always been different and always challenging but at least I can say I have given it my best for all it is worth.

Most sheep are white but occassionally you will find one whose wool is black.Sheep are usually frolicking but since the black ones will stand out in a sea of white ones,they llok like they are picking on the other ones.So if a person is the black sheep of the family,they stand out in the family for the negative reasons.I do not know if this is right,but it sure SOUNDS good to me.

I found a link that might help answer your question on where the term black sheep came from. It has alot of useful info. To much to list............ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_sheep_(term)

Caramello makes a very good point. We see flocks of white sheep but very few black sheep so that must be where the term came from. I consider myself the black sheep mainly because I am the youngest and my siblings have many years difference (4, 9, 14 & 15) from me. I never had anything in common with them. They were always way ahead of me in life. I didn't even grow up with them. My oldest brother got married when I was 6! I think if you did a poll, like take one family and asked every member separately, they would all consider themselves the black sheep! LOL! We'll see how your responses go and how many black sheep show up here.

I am the black sheep of my family and proud of it .. I would hate to ever be 'just one of a crowd' ... although I do prefer the more modern definition of the term Black Sheepp rather than the original 'disgraceful' one .. hehehe black sheep: The least reputable member of a group; a disgrace. For example, Uncle Fritz was the black sheep of the family; we always thought he emigrated to Argentina to avoid jail. This metaphor is based on the idea that black sheep were less valuable than white ones because it was more difficult to dye their wool different colors. Also, in the 16th century, their color was considered the devil's mark. By the 18th century the term was widely used as it is today, for the odd member of a group.

The phrase arose in the late 18th century, probably from an older proverb, "There's a black sheep in every flock." Black sheep, in those balmy pre-industrial days, were not as valuable as white sheep. None of the sources was explicit, but I presume white wool could be dyed into any color while black wool was more limited. Thus, the black sheep was the unwelcome oddity in the flock. http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mblacksheep.html

I don't know where the name came from, but I'm definitely the one in my family, LOL!

wow this one brought up some good discussion but did find the answer great topic hon a++ hugs Cheryl

Meaning from the Phrase finder! A worthless or disgraced member of a family. Origin The first record in print is from Charles Macklin's The man of the world, a comedy, 1786: "O, ye villain! you - you - you are a black sheep; and I'll mark you." It isn't entirely clear why black sheep were selected to symbolize worthlessness. Possibly it is just the linking of black things with bad things, which is a long standing allusion in English texts - black mood, black looks etc. It may also be because shepherds disliked black sheep as their fleeces weren't suitable for dying and so were worth less than those of white sheep.