‘What’s something you defended for years before finally admitting you were wrong?’ – 21 people who chose a terrible hill to die on

Having the courage of your convictions is one thing. But being ridiculously stubborn about a belief even when it’s obviously completely baseless, well… that’s something else entirely.

Being stupidly pigheaded has been a hot topic of conversation on the AskReddit page after JumpyBend8035 asked this:

What’s something you defended for years before finally admitting you were wrong?

And lots of people who had belatedly seen the error of their ways were happy to own up, like these…

1.

‘Maybe not for years, but when I was a teenager, I defended the idea that innate talent was more important than effort. I think mostly because I had some innate talents and wanted to feel superior.

Now, I know better. In so many ways.’
–TMQMO

2.

‘That you should be able to be your honest self at work. Nope. You have to be the fake corporate persona that everyone creates. Sadly, the better you are at being that created person, the better you will do. Be your real self at home. Marry the person you can be your real self with, and give them that same space.’
–getridofwires

3.

‘Blocking people from zipper merging. I was wrong.’
–LateNeedleworker6395

4.

‘The death penalty. Oh, I still believe certain crimes warrant it without mercy. But our system is hot garbage at proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We’ve allowed the state to murder hundreds that were later proven innocent by better forensics. I cannot abide innocents being put to death by a system that is this easily politically railroaded.’
–GrinchWhoStoleEaster

5.

‘I was a conservative Republican when I was a teenager in post 9-11 America. Then I moved out of my bubble and was put in situations where people would challenge my views with things like ‘facts’, ‘reason’, and ’empathy’.

It felt empowering to say tough things online on web forums. It made me feel like an asshole to share those same beliefs out loud to actual people, some of whom would personally suffer if the things I espoused belief in ever actually came to pass.

That got me thinking… ‘If I don’t feel good about myself saying these things, why is that?’

That began a years long slide away from conservative politics. A few years later I was voting for Obama and I have since grown into a dude who the current administration would probably describe as ‘left wing radical’.’
–DungeonMasterDood

6.

‘That absolutely every women should have kids and it was a beautiful and flawless process. It’s purely due to my upbringing, I was never taught that women had a choice. Or when they did choose, there was only one right choice. Nor taught the dangers, both physical and mental, of pregnancy.

I learned that not having kids is a perfectly valid life choice. And that each woman should evaluate the pros and cons and make a personal choice for what would make them happy. And other people should not judge them for that choice, simply because it does not mirror their own choice.’
–Suitable_cataclysm

7.

‘I was a millennial teenager who very much believed that feminism was unnecessary and domestic violence was a thing that happened to women who ‘chose’ to stay with abusive men. I didn’t think that the wage gap was a real issue and that sexism was a rare thing that no one seriously believed. Then I spent my entire career in a male-dominated field and learned how serious and widespread these issues are. I’m sorry feminists that I probably said stupid things to. I have changed!’
–CuriousCuriousAlice

8.

‘That I was too bald, fat, ugly and hairy to ever find love until I did… twice. It didn’t work out in the end but the data against my beliefs was hard to ignore.’
–robz9

9.

‘Not for years, but when I was younger and my dad always had Fox News on I believed what they said and thought Obama wasn’t born in the US and wanted to see his birth certificate. That network brainwashes people, my parents are still heavily into it.’
–papajizzos

10.

‘I was Atheist, and generally thought all religious institutions were bad for humanity. Now I can recognise both the good and bad brought by religion through history and today. Religion isn’t inherently bad but political actors often use it for bad purposes. A lot more nuance to the topic than teenagers usually are capable of giving.’
–ChickenMarsala4500

11.

‘That Americans are smart enough to not make the same mistake twice with making Trump president.’
–BrojaDawg