Has there ever been a time in your life when you got caught in a situation of miscommunication which ultimately led to a tricky predicament? Many people relate to such instances in life where they find themselves in trouble because of simple misconceptions. In many cases, people jump to conclusions that ultimately end up in their failure instead of simply confronting the situation and understanding the truth for themselves.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a phenomenon that explains why people do this. The Dunning Kruger Effect is the name given to when one who is less competent in a subject area overestimates their skill. As said by The Decision Lab, “The phenomenon occurs because those who lack knowledge and skill at something lack the insight they need to know that they could do better. Not knowing much about something causes them to miss their own mistakes, and lose the opportunity to improve.”  This ultimately relates to how people make assumptions because instead of getting a grasp of the situation, they overestimate themselves and end up with an entirely wrong idea.

Additionally, jumping to conclusions and making rash decisions out of them can lead to one’s ultimate tragedy just like it did in the play, Othello. In the play, one of the main characters, Othello, kills his wife Desdemona after he lets his right-hand man Iago influence him with lies. Instead of hearing out his wife, he lets the rumors consume him with anger as he kills her without taking the chance to hear her statement. When the truth is finally revealed, Othello ends up killing himself because his actions are irreversible and overwhelm him with unbearable guilt. Although the same impact might not be the result for everybody, this scene pictures how acting on assumptions without clarifying the truth can lead to a major tragedy.

To demonstrate this subject using evidence from our modern world, racism is a huge issue that is built off of assumptions and stereotypes. In the song, SHOES by Lupe Fiasco and Kaelin Ellis (with quotes from Virgil Abloh), the issues of racism are incorporated throughout the lyrics. The song states how “The shop resembles the unfinished house he was in before they shot us. We fell down, then we got up.” Fiasco and Ellis’s lyrics tell the story of Ahmaud Arbery, an innocent black man who was murdered out of racist intent that he, a black man, had malicious intentions toward those in his neighborhood. Although our society has changed from the past, there are still many people who live with racist thoughts and make assumptions about certain racial groups that are simply not true.

All in all, making and acting on assumptions is something that everyone should be aware of before doing. While they can sometimes be true, assumptions and rumors can also bring lots of trouble and confusion to a situation. To further this, before playing into an unclarified statement, one should always figure out the truth and what happened. By diffusing the confusion and unknown from a situation beforehand, society can get rid of any misconceptions and live in a state of honesty and trust.