Most posts on this list show the classic Dunning-Kruger effect. In a nutshell, it’s a cognitive bias in which someone with almost no knowledge about a topic still overestimates their competence.
David Dunning, the social psychologist after whom it was named (alongside fellow social psychologist Justin Kruger), told Open Mind Mag that everyone has “know-it-all” moments.
“The Dunning-Kruger effect visits all of us sooner or later in our pockets of incompetence,” Dunning said. “They’re invisible to us because to know that you don't know something, you need to know something. It’s not about general stupidity. It’s about each and every one of us, sooner or later.”
Dunning called this behavior “epistemic trespassing,” when someone intrudes on another person’s area of expertise. He also noted that it was prevalent during the pandemic, when experts talked about matters outside their field of knowledge.
#7 Found This Two-Fer On An Askreddit Post About The Stupidest Thing You've Ever Heard Someone Say
#9 Hmm
Dunning reiterated that talking out of turn, as the men on this list did, isn’t about stupidity. Everyone can come off as ignorant in certain situations.
“Our ignorance is an everyday companion that we will all carry for the rest of our lives. And ignorance can be a bit of a trickster, darting around the corner, so we never actually get to see what it looks like,” he said.
#11 A Comment I Saw On A TikTok Where A Woman Asked If Her Armpit Hair Bothered Them Because Her Armpits Don't Look Like Those Of A Prepubescent Girl
“Mansplaining” is another annoying habit many men have. It’s become such a phenomenon that researchers have devoted a study to it, particularly its effects on women.
Caitlin Briggs, one of the study’s researchers, concluded that women “largely had negative outcomes” from being mansplained to. Men, on the other hand, weren’t too affected.
“They [women volunteers] tended to register that their competence was being questioned more than men did, and to attribute this to a gender bias — so, maybe this person doesn’t think highly of me or doesn’t like me because of my gender,” Briggs explained in a 2023 interview with Michigan State University’s Department of Psychology.
Briggs noted that mansplaining can affect a woman’s career and life over time. She urged bringing greater awareness to these problems and even incorporating information about mansplaining in the workplace.
These posts are just some of the multitude of examples showing just how absurd conversations about female anatomy can get, especially when men make assumptions as facts. Humility and the willingness to learn go a long way.
Ladies, have you ever encountered a man who has done anything similar? Share your experiences in the comments below.
