The saying “give it the old college try” comes from none other than Babe Ruth, better known as one of the most proficient athletes of his era. Sometimes even one of the greatest out there feels they have to try even when it might not work should be inspiring, since more often than not, we try and try and the only thing we get is a lesson on what not to do next time.
The “there was an attempt” internet community is dedicated to showcasing some of the best fails people have documented out there. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
#1 To Describe How Socialism And Capitalism Work
Image credits: Mr__O__
#2 To Provide Healthcare
Image credits: coachlife
#3 To Paint Portland Protesters As Dangerous Thugs
Image credits: anonymousbwmb
From America's Funniest Home Videos in the 1990s to modern internet communities like "There Was an Attempt" and viral TikTok compilations, fail content has proven to be one of the most enduring forms of entertainment. These videos showing people slipping, stumbling, and spectacularly messing up simple tasks generate billions of views across platforms, but the reason for their popularity goes far deeper than simple humor. The psychology behind our love of watching others fail reveals uncomfortable truths about human nature and the way we maintain our sense of self worth.
The primary psychological mechanism at work is schadenfreude, a German term that translates literally to "harm joy." This universal human emotion describes the pleasure people feel when witnessing the misfortunes of others. While the term originated in German, similar concepts exist across cultures, demonstrating that this is not merely a Western phenomenon but rather something fundamental to human psychology.
#4 To Blame Obama
Image credits: CQU617
#5 To Remove It But That Only Made It More Iconic
Image credits: Seensnipe
#6 To Say You Wont 'Interfere With The Current Building.'
Image credits: seeebiscuit
Social comparison theory, developed by Leon Festinger in the 1950s, explains that people constantly compare themselves with others, and watching someone else fail can make us feel relatively better about our own competence and status. Research suggests a connection between schadenfreude and self esteem.
#7 To Protest Hiding Your Face....whilst Hiding Their Faces
Image credits: johnsmithoncemore
#8 To Control The Narrative
Image credits: ExactlySorta
#9 To Identify The Agents
Image credits: seeebiscuit
Studies demonstrate that self esteem has a negative relationship with schadenfreude, meaning individuals with lower self esteem tend to experience this emotion more frequently and intensely. When people with fragile self images see others fail, especially those who appear more successful, they experience stronger self threat when confronted with high achievers, and witnessing these people's misfortunes increases their schadenfreude. This suggests that fail videos serve as a form of psychological self medication, temporarily boosting the mood of viewers who may feel inadequate in other areas of their lives.
#10 To Cry For More Money
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#11 To Express Grief Authentically
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#12 To Understand Nature
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The popularity of fail content might also have evolutionary roots. Psychologist Richard Smith suggests that our delight in others' suffering may stem from knowledge that we are getting a competitive advantage, as Darwin proposed that all life is in constant competition for resources and mates. In this framework, watching someone else struggle represents a relative gain in social standing, even if only psychologically.
#13 To Have Freedom Of Press
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#14 To Use Correct Spelling And Grammar
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#15 To Get A Barista Fired And Drum Up Social Media Hate
Image credits: buckao
Fail videos also serve as a welcome counterpoint to the carefully curated perfection displayed on social media platforms. While social media sites like Facebook tend to feature content showing people in their best light, which has been shown to cause envy and low self esteem in heavy users, fail videos show vulnerable people who do not have it together.
#16 To Provoke The Us Into Civil War
Image credits: ExactlySorta
#17 To Be Body Positive
Image credits: IsThisAUserName86
#18 To Take The Bank Teller On A Date
Image credits: TXVERAS
The editor in chief of Fail Blog, one of the internet's largest repositories of such content, explicitly acknowledges this function with their motto of helping people feel better about themselves every day. However, there are important limits to what counts as entertaining failure.
#19 To Represent Different Cultures
Image credits: IsThisAUserName86
#20 To Make A New Friend
Image credits: TXVERAS
#21 To Alienate Millions Of Customers
Image credits: Soft_Cable5934
There appears to be a threshold where empathy overrides schadenfreude, as videos containing gore or intense violence appeal to different psychological mechanisms more related to how people cannot look away from disasters. The most popular fail content features relatively minor mishaps where people are embarrassed but not seriously hurt, maintaining the delicate balance between amusement and genuine concern.
#22 To Pretend To Be The Party Of Free Speech
Image credits: 1Rab
#23 To Erase More History For A Ballroom
Image credits: seeebiscuit
#24 To Get Away With It
Image credits: ExactlySorta
Research has shown that experiencing schadenfreude can actually enhance satisfaction of basic psychological needs including self esteem, control, belongingness, and meaningful existence, particularly when another's setback occurs in competitive circumstances. This helps explain why fail content remains so consistently popular across different platforms and generations. It is not just mindless entertainment but rather fulfills genuine psychological needs for viewers seeking to maintain or boost their self concept.
#25 To Sell Soybeans To China
Image credits: PairRevolutionary669
#26 To Get Me To Try To Eat 90 Lbs Of Cheese
Image credits: seeebiscuit
#27 To Ask A Friendly Question On Threads
Image credits: IsThisAUserName86
The enduring appeal of fail content ultimately reveals something both troubling and deeply human about our psychology. While we may feel guilty about laughing at others' mishaps, these moments of schadenfreude serve important psychological functions related to self esteem maintenance and social comparison. Understanding this mechanism does not make the enjoyment disappear, but it does illuminate why these videos continue to captivate audiences generation after generation.
#28 To Make You Feel Stupid By The FBI
Image credits: CrytonAbyss
#29 To Stop Government Censorship
Image credits: A-Helpful-Flamingo
#30 To Intimidate A Sitting Mayor
Image credits: Manager_Neat
#31 To Sleep On Their Eight Sleep Mattress
Image credits: TXVERAS
#32 To Not Be A Complete Hypocrite (Brendan Carr In 2022)
Image credits: ryhaltswhiskey
#33 To Correctly Calculate A 10% Pay Increase
Image credits: snacktivism
#34 To Hire A Photographer
Image credits: Curious1556
#35 To Not Idolize And Implement North Korea’s Authoritarian Regime
Image credits: 80000gvwr
#36 To Uphold A Supreme Court Ruling
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#37 To Appear Competant
Image credits: Chocolat3City
#38 To Rise Above Poverty
Image credits: TXVERAS
#39 To Defend Tom Homan
Image credits: seeebiscuit
#40 To Make A Tasteful Design Choice
Image credits: PlenitudeOpulence
#41 To Teach Some Math
Image credits: UnhollyGod
#42 To Grieve
Image credits: Maleficent-AE21
#43 To Extort A Media Personality Into Capitulation
Image credits: BilboStaggins
#44 Three Nigerian Men Were Arrested At An Airport In Algeria After Trying To Board A Flight To Dubai Dressed As Arab Women
Image credits: Zine99
#45 To Uphold The First Amendment
Image credits: Bobba-Luna
#46 To Celebrate Free Speech And Cancel Culture At The Same Time
Image credits: Soft_Cable5934
#47 To Confuse Protesters
Image credits: saisonmaison
#48 To Do Damage Control, After An International Incident
Image credits: Xelloss_Metallium_00
#49 To Pretend It Wasn't His Signature
Image credits: Zealousideal-Ice-238
#50 To Show Off Your Tattoos And Get Compliments
Image credits: IsThisNameValid
