The Dunning Kruger Effect
I need to admit something. I have a guilty pleasure that I actually feel pretty shameful about so I should be lauded for my courage in admitting it to the interwebs. Or at least, maybe not flamed too badly...
I love (love) to follow trainwreck blogs.
You know the type. The one where the person is so bad, so misguided, that every day you go and load up a post because you can't wait to see what the heck they've cooked up today. Especially in pandemic times, when all I can do is work or sit on my thumbs and wait for things to go back to normal, my trainwreck time has definitely increased. I'm not proud of this, because ultimately I don't think it's very kind to derive pleasure from other people basically fucking up. In reality, I want everyone to succeed. I want people to evolve with their horses and become better horsemen and women and no longer become trainwrecks. Sure, I'll have nothing to binge read, but that's what reality TV is for.
It started pretty early with one of the first blogs I followed: old, old Fugly Horse of the Day. It evolved as I waded into blogging. Some are better than others; for example I love Dom's blog because the trainwrecks are not her but seen through the lens of her. I cannot tell you how many times I've read her 'Tale of Two Trailers' posts (Too Abusive and Not Abusive Enough).
After awhile, reading the trainwreck's blog may make your eyes glaze over. You wonder how someone could be that delusional. The video is up there for all to see. The horse is limping and you think, "how can the person not see the horse limping??" Or someone is riding their horse so backwards the horse's lower lip is actually touching his chest and they are proliferating about what a great frame the horse has.
I asked myself: how could someone be so ignorant of their own shortcomings? And then I learned that this is an actual thing. It's a psychological condition.
Please give the video a watch, it's incredibly fascinating (and explains A LOT).
I try to walk the line of being realistic about my own abilities. I know I can hop on just about any horse and get around, but that I have a lot of bad habits. I know my hands aren't great. I know someone else might be able to have better results faster with Spicy but I am committed to learning and being a better horsewoman. Sometimes I wonder if I am someone else's train wreck. I could be, and maybe I wouldn't even know.
So how do you battle the Dunning Kruger Effect?
You have to get outside your own echo chamber. You have to find someone who tells you you're wrong.
When I first started with The Cowboy, he tossed out pretty much everything I was currently doing. Months later, he mentioned he was really proud and impressed by how quickly Spicy and I had progressed. He said he valued my complete willingness to let go of everything I thought I knew and immerse myself in what he was teaching. Sure, he could've been blowing smoke up my ass and been wrong about every single thing, but I wouldn't know unless I actually tried.
Most riders don't seek out someone to tell them they're wrong. I've even seen several bloggers even go so far as to turn comments off because they don't want to see dissenting opinions. They surround themselves with an echo chamber of Yes-Men (and Women!) who tell them exactly what they want to hear.
It's hard to open yourself up to criticism. It's painful to be told you're wrong. Some are not tactful when they tell you. I know I personally get really defensive if I'm wrong about something. I fight the urge so hard because if I'm never wrong, then I will never improve. I will be stuck right where I am, forty years from now, with no idea that it even happened.
We can all help each other by speaking up, in a kind and supportive way, and taking advice into account before we bristle at the mere fact we are being told we're wrong. Sometimes the advice may be wrong, but hey, you can still learn from wrong advice (aka, by knowing NOT to do it)!
Or, we could stick our heads in the sand and think we're amazing even if we're not. That would certainly be the less painful route.
I choose growth. There's a whole world of opinions, knowledge, tricks, and solutions out there. I don't want to miss a single one.
I love (love) to follow trainwreck blogs.
 |
| I feel guilty about it. |
You know the type. The one where the person is so bad, so misguided, that every day you go and load up a post because you can't wait to see what the heck they've cooked up today. Especially in pandemic times, when all I can do is work or sit on my thumbs and wait for things to go back to normal, my trainwreck time has definitely increased. I'm not proud of this, because ultimately I don't think it's very kind to derive pleasure from other people basically fucking up. In reality, I want everyone to succeed. I want people to evolve with their horses and become better horsemen and women and no longer become trainwrecks. Sure, I'll have nothing to binge read, but that's what reality TV is for.
It started pretty early with one of the first blogs I followed: old, old Fugly Horse of the Day. It evolved as I waded into blogging. Some are better than others; for example I love Dom's blog because the trainwrecks are not her but seen through the lens of her. I cannot tell you how many times I've read her 'Tale of Two Trailers' posts (Too Abusive and Not Abusive Enough).
After awhile, reading the trainwreck's blog may make your eyes glaze over. You wonder how someone could be that delusional. The video is up there for all to see. The horse is limping and you think, "how can the person not see the horse limping??" Or someone is riding their horse so backwards the horse's lower lip is actually touching his chest and they are proliferating about what a great frame the horse has.
I asked myself: how could someone be so ignorant of their own shortcomings? And then I learned that this is an actual thing. It's a psychological condition.
Please give the video a watch, it's incredibly fascinating (and explains A LOT).
I try to walk the line of being realistic about my own abilities. I know I can hop on just about any horse and get around, but that I have a lot of bad habits. I know my hands aren't great. I know someone else might be able to have better results faster with Spicy but I am committed to learning and being a better horsewoman. Sometimes I wonder if I am someone else's train wreck. I could be, and maybe I wouldn't even know.
So how do you battle the Dunning Kruger Effect?
You have to get outside your own echo chamber. You have to find someone who tells you you're wrong.
 |
| End result of being told I'm wrong. |
When I first started with The Cowboy, he tossed out pretty much everything I was currently doing. Months later, he mentioned he was really proud and impressed by how quickly Spicy and I had progressed. He said he valued my complete willingness to let go of everything I thought I knew and immerse myself in what he was teaching. Sure, he could've been blowing smoke up my ass and been wrong about every single thing, but I wouldn't know unless I actually tried.
Most riders don't seek out someone to tell them they're wrong. I've even seen several bloggers even go so far as to turn comments off because they don't want to see dissenting opinions. They surround themselves with an echo chamber of Yes-Men (and Women!) who tell them exactly what they want to hear.
It's hard to open yourself up to criticism. It's painful to be told you're wrong. Some are not tactful when they tell you. I know I personally get really defensive if I'm wrong about something. I fight the urge so hard because if I'm never wrong, then I will never improve. I will be stuck right where I am, forty years from now, with no idea that it even happened.
 |
| TBs: Puttin' the T in western |
We can all help each other by speaking up, in a kind and supportive way, and taking advice into account before we bristle at the mere fact we are being told we're wrong. Sometimes the advice may be wrong, but hey, you can still learn from wrong advice (aka, by knowing NOT to do it)!
Or, we could stick our heads in the sand and think we're amazing even if we're not. That would certainly be the less painful route.
I choose growth. There's a whole world of opinions, knowledge, tricks, and solutions out there. I don't want to miss a single one.
This. Literally so much this 👏👏👏👏👏 there have been plenty of times I've viewed something one way and then gotten feedback on it and realized that hey, I definitely have room to improve because I'm not perfect. I don't ever want to live in an echo chamber of my own making full of people blowing smoke up my ass. I want people in my life who will tell me when I'm doing the wrong thing and support me through fixing it. Thanks for being one of those people in my life 😘 also thank you for writing this post.
ReplyDeletegirl, always.
Deleteit's good to find friends who won't pay you lip service. then I feel like you can actually trust them.
While it IS fascinating to watch other people continually flail about in their own little pool of ignorance, it's also a great opportunity to turn a critical eye on ourselves and wonder if we are behaving the same way! I see it as a reminder to make sure I'm not falling into that same Dunning-Kruger trap, and I'm thankful for friends like you who will slap me upside the head if I'm doing something stupid!
ReplyDeletehey, I would never slap. But I would gently be like "yo... what are you doing..."
Deletegood thing you and dino are adorable and perfect so you aren't really going to get that from me.
I'm friends with someone on FB specifically to follow her sh!tshow.. :D
ReplyDeleteI was like you too - I even had a little bookmark folder named "Schadenfreude" where the shit-show links hung out. Then my life went to shit in 2013 and I realized reading trainwrecks was honestly not fun because I was living my own. I wanted to be more positive, so I stopped reading things that made me feel so negative.
ReplyDeleteThere is a fine line in there somewhere of over positivity and never ending negativity. Where we have to be open but also fair, where mindset does spill into literally everything else we do. Especially if we have imperfect brain chemistry (I have very imperfect brain chemistry).
And it's always humbling to realize that to someone else, our lives and blogs are the shitshow! lol
ya you're not the only one with imperfect brain chemistry. and I fully accept that someone might be reading this and eating popcorn!!
DeleteI used to read them and occasionally marvel but in the last few years I've been less and less able to. I'm pretty hard on myself and pretty reflective so I don't think I lack for good feedback in my life. And watching other people be so belligerently awful was just too much of a reminder of how many awful people there are out in the world - and how many of them vote!
ReplyDeleteugh, tell me about it. Especially that last part.
DeleteI've been drifting away from the trainwreck type blogs too after awhile because at some point I just hit my limit. More than watching a train wreck I love watching a rider have an 'aha' moment and figure it out!!
Stopped following a couple of blogs for this reason. It was causing me angst to watch someone willfully bang their head against a wall to claw their way up the levels, repeatedly ignore good advice, and pay for suspect "instruction". Most importantly - couldn't stand to see their horses suffering...
ReplyDeleteYeah that's where I start to get lost - seeing a horse truly miserable and knowing I can't do anything. Not only can I not do anything but it's really not my job. And while I feel bad turning a blind eye because I don't want to watch it... there's nothing else we as voyeur's in other people's lives can do!
DeleteIt is important to let go of ego and understand that being wrong is not the same as being valueless. I tend to avoid the shitshow posts (like the dressage person on FB who delights in bashing others). That said, I also hate when people drop their opinions without thought or kindness.
ReplyDelete"being wrong is not the same as being valueless"
Deleteomg can we get it on an inspirational poster? With some horses galloping in the background? Because that is perfect.
I could have very easily been the continued train wreck blog (if anyone is bored and wants some laughs go look at early Stinker and I (HOT FREAKING MESS). Thankfully, I got some very good advice from solid professionals and while I disliked the advice I didn't have anything to lose so I gave it a shot. I am fascinated by the ones that just keep carrying on despite issues that they are aware of instead of taking a step back and wondering how to fix it. I love following the blogs that hit a major issue and you see how they change their methods to address the issue (like you seeking out the cowboy). ❤️
ReplyDeleteI think it takes a really strong, confident person to take advice they don't like. It's such a sleeper indication of the person's character.
DeleteI'm sure we all have a little train wreck in us. But I agree with you, the best way to be a good horseman is to KNOW that we aren't perfect. None of us know it all since every horse is different. Riding is a lot of trial and error, but I think being successful depends on learning from your mistakes and not just repeating them. I think we all enjoy a good train wreck show now and then though... I mean, Tiger King. Amiright?
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA oh man... truer words were never spoken.
Deletelol i also admit to occasionally indulging in high drama and train(wreck) spotting haha... mostly tho, i stop reading the stuff i don't like. maybe i don't like it bc i disagree with what the person is doing, or bc it's just not at all relatable for me. it bugs me when people seem unkind to their horse or blame their horse for their own shortcomings. i also don't have a lot of patience for folks who are struggling or unhappy or not able to do the things they want to do with their horses, but who seem unwilling to pursue seemingly obvious solutions.
ReplyDeleteother than that tho.... like, honestly? if a horse and rider are reasonably healthy happy and having fun? i don't really care if they think their sh*t don't stink. if they think they're the biggest baddest bitches to hit the equestrian world. or if their idea of top class horsemanship is sprinkling their horse with essential oils bc mercury is in retrograde. i actually know a LOT of riders who.... aren't really in it to refine their technique or become more proficiently skilled or whatever. some are just in it for the ponies. and that's cool too, ya know? like what does it even mean to be "wrong" in horses if you're healthy happy and having fun?
That's a really interesting thought. I think there are a lot of people who SAY they are interested in the pursuit of knowledge and bettering themselves and they're really .... not. But I don't fault people who are fine bumming around 2ft verticals with no interest in refining their technique. To your point, there's no WRONG way to horse as long as everyone's safe and healthy!
DeleteThere's a woman I used to know who used to pay for a lot of lessons and she'd spend the entire time arguing with the instructor. Frequently her instructors were only worried about her safety when it came to jumping but holy shit she just could not take direction. She kept pushing and pushing though, and ended up wrecking herself really badly. It's situations like that where I'm like omg, if you don't know what you don't know you better check yoself before you wreck yoself.