Reading comments about a topic you absolutely know about will make you realize how clueless people are and yet they pretend they know a lot.

The problem isn’t that people pretend to know a lot. It’s that they’re convinced that they DO know a lot.

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What's worse, seeing it in a respected newspaper.

You can always tell when someone is pretending to know about something when they get ever more pedantic about ever smaller points. If you know about a subject, you understand the context of the smaller points without having to lay down all the detail. If you don't know about it, all you've got is basically quibbling over wording. I say this as someone whose been on both sides, as I'd hazard most of us have been at some point. Honestly, I hate the way the internet turns us into dickheads.

Reddit in a nutshell

It's like being on reddit.................... lol

[Gell-Mann Amnesia effect...](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/65213-briefly-stated-the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect-is-as-follows-you)

This is a saying about news reports too. The closer you are to the story, the more you know the news has it wrong.

I actually ended up deleting some comments I made yesterday, because people kept telling me I was wrong. I had nearly a decade of experience in that field, and everyone else rallied around a user who even admitted they were only an apprentice in that area. My initial comment was heavily downvoted, and I only got a couple upvotes on the comment where I mentioned that I had worked in that area for 8.5 years. For my own sanity, I packed up and left. Fuck em.

You don’t even have to know a lot on a topic to engage with it on the level people do. You just need some comprehension and critical thinking skills, and an open mind. But our education system does a terrible job at ensuring people have those basic skills.

My favorite thing about this post is a lot of people who do the clueless commenting are also going to be commenting in agreement on this. (me included for the record).

This will blow up I'm pretty certain Edit : another successful prediction. Thank you instinct

Absofuckingloutely And that’s a scary ass feeling. You’ll see someone with hundreds of upvotes and people asking them questions when that person doesn’t know the slightest thing about what they’re talking about. And you’re just like...is this how **everything** is?? It reminds me of this time where I just happened to walk into the nurses office in highschool and my best friend was sitting in one of the chairs. He had asthma and while it had calmed down since, he was having an attack an hour ago that was bad enough for them to call an ambulance. So I waited with him until they came, watched him get carted up, and walked him to the door. What I didn’t think about at the time was that the door was in front of the school, and right beside the doorway was the auditorium/lunch room which had massive windows. As I walk into the lunchroom afterwards, half the room is posted at the windows looking at the ambulance and trying to figure out who was being put in it. **The stories I heard bro** It was the principal One of the pregnant teachers was having complications A student got jumped for talking shit Etc. etc. etc. And it wasn’t just the rumors. **It was the confidence** with which people were speaking that got me. Not a hint of doubt in anyone’s voice. Even at the table I sat at, somebody asked what was going on and another person just casually answered with something that was obviously completely wrong. I was like “uhhh...no. It was ______, he had an Asthma attack, I literally just walked with the medics down the hall”. And everybody was like “oh shit” and started asking all these questions. But it was such a weird feeling being in a room of hundreds of people, all either saying or being told something was going on, and being the literal **only** person to actually know what really happened. And then you think about how many times you got caught up in that yourself, and how many times shit like that happens everyday all across the world, and has since language was invented.

This feels like it's especially true when it comes to engineering and tech topics. Some people will write like paragraphs about something that makes it abundantly clear that they have no idea what they're talking about. And I think to myself, why would someone go through this much trouble and writing to just lie on the internet? I don't get it. Internet points don't equal actual value and respect.

I work in an industry that gets a ridiculous amount of criticism. Many times justifiable criticism, but every post about my industry on this site makes my head hurt with all the misinformation based on bad assumptions in the comments.

I wish I knew what that felt like

I’ve felt this way a lot in the past 5 or so years.

I tend to down vote the clueless person comments. Like in wireless, someone using their own personal experience to bash an entire carrier - when in reality, one carrier will always work better than the others- all depending on location. Also in general, they all have "about the same" in coverage, so nationwide they all should work well. Its just that there's always going to be "pockets" where one works better, and each pocket goes to a different carrier.

Yep. Believe me doctor google knows EVERYTHING

Every time there is an article about guns or "ghost guns." lol

Yep, that's the dunning-kruger effect. "The Dunning–Kruger effect is a hypothetical cognitive bias stating that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. As described by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, the bias results from an internal illusion in people of low ability and from an external misperception in people of high ability; that is, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others".[1] It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from people's inability to recognize their lack of ability. Without the self-awareness of metacognition, people cannot objectively evaluate their level of competence." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Reddit has really made me realize this a ton.

I see this all the time on reddit when it comes to guns and gun laws in the United States. Pro gun control commentors have no clue about current laws or how firearms work. Even the pro-gun subs are full of misinformation. Listening to politicians and the media discuss gun control is even worse.

I compete internationally in my sport of choice, but don’t often tell new people I meet because everyone’s a freaking expert if they did something once or twice. It’s easier to avoid the subject.

"It aint what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just aint so"

Almost every day on Reddit.

It's a modern version of "News look truthful until it's about something you know in person" from TV and newspapers era.

Dunning-Kruger is a bitch. I've noticed a big one is economics. Everyone thinks they are knowledgeable. After several HS, College, econ classes, and RL application all I know is that it's complicated and I know next to nothing. ​ Another big one for men is combat/fighting. Everyone thinks he's a bad ass even though he's never trained. ​ Fat people are willfully ignorant to fat affects health.

Then I get gaslit into thinking I'm the wrong one lol

As a PhD student with 15 years of post-secondary education, I could not agree more.

It’s difficult going to forums and reading comments on real estate websites and even meeting with people at homes when there’s an “expert” family member or friend with them. I’ve been a realtor for 8 years, in two completely different countries. I can’t tell you how many times parents come along to showings and bully me and their children around. “I’ve sold 3 homes so I know how it is! They need to offer 20,000 less than list price and let the seller sweat a little” Sir, I’ve helped people buy and sell over 500 homes. You’re actually screwing your kid out of ever getting a home.

It is pretty funny to see them passionately argue something that they only have a tenuous grasp on. Generally, its not wrong per se its that its only an elementary understanding so they don't get the nuance. Like arguing about WWII with an American who thinks the war started in December 1941 or that Auschwitz is the only place where the Holocaust occurred.

Not just comments, but also actual (news) articles by journalists.

Ah Twitter.

This dude sounds pretentious as fuckkkk....

Every Bible topic. I dont know everything (such as precise meaning of words in original languages), but I have an undergrad degree in Bible and see many people confidently make arguments that wouldn't survive a minute of scholarly criticism. In fact, several of these views already died and were buried in scholarly conversation a long time ago.

Dunning-Kruger

In these kinds of situation, I would say yes, yes, yeah. But one time, he blew up and argued I am mocking him, he complains I do not trust anything he says. Strange, how could he have read my thoughts? I can only deduce that they own selves already know they are pretending to smart.

So...basically Reddit's entire existence?

Reddit in a nutshell

This is a well known phenomenon. See this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I never enter in a argument if I'm 100% sure that I know the subject and I can defend my point of view but being able to understand when I'm wrong, that's why I almost never enter in an argument, cause I know what I don't know, I have 0 knowledge in politics, economy, and others things, something that I argue a lot is basketball, I spent hours everyday learning and watching basketball for the past 3 years, so I know a lot about, and it's always funny to find a casual/dumb fan that don't know nothing.

I try to talk to people about photography and I think most people know very little about it. It's like their phones or cameras never leave auto mode.

I don't know a lot about one specific thing, but I know A LOT of stuff, as in a decent amount of knowledge about most things. And maybe a couple interests that I know a lot about Once I read something my brain retains that shit seemingly forever. Mostly Useless information too

Ahh yes, the Dunning-Kruger effect

I work in auto body collision repair. Its amazing how often people come in knowing nothing and start off by Telling me how a repair should be done, or how long it should reasonably take. I'm like "Look, I know your uncle owned a body shop in 1977 and he told you what needs to be done, but you can't just hammer out a dented fender and spray paint it anymore."

I envy people who have a master level knowledge of something, anything. My approach was to try to know at least a little bit about a lot of different things. Other than maybe art, I never feel confident in an actual intellectual conversation bc I'll know what you're talking about but not enough to converse at length about it. All I can do is keep trying I guess.

The whole world is like that. Think about CEOs that get paid millions. They retire or get ousted and suddenly the company makes an impressive turn around. Think about the companies that do well for a while, but don't change and fade into oblivion. It's all due to a mix of ignorance and arrogance. Keep your mouth shut if you're not sure. Or better yet, say "I could be wrong".

A professor in something or other could come on here be told they’re wrong by a 13 year old. Personally, I think it’s brilliant :D

Showerthoughts sure has gone downhill

dunning kruger?

You'd be surprised how ineffective and underdeveloped can medicine be like. Science is nowhere near where most people think it is. Just think about dentistry, cancer, AIDS, etc.

Little knowledge is enlightenment

I'm presently having a little fun with some sycophant who's a dedicated follower of a certain socialist/communist-light political party. I've been heavily involved in politics for over 40 years. His responses are all hollow and ad hominem. He thinks he's on to something. It's a little sad actually.

You clearly don't know what you are talking about.

Yup I'm commenting here and pretending I never did that

Same thing applies to news and media coverage.

I used to work with a guy that seemed to know a lot about everything. Then one day he started talking about something I knew a lot about, that's when I realised he was talking out his ass.

Saw a tiktok on how to make mead.... SMFH....

It's definitely one if the reasons I feel bad for the doctors right now

I have the same experience watching the news

Which thread made you think of this?

The more you know, the more you understand how little you know.

Yep. And the best part is when they tell you that you don't know anything about it. I happen to know a lot about certain elements of politics and public policy. That's the worst because everyone has a strong opinion and everyone thinks they know lots about it, even when they know very little.

And the sheer amount of confidence they have in it, my god. Also, the crowd of ‘fake’ commenter who believe everything they’ve never experienced to be fake

This is literally Reddit in a nutshell lol

Yeah, happened to me when a guy was recomending me a 6 year old 600 usd quadro graphics card, because quadro are "superior" for 3d rendering. Like lol, even at the ridiculous current prices i could get more gpu for my money

Example or I don’t believe you.

It also will help you see just how much you do know.

I have a feeling this is about relationships on reddit. "Break up with him or her. They are abusive and you deserve better." I read an article 1 time about a random study, so I am a physiologist and know all. Bow to me!

Totally true that's y I don't give tips on things I don't know about fully

Just wait for the morons when something about electricity comes up

Yeah like bird law!

Sometimes l just realize how little l know about that topic. So there's that for me