Fox News stupidity is brilliantly explained by Monty Python Alum John Cleese.
Actor, comedian, and screenwriter John Cleese explained why Fox News viewers are unable to grasp the simple truth – that they are stupid while responding to comments left on a clip titled: “Upperclass Twit of the Year,” on the official Monty Python YouTube channel.
“The problem with people like this is that they are so stupid,” Cleese began. “They have no idea how stupid they are.”
“You see, if you’re very very stupid, how can you possibly realize that you’re very very stupid? You’d have to be relatively intelligent to understand how stupid you are.”
“There’s a wonderful bit of research by a guy named David Dunning, a friend at Cornell I’m proud to say, who’s pointed out that in order to know how good you are at something requires exactly the same skills as it does to be good at that thing in the first place,” Cleese continued, “which means – and this is terribly funny – that if you are absolutely no good at something at all, then you lack exactly the skills you need to know that you are absolutely no good at it. And this explains not just Hollywood, but almost the entirety of Fox News.”
Cleese’s mention of Dunning refers to a 1999 study published by David Dunning and Justin Kruger which led to what is now known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
AlleyDog.com, a website catering to psychology students, defines the Dunning-Kruger Effect as follows:
This is a cognitive bias in which incompetent people tend to think they are more competent than they actually are in a situation. It is theorized that this occurs because without much knowledge about a situation or a subject it is difficult to adequately self-analyze competency therefore leading the individual to think they are more competent than they actually are…
Common examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect are politicians and celebrities who make bold incorrect claims about scientific matters without fully understanding the subject, like climate change or vaccinations. [sound familiar?] As Charles Darwin once said “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”
Psychology Concepts provided some helpful some bullet points.
As per the Dunning-Kruger Effect, incompetent people:
- Overestimate their personal skill level.
- Fail to recognize genuine skill in others.
- Fail to recognize the extent of their incompetence.
- Are able to acknowledge their own lack of skill, if exposed to training in the skill tested.
Of course, the question is “would any Fox News viewers be interested in such training?!” Inquiring minds want to know.
You can watch Cleese in action, below:
- Prosecutors Suspect Paul Manafort Is Still Committing Crimes - March 27, 2019
- Prosecutors Suspect Manafort Is Still Committing Crimes From Jail - March 26, 2019
- Ana Navarro Just Went The Hell Off – Video - March 22, 2019
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