Bad apples

[1] The proverb was rephrased by Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanack in 1736, stating "the rotten apple spoils his companion.

"[2] The phrase was popularized by sermons during the 19th century, claiming "As one bad apple spoils the others, so you must show no quarter to sin or sinners.

[7] Linguists such as Ben Zimmer have pointed out that the proverb began to be used in the opposite sense in the 20th century,[8] instead stating that "a few bad apples" are not representative of a group.

"[9][4] When the US Army's war crimes at Abu Ghraib surfaced, the condemnation given by the George W. Bush administration was characterised by the press as blaming "a few bad apples" for abuse of prisoners.

[10][11] Barack Obama used the bad apple metaphor in a 2013 speech to defend his Healthcare law when thousands of Americans were losing their health insurance.

[15] Pro-police officials were first recorded as using the metaphor following the beating of Rodney King and it was used following the shootings of Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, and the murder of George Floyd.