Convincing someone you’re right is all about confidence. If you fake it, you’ll make it, right? R-right? Having bucketloads of confidence is great (and certainly dramatic), however, it’s never enough in isolation… especially if you’re just plain wrong and everyone around you knows it.
Being direct. Looking assured. Feeling unwavering and braver than Braveheart—these are all wonderful qualities to have, but without other substantial things to back it up, it’s all just bravado without the bite. And darn it if it isn’t entertaining as heck to watch!
We’re not the only ones to think so. In fact, that’s why the ‘Confidently Incorrect’ subreddit, with over 404k members, exists. Their community is built around poking fun at people who are chock full of confidence but get deflated the moment someone with an ounce of logic and common sense chimes in. There’s plenty of facepalm moments waiting for you, so get scrolling and upvoting your fave pics. Remember to visit the r/confidentlyincorrect community if you like their stuff!
Bored Panda interviewed the creator of the subreddit, redditor ShadowAlchemy. Read on for what they told us about how the community started and got popular, as well as for their thoughts about to what extent confidence is important in real life and what we should do if we ever find ourselves to be confidently incorrect.
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The ‘Confidently Incorrect’ subreddit has been growing by leaps and bounds. Created just over a year ago, in January 2020, they’re continuing to provide awesome content that keeps us humble. (And it’s a gentle reminder to double and triple-check even facts that we’re completely sure about.)
ShadowAlchemy told Bored Panda that they founded the 'Confidently Incorrect' subreddit "on a whim" just over a year ago. "Someone posted a video of Conan interviewing Jennifer Garner to another subreddit called r/WatchPeopleDieInside. I scrolled through the comments and saw someone who thought stuff like that would make a great community of its own. It was super late at night when I saw that, so I made a subreddit really quick for no reason, posted a video or two, then went to bed."
But what ShadowAlchemy couldn't foresee was how quickly the subreddit went viral. They woke up to see a huge surprise. "I wake up with probably 1,000 or so notifications, apparently the sub had blown up overnight! Tons of people were talking about the ridiculously fast growth of the sub, I think we got around 30k members in our first day. It was super popular its first week, and its growth died down a bit after that. We've been on a steady increase ever since. We just hit 400k members, actually!" the founder shared their joy.
Factchecking
Confidently Corrected An Author
*your
In ShadowAlchemy's opinion, confidence is "an incredibly important" part of our personalities. "Without confidence, we're nothing. Confidence is what gets us out of bed, what gets us out the door to face life. People definitely listen to those who show confidence,"
The founder told Bored Panda that we don't have to look far to see the vital role confidence plays in our lives. "Just look at politics. Politicians are probably some of the most confident people on the planet, and a pretty large amount of people just listen to what they say. Our sub is probably 75-80% politics. It's people parroting what they've heard their favorite politicians say, and they parrot it because they believe those politicians. They believe that confidence."
They added, "No one's gonna listen to a shy person with all the facts."
Flag Code? In My America?!
''For The Last Time'', He Proclaimed
Smart Enough To Lead... Smart Enough To Breed?!?!
The founder of the sub also had some spot-on advice for anyone who's been confidently incorrect in their lives. And it all starts with openly admitting that you're wrong (both to others and to yourself). "If someone corrects you and they're right, you've just gotta accept it right then and there. Insisting that you're correct is what makes you look like a dumbass, and what makes you remember it for years and years. Nobody wants to be confidently incorrect, but if you are, you've gotta admit it. You've gotta admit that you're wrong."
ShadowAlchemy said that nothing would be possible without the incredibly supportive members and moderators that make up the r/confidentlyincorrect subreddit. "Thanks to all the people who've brought this subreddit up so much, it was quite the surprise for me. Thanks to my mod team for keeping this sub together."
"I'm Not Sure If I Agree But Ok"
Hmm... Yes. That Sounds Right. Zeus, Mr Horny Year Round, Has Only One Son
I love it that he was random things like animals and gold showers (gold thank you not golden lol), like who were these women like "damn, that goose is sexy!"
Third Hole?! Surely You Jest!
Some people should really be forced to take anatomy before being allowed to go near any hole.
There’s a deep sense of shame that we feel when we’ve been outed being wrong even though we thought we were in the right. It’s an embarrassment so powerful, it can still make us flush beet-red and cringe years after it happened.
However, there is a possible upside to this. Research has shown that, counter-intuitively, it’s far easier to correct the errors made by people who are extremely confident that they’re right, compared to correcting the mistakes made by those who have ‘low confidence’ that they’re correct.
This is called the ‘hypercorrection effect’ which essentially means that we’re more likely to remember the correct answer to a question if we’re proven wrong when we’re extremely confident that we actually know the ‘right’ answer. Or, in other words, we remember being shocked at how at odds the truth was with our confidence that we were right.
Of course, there are some nuances like how some high confidence errors can ‘reemerge’ if we’re not tested on our newfound knowledge quickly enough. But on the bright side, being confidently incorrect might just be the best way to retain facts and figures after we make complete buffoons of ourselves online. So go out there and don’t be afraid to fail, dear Readers—your newfound knowledge will stick in your mind like a panda in a bamboo grove.
"Thank God I'm A Math Major"
Do The Basic Math, People!
Oscar The Grouch
But he is not homeless. That is where he chooses to live and loves it. Omg I am defending a puppet. Never saw that coming lol.
Ah, Us Politics... A Neverending Source
1) Star Is A Shape And 2) Oranges And Blackberries
Blackcurrants, redcurrants . The colour orange was named after the fruit.
Covid Has Brought Out The Best In Everyone!
Communism Is When You Are Only Allowed To Buy One Share Of A Stock
Abigail Must See This Reply As An Instant Win
America Didn’t Import Slaves
He Wasn’t Even Italian, He Was Austrian And Born In Modern Day Croatia. Not To Mention He Was Also An American Citizen At One Point
So many wrongs. Nikola Tesla is a Croatian Serb (minority group). He lived well into the 20th century (not the 1700s). He is not Nikolai or Nicolas, but Nikola. Ford parts mostly come from the EU + Japan, Venezuela, Canada...
“Where’d You Get That, From CNN?”
Someone Doesn’t Understand How The Food Supply Chain Works... Or Agriculture, For That Matter
Ben...
I saw the name Ben Shapiro and instantly knew that this was going to be interesting...
Wikipedia Is Wrong
Trying To Justify A Murder
Serious answer: If you can speak (and make a sound), it means you can exhale. It doesn't mean you can inhale.
So Confidently
Three Perfect Example. Except For, Not
Plus JKR actually got a grant so she could write HP. Guess where the money came from?
Hmmmm
“That’s Because We Are Not A Democracy!”
Now I'm confused, is America a republic or a democracy? (This is a joke people, don't make yourselves look like the idiots in these posts.)
I remember my junior high history teacher preaching that we live in a Republic not a Democracy. Year after that I had Government class and learned that a Republic is a type of Democracy. I was so mad at the history teacher because he was a d**k about it.
A course in comparative political systems taught me that the US federation and electoral college are designed to protect minority interests and prevent tyranny of the majority. Small states vs larger states, special interests of small regional groups, etc.
Yeah we’re a democracy, PLUS, of course it’s “not very democratic” because no side is supposed to have complete power over everything, dumba$$.
There is nothing f'ed up about the EC. But when you write laws to force those voters to match the popular vote, it pretty much does away with that check on more populated states picking leadership for the rest of the country. And additionally just to be sure they can control everything and defeat both of those systems, the deep state picks the candidate and runs us all through the pure fantasy of voting altogether.
The major difference between a democracy and a republic is that a republic is a form of government whereas a democracy is an ideology that helps shape how a government is run.
I am with the second poster in terms of his frustration, though: we are not a "pure" democracy. People really need to stop thinking we are.
No. A constitutional Republic is not necessarily a democracy. Russia is a constitutional republic, so is China. England (the UK) is a constitutional monarchy. The USA is a republic but it's system of government is a democracy. The UK has a democratic system of elections as well. "Republic" simply means that the country is not a monarchy. "Republic" does not define any method of choosing the members of government. "Democracy" does.
ehhhh... sorta... A tru Democracy, meaning rule of the people, would mean each and every individual gets a say before the decision and the decision should be unanimous, or at least a significant majority. In a Democratic Republic, we vote, people are elected who are supposed to represent our say/our voice. But with the electoral college, the people vote, then the electors, who are chosen by people already installed by the electors, after ostensibly being elected by the people (but not really), the electors vote in the representatives. So, we truly are not in any way a Democracy.
I'd be a little careful about saying a Constitutional Republic is a form of democracy. Sometimes they are not. (Although most constitutional republics did have some democratic aspects).
Key words here are "a form of". That's not exactly a dictionary definition there. Btw, still not the same.
America is a representative democracy. So people's votes put elected representatives into place who make political decisions on voters' behalf (not necessarily in their best interest). The electoral college is an extension of this, with electors casting the vote based on the majority vote of their state. It is perfectly legitimate under a democratic system and outlined in the US constitution. However, it is antiquated and should be changed.
*5999
I Guess Aztecs Are Not Native To The Americas...
Defo A 'Strayan
You Are Not Circumcised
Micro$oft
Confidently Argued Blind People Couldn't Feel Their Own Fingers
Man, Those Pesky Hackers Evolve More And More Every Day
It Does
1 Kilometre Is Less Than A Mile
Apparently, Skin Color Is An STD Now
Redefining Middleman
“Counting Votes After Election Day Has Never Been Done Before”
Never Leave Home Without A Clean Tampon!
Andy: "Sir, I have three sisters and a fiance, and I'm sure they would agree with me that you've been using your tampons incorrectly the whole time."
Confidently Incorrect About North America
The President Of The United States, Totally Ignorant Of History That Took Place During His Own Lifetime
I saw the name Donald Trump and knew this was going to be good.
The Greeks Were Christians
Diamonds Are Heavier Than... Diamonds?
Ok first diamond isn't a metal (it's carbon) and 1g of diamond is still 1g of diamond ( the old question of which is heavier a tonne of feathers or a tonne of lead)
Good Job
An Interesting Way Of Adding Percentages....
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
The Facebook experts...they know everything, and it's true, because the friend of the daughther of a friend told so...
I did not think it was possible for me to lose any more faith in humanity.
That's just because you're not trying hard enough. 3 to 4 hours of reading comments on certain websites and you'll know that any faith in humanity is baseless and delusional.
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i am really upset with a lot of the comments under these. yes those people were absolute idiots but people kept generalizing us americans as stupid, not all of us are stupid and it really makes me pissed
Completely agree but don't get worked up, there's plenty of us less ignorant as well, who don't generalise. You come across people like that everywhere
Load More Replies... This whole thing, everyone laughing that Americans are stupid... It makes you smart calling out the idiots for their ignorance, right? But isn't generalizing that all "Americans" must be stupid, another form of ignorance? It's actually pretty unfair and offensive. I'm all for a bit of banter online, but if I was from the US, I would hate the stereotype. Stupid is Everywhere sadly 🤨...
I'd like to point out most of the Americans who don't know common facts probably didn't finish third grade and live in a trailer. Most Americans know basic geography, metric system, history and other stuff. Don't let this post fool you.
I agree with Sharona with the don't be elitist part. Do you know the story of the average person living in a trailer? I wonder how little debt they have versus how much you must have, unless your smugness is the result of a trust fund you didn't earn. I'm sure they're more content than you, as well lol. Sharona, don't make fun of Grandpa Joe like that. He might hear you.
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Not unique to your side of the pond. We breed morons over here too, sorry
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Some people make it their lives' mission to prove their stupidity to the world :(
i have facepalmed so much my face is now very red.....=-= how do people like this exist??
i really wish the immediate response to seeing an idiot on the internet wasn't to say something like, let me guess, they're an american. don't get me wrong, there are plenty of dumb people in this country but it just annoys the americans who are actually good people to hear stuff like that
Take the opportunity to read some of the positive lists this site. Let your bitterness go :)
Yes, this list is funny. But the comments are so rude!
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This is depressing. I'm still praying it's a bunch of trolls... i still don't want to believe this kind of proud idiocy... this... aggressive stupidity... this ... confident, self-righteous imbecilism (I know, not a word) ... is just a joke. A bad one? yes. A joke? Please say yes.
I enjoyed the ones I read, but I had to stop reading because it just became so distressing to realize how many uninformed people there are.
Just read the Bored Panda '50 most Wholesome Pics' page and was feeling good, then read this one and I'm back down again.
Dolphins are fish, crops come from the grocery store, Canada isn’t North America, tampons in the butt…. this level of stupid used to shock me in the past, but not anymore. There always has been, and always will be, a significant % of the population that’s just hopelessly ignorant and scary crazy. And way beyond reach. At least you can spot them today… they all wear red hats
Several of these are NOT wrong. The comments on them are frightening though. Stay in school, kids. The one about 6000 BC is especially frightening that zero people understand the tweet, or how negative numbers work. The post (and joke it contained) was correct in every way. In the year 6000BC they did not have axes, so the year BEFORE that, they didn't use axes. The kid is punching through the tree FFS. Stay in school ya'll.
The Facebook experts...they know everything, and it's true, because the friend of the daughther of a friend told so...
I did not think it was possible for me to lose any more faith in humanity.
That's just because you're not trying hard enough. 3 to 4 hours of reading comments on certain websites and you'll know that any faith in humanity is baseless and delusional.
Load More Replies... i am really upset with a lot of the comments under these. yes those people were absolute idiots but people kept generalizing us americans as stupid, not all of us are stupid and it really makes me pissed
Completely agree but don't get worked up, there's plenty of us less ignorant as well, who don't generalise. You come across people like that everywhere
Load More Replies... This whole thing, everyone laughing that Americans are stupid... It makes you smart calling out the idiots for their ignorance, right? But isn't generalizing that all "Americans" must be stupid, another form of ignorance? It's actually pretty unfair and offensive. I'm all for a bit of banter online, but if I was from the US, I would hate the stereotype. Stupid is Everywhere sadly 🤨...
I'd like to point out most of the Americans who don't know common facts probably didn't finish third grade and live in a trailer. Most Americans know basic geography, metric system, history and other stuff. Don't let this post fool you.
I agree with Sharona with the don't be elitist part. Do you know the story of the average person living in a trailer? I wonder how little debt they have versus how much you must have, unless your smugness is the result of a trust fund you didn't earn. I'm sure they're more content than you, as well lol. Sharona, don't make fun of Grandpa Joe like that. He might hear you.
Load More Replies... Not unique to your side of the pond. We breed morons over here too, sorry
Load More Replies... Some people make it their lives' mission to prove their stupidity to the world :(
i have facepalmed so much my face is now very red.....=-= how do people like this exist??
i really wish the immediate response to seeing an idiot on the internet wasn't to say something like, let me guess, they're an american. don't get me wrong, there are plenty of dumb people in this country but it just annoys the americans who are actually good people to hear stuff like that
Take the opportunity to read some of the positive lists this site. Let your bitterness go :)
Yes, this list is funny. But the comments are so rude!
Load More Replies... This is depressing. I'm still praying it's a bunch of trolls... i still don't want to believe this kind of proud idiocy... this... aggressive stupidity... this ... confident, self-righteous imbecilism (I know, not a word) ... is just a joke. A bad one? yes. A joke? Please say yes.
I enjoyed the ones I read, but I had to stop reading because it just became so distressing to realize how many uninformed people there are.
Just read the Bored Panda '50 most Wholesome Pics' page and was feeling good, then read this one and I'm back down again.
Dolphins are fish, crops come from the grocery store, Canada isn’t North America, tampons in the butt…. this level of stupid used to shock me in the past, but not anymore. There always has been, and always will be, a significant % of the population that’s just hopelessly ignorant and scary crazy. And way beyond reach. At least you can spot them today… they all wear red hats
Several of these are NOT wrong. The comments on them are frightening though. Stay in school, kids. The one about 6000 BC is especially frightening that zero people understand the tweet, or how negative numbers work. The post (and joke it contained) was correct in every way. In the year 6000BC they did not have axes, so the year BEFORE that, they didn't use axes. The kid is punching through the tree FFS. Stay in school ya'll.
