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Measure Compare

Did not know that the phenomenon had a name (Dunning-Kruger effect) but the description of what it is makes sense.

When it comes to the Dunning-Kruger effect, comparing yourself to others may not be the worst thing you could do—just don’t tell your therapist we said so.

You can avoid being ignorant of your own performance by listening and gaining insight into the performances of others. If your friend who knew only a few Spanish words had asked how the lessons were going for you, your response might clue him into the fact that he’s not all that great at the language after all. Moreover, his poor pronunciation might show you that you actually have an unknown knack for languages.

Comparing myself to others (or more like forced ranked against others) is a core and foundational experience for a desi individual if they grew up in India or among their own kind abroad. You cannot get through the day without being placed in a situation where you compare or are compared against one or more people pegged as your competitors. If this advice on how to overcome the said effect was true, not a single desi soul would have suffered from the malaise. I know that is simply not true. 

There are way too many among us who believe that they have all the answers no matter the question. Conversely, there are many who feel their incompetence and stupidity is quite boundless. Often they are made to feel this way by those who are constantly evaluating, benchmarking and grading them. They start to believe the wisdom of the crowds and give up on believing in themselves. I have to say being desi and having spent half of my life in a very measurement and comparison obsessed culture, I am not sold on the efficacy of the remedy.

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