What Does It Mean To Win An Argument?

There’s a genre of social media content that I like to call ignorance porn.

The format is simple.

A guy (it’s usually a guy) approaches members of the public, asks them simple general knowledge questions, and does the “Jim from The Office” face into the camera when they get them wrong. 

“How many moons does the Earth have?” “30” 

“Which country is the Great Wall of China in?” “Japanese.”

“What is 15 x 4?” “48” 

I swear, I’m not asking any of these up.

In an ideal world, nobody would struggle with these questions. Everybody would know how many letters are in the English alphabet and that the War of 1812 didn’t take place in 1929.

But in this world, these videos rack up hundreds of thousands of views for the same reason millions of people watch videos of monkeys smelling their fingers.

Everybody likes to feel smart. Even if it's only in comparison to someone who thinks Obama’s last name is “Care”.

But nobody wants to feel dumb. Even if they are. 

Unfortunately, when we're not on TikTok or Twitter, the questions get a little more complex.