Summary (tldr)

This cognitive bias is based around the idea that you have created something good with the paradox being that the same good thing you create is subsequently weaponized against you.

Dedication

This blog is dedicated to all the hard workers and unsung heroes who create something new and amazing that everyone enjoys only to hear unjustified criticism.

Chocolate Cake Paradox

Imagine one day you decide to bake a cake to take into work (because that’s how you roll) a delicious-looking chocolate cake that is the best cake ever! Gushing with pride you present it to your team to be eaten at Tuesday morning tea, and you wonder how to be fake humble when the compliments start coming in.

Suddenly, you over hear a numbnuts say “The icing is too thick”. You feel your body tremble and ask yourself, is that the same whucnut who brought scones last week? …dry scones ffs!!

Then to rub salt into the wounds you eventually end up next to them and then they further enquire “what could you do to make it better next time?”

Why?

• Sometimes it seems astonishing that after you work so hard to create something so good you end up receiving criticism.
• It seems a flawed characteristic of human nature that we are never fully happy and always have something mean to say.
• Sometimes people hate change even for the better. They are slow to adopt

Often the reason this happens is because one change begets another change. One person brings a sponge cake, later another brings a sponge cake with icing, and each time we get a better and better cake. Each cake is criticized no matter how good by somebody…anybody.

The knowledge frontier is always moving further outwards like an expanding circle, and each new meaningful discovery brings some kind of angst. 

Micro vs Macro

There are thousands of examples of this paradox that exist in every individual’s life at a micro level, and just to get you triggered I’ll give you a some that have improved humanity imensly at a macro level.

• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Technology
• Capitalism
• Politics
• Inventions