Why Good People Get Laughed At (And Why They Win Anyway)

Ever wonder why good people are often mocked? In this 5-minute video, we uncover why society tags those with integrity and kindness as fools—and how they still win. Picture a woman stopping traffic to help a lost kid while drivers honk and sneer. Sound familiar? History shows this pattern: Socrates questioned corruption, faced ridicule, and drank poison—yet became a legend. Martin Luther King Jr. marched for justice, took jeers, and changed the world.
Why the mockery? Psychologically, we fall into the fundamental attribution error—labeling kindness as naivety when it defies selfish norms. Cynicism makes us doubt the honest and generous, but these “fools” prove us wrong. Look at today: whistleblowers like Snowden or climate activists get laughed off, yet spark real change. Their virtue—acting from duty, not gain—drives progress, even if society snickers.
Erasmus hinted at this in In Praise of Folly (1511, public domain): folly keeps humanity going. Good people clash with our wiring, but they’re the spark we need. So, who’s the real fool—the one who cares or the one who doesn’t? Share your take: ever been mocked for doing right? Let’s talk in the comments!
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Attribution: Insights from Socrates’ trial, MLK’s activism, and Erasmus’ In Praise of Folly (public domain).
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