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I can't stand it when I hear politicians refer to military abuses as "a few bad apples." Don't they realize the expression ends with "spoil the whole barrel"? Arrrgh! Precisely the opposite of the point they're trying to make!
These aphorisms are important because they convey traditional folk wisdom that is meant to be teachable. To use them incorrectly shows not only astonishing ignorance, but contempt for the very wisdom the phrase is trying to impart! Imagine listening to a White House spokesman say, "We've done a full review of our egg resources, and we are confident that we can accurately predict the future chicken population."
In the apple metaphor, the phrase is a stern warning against the danger of engaging in casual groupthink. The point is that without vigilance we are dangerously corruptible, which seems to be proven true in too many cases.
