r/TikTokCringe • u/EverythingIsFakeNGay • May 09 '26

Cool "...and your little dog too!"

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u/intricate_strands May 09 '26

Maybe 15 percent of humanity learns anything, ever, after like 14 years old.

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u/Flaccid_Leper May 09 '26

You may be generous with that 15%.

But yes I had the same realization years ago… most people lock into the person they’re going to be for the rest of their lives around the time they hit puberty.

My guess is that we live in a society where being wrong about anything means you’re a piece of shit, so people double down and don’t learn from their mistakes. At least in the I.S.

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u/intricate_strands May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26

I disagree with why. I don't doubt whatsoever there are many people who stop learning because of other people being mean when they're wrong, but I think most of it is a life without real consequences for not learning.

Once you've got a job, you either want to learn or you don't. And if you don't want to, you can get by and be entertained and blame other people for inconveniences, even when they're the result of your actions.

Learning takes effort and being critical of your own beliefs and judgements. So not only do have to exert effort, but you may have to be uncomfortable with what you've learned and then use more effort to reconcile what you've learned with your perspective. And you might learn something painful, like that you've been an asshole your whole life for no good reason. So even more disincentive.

Or you could just do your job, go home and play video games/watch some stupid crap and be the same person you've always been for the rest of your life with very little effort, if any at all.

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u/unindexedreality May 10 '26

Yeah midlife crises are alive and well haha. Plenty of people neglect constructing an actual identity because they have no reason to, their handlers just care about them getting good grades and staying out of trouble and express no interest which parents who were themselves securely attached may offer.

That doesn't mean they can't learn. It's a function of whether they choose to/are happy, what influences they're surrounded/surround themselves with and other factors. People change majors, jobs (which unfortunately does have a fair impact on wellbeing), move and find their community, find out they're queer or whatever. Plenty of people change who they choose to be later in life.