Why do most people refuse to accept that they are wrong
I have come across a lot’s of people like these. like 99% of them. Sometimes it makes me think twice if what i am saying is wrong? What’s wrong with them. Is it so hard to swallow your pride and acknowledge that the other person is speaking facts? When they come to know they are wrong they proceed to insult/make fun of others to save their ass. Just why?
Yup, and when most people are a certain way, odds are you are too. I try to keep an open mind as much as possible because it’s very hard to identify your own biases and it would be naive to believe that I am the exception to human nature.
i actually find it reasonably easy to identify my biases, it’s just basically impossible to directly act on that knowledge.
if i realize i’m actually probably in the wrong i tend to just sorta… slide into the shadows and disengage, which is at least better than continuing to insist that i’m correct and just digging in deeper… Then in the future the brain tends to have let go of it and people have forgot what was said previously and i can upgrade to a more correct take.
And this is the normal thing how it works Just not online because what’s said there doesn’t fade away. It just keeps up standing there regardless if the author since then changed their mind.
It’s frustrating, because the people who normally call this out are the people who are most likely to be the ones doing it.
They see people around them fail to think critically, they criticize them for that, and then turn around and never question their own opinions. Because “obviously I am right”.
Not accusing you of it, but I’m sure a lot of people reading this fall into that category. Maybe we all do.
You are right i always try to think in all ways but maybe i am biased? It’s just that during my school life i was never bullied but rather it was my classmates badmouthing my family, me, shaming my body, or insulting me so that the entire class would know etc. The attitude of people just randomly changes if you open up too much to them or be too friendly they don’t respect your boundaries. I just don’t know anymore i talk to people but i never try to get too close to them. I feel like i have changed in just these recent 6 months
You might have something there. I know it works the other way. I was going to post that most of the people I know just come out and say when they know they’ve been wrong. It stops it being a big thing. Admitting you’re wrong or you made a mistake takes all the embarrassment out of it because you now own the situation.
Ego has been mentioned. Sunk cost fallacy plays a part. Combine those and people tend to over value the effort they've made to form their opinion, either through some form of information consumption or synthesis of known ideas/held opinions, while devaluing/doubting the existence other people's previous efforts. So, you often end up with two people who both think they're informed and assume the other person is just making up an opinion right now and failing to see their valuable insight.
Because most people have their own idea of what is morally right in the world, and they want to cling onto that regardless of what other perspectives may exist. Both sides do this.
Also, in some cases, speaking the truth about something leads to them losing their jobs or livelihoods.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair
Even though I believe I’m right, there’s always a possibility of being wrong. Learning to live with this realization hasn’t been easy since I really like being right and hate being wrong. I suppose lots of other people feel the same way.
No matter how hard I try, I am still wrong about a bunch of stuff, so it’s good to come to terms with this reality of life. Accepting it is easier than trying to fight against the inevitable. Once you realize you’re wrong, acknowledge your mistake, fix it, and move on.
I read a study several years ago which has disappeared, it was about why do anti vax people persist even after education. The authors conclusion briefly, stated it’s all about ego and identity. They can’t admit to themselves they were fooled
Ah, young grasshopper. You are now discovering the ways of the world. It is not enough simply to be right; one must be cool about it, too. Which unfortunately means not getting pissed off that the other person is talking bullshit, because that only makes whoever you’re talking to double down, no matter how pants-on-head their point is.
As to what is wrong with them and why: pride, and embarrassment.
It’s a cliche and also very hard advice to follow, but it’s true that the best thing to do is smile and walk away. Know that they know you know they’re wrong and an idiot, and take comfort in it.
Edit: It’s very hard. I struggle with it every day, including yesterday, and today. Just gotta keep trying, we’ll get it eventually, right?
religion exists because people are scared of admitting the thing they devoted their life too is fake and used to exploit you.
it only causes war, inequality, hate crimes, etc
positives from religion? you get the hope that you might go to heaven and do nothing forever (seriously whats your plan after heaven). OR you burn in hell if you make a mistake. oh and you get a specific yet contradictory moral compass to abide to except its interpreted to hate gays instead of pedophiles.
i hate religion, but i think religion should get the treatment the religious right give to the lgbt. religion should NEVER be acknowledged or practiced outside of personal closed doors. i never want to hear about it and it shouldnt influence anything ever. the different between lgbt and christians? christianity is a choice.
When trying to persuade someone of something, you need to talk to the elephant, not the rider (emotion, not logic). That’s why propaganda works so well and facts don’t.
Cognitive dissonance. Lots of people never learn and are never taught how to separate their ego from their knowledge. It doesn’t help that education still relies on punishing mistakes and failure.
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