sheep smarts

They're not stupid, they have sexual preferences (8% are homosexual), they prefer smiles, they defend weaker fellows of the flock, and their capacity to decimate the grass that feeds many is not to be trifled with.

For all that, human beings insist on calling sheep "stupid" and otherwise speaking down to the animal that adorns their sacrificial altars, fills their dinner plate and warms their sweaters.

I wonder if that is a descriptive human trait -- to label as "stupid" (or, pick your pejorative) that which a human being wishes to exploit without exciting a chorus of criticism or complaint.