Confident, Stupid People Are the Worst

Hey there! Welcome to Part-Time Writing. Life's weird, so I write about it. Mostly, this newsletter is just a bunch of silly, sometimes thoughtful stories from life. But I also share practical advice, lessons, and tools I’ve picked up after learning new skills or hobbies (i.e. writing, health, parenting, leadership, etc).

If that sounds interesting, you can subscribe below (if not, that's cool too, maybe pass it along to someone else who might like it):

Also, feel free to check out my other posts or follow me on Twitter 😎.

No joke —  I think confident, stupid people are the biggest risk to global society.

Just read a post from a guy who, with unwavering conviction, insisted that “carbs make you fat”.

He’s not entirely wrong, but he’s also nowhere close to right.

And yet, with every fiber of his being, he believes it to be true. At the very least, he’s convinced himself that that’s what he needs to believe, and there’s no changing his mind about it.

People like him love black and white. It’s easier. It’s comforting. It’s also highly marketable.

Take a highly influenceable late teen, young twenty-something and try to explain to him the nuances of healthy dieting and nutrition in less than ten minutes. You can’t. It’s impossible. By the time you’ve even scratched the surface, somebody else way dumber but more confident has already sold him on the “just stop eating carbs” approach.

Why? Because “just stop eating carbs” is simple, and the guy spewing it out is so damn convincing it must be true. People don’t want to feel uncertain about things. They want to know, and they’re willing to believe the loudest yelling idiot out there if they have to.

That’s where society is in big trouble. This guy is wrong. So wrong. He’s spreading misinformation to the world and doesn’t care. Or maybe he does care but he’s getting money, attention, and/or fame so it doesn’t matter.

For him, the world is better in black and white.

For you and me, and the rest of the educated, ethical world, it’s gray.

• Carbs alone won’t make you fat

• Meat won’t kill you

• Dairy won’t either

Gray is where it’s at. When you embrace the gray, you open the door for actual progress, personally and globally.

Plus, you can adapt easier when black is no longer black and white is no longer white. Our knowledge of science and how the world works changes all the time. It’s very likely that many of the things we think to be true today will be proven wrong in the next 100 years.

What’s Mr. “Carbs-Make-You-Fat” going to do when that happens?

Probably? He’s going to die a little on the inside. Then, he’s going to find some other easy black-and-white approach and lean in with conviction. The cycle repeats.

Don’t take the bait. Don’t fall for easy or comforting.

Dig beneath the surface, ask questions, and stick to the gray.

Best,

Jason