The kind of comments that make you stare at your screen for five minutes wondering how we made it this far as a species.😂
A few recognizable categories:
- The person who didn't read the post
“So what you're saying is…”
proceeds to completely describe the opposite of what the post said.
- The person who thinks a headline is the entire article
“I didn't read it, but this is obviously bullshit.”
- The confidently incorrect expert
“I've owned an RV for 6 months, so I know more about RV systems than anyone.”
- The Google University graduate
“My cousin's boyfriend said this is how it works, so you're wrong.”
- The person arguing with information they agree with
“THIS IS STUPID!!! People need to learn how to maintain their RVs!”
The post is literally explaining how to maintain an RV.
- The person who thinks disagreement = censorship
“You deleted my comment because you can't handle the truth!”
The comment was removed because it contained 14 insults and zero relevant information.
- The conspiracy reflex
“Who paid you to say this?”
On a post explaining how to check tire pressure.
- The anti-AI philosopher
“This was obviously written by AI. Unfollowed.”
About a post containing useful information that they apparently needed badly enough to announce their departure from civilization.
- The person who mistakes anecdotal experience for universal law
“I've never had this problem, therefore this isn't a problem.”
- The “source?” person
“SOURCE?”
You provide three reputable sources.
“Those sources are biased.”
You ask what source they would accept.
“I don't need a source. I know.”
- The person who fundamentally misunderstands questions
“Why would anyone need to know this?”
Because the post is literally answering a question someone asked.
- The comment-section archaeologist
They discover a 7-year-old post and start arguing with someone who hasn't logged into the platform since 2019.
- The person who makes the post about themselves
“Well I don't have this problem.”
Congratulations, Gary. The universe has officially been informed of your personal experience.
- The rage-at-information comment
“STOP SCAREMONGERING!”
The post: “Check your smoke detector batteries.”
And perhaps my favourite category:
The person who proves the post's point while arguing against it
You make a post explaining that people should read instructions before attempting repairs.
Someone comments:
“Nobody needs instructions. I've been doing this for 30 years.”
A Few Moments Later:
“Wait, what does this part do?”
😂
The really interesting thing isn't that people are stupid. Humans have always made stupid mistakes. Social media has simply given every person a microphone, an audience, and absolutely no requirement to understand the subject before speaking.
That's a much more interesting phenomenon than simply saying “people are stupid.”
And honestly, the most fascinating part is that social media didn't necessarily make people less intelligent, it removed a lot of the barriers that used to prevent people from publicly demonstrating how little they knew.
Before social media, someone could have a wildly incorrect opinion at the kitchen table and maybe three people would hear it. Now they can post:
“I don't believe in gravity. My uncle drove a truck for 40 years and never saw it.”
…and 47 people can immediately form a debate team around it. 😂
The internet basically turned “I don't know” from an acceptable answer into something people seem determined to avoid saying.
And that's probably one of the biggest indicators of intellectual maturity:
Being comfortable saying “I don't know. Let me find out.”
That sentence would probably improve the comment sections of the entire internet overnight.
We're really good at doing stupid things, but we're also remarkably good at recognizing problems, adapting, inventing solutions, and passing knowledge forward.
The internet just has a weird effect where the loudest 2% can make it feel like they're 98% of humanity.
There are billions of people quietly:
- raising kids,
- learning things,
- helping strangers,
- building useful stuff,
- researching problems,
- protecting their communities,
- creating art,
- teaching others,
- and trying to leave things a little better than they found them.
They just don't usually feel the need to comment “SOURCE???” on a post about changing an air filter. 😂
So my optimistic (very friendly) take is:
Humanity probably isn't going extinct because people are stupid.
If anything threatens us, it'll be when we become too confident in our stupidity to learn from our mistakes.
Fortunately, the fact that we're capable of recognizing that problem means we're not there yet.
