Not all people who seem bad are actual monsters. But not all seemingly kind ones are actually kind, either. And unfortunately, there are quite a few of the latter kind out there, praised by people who don’t know any better; or simply don’t know enough about such individuals.
Redditor u/Independent_Sun_592 recently started a discussion about seemingly kind people, asking fellow netizens to name someone who is generally considered a great person but is actually a monster. Redditors had quite a few names prepared, so if you’re interested to see who were the wolves in sheep’s clothing, scroll down to find their answers on the list below.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interviews with the OP themselves and two psychology professors, Professor at Stetson University in Florida, Christopher J. Ferguson, and Professor at Georgia Gwinnett College in Georgia, David Ludden, who were kind enough to answer a few of our questions.
#1
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#2
Every Mega Church senior pastor. I like how they constantly ask for donations and charity and then, if there's a disaster in their area, rather than help and donate to the relief fund they bar their doors in case anyone ruins their electric blue carpet.
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#3
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In a recent interview with Bored Panda, the OP shared that it was their interest in history that encouraged them to ask this particular question. “I was reading and studying a lot on Julius Caesar and a lot of historians and history buffs consider him a great figure of history. However, to the Gauls, which is now modern France, he would be considered a monster as he killed or enslaved 1 million of them in his conquest of Gaul.”
In addition to revealing what made them think about people who are praised by some, but despised by others, the redditor also admitted being very surprised by the amount of netizens who engaged in the thread.
#4
Oprah Winfrey. She has platformed so many terrible humans, scam artists, and snake oil salesmen it’s unbelievable.
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#5
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“I think Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great come to mind when thinking of an ancient figure, as they were the reasons for many deaths and enslavement of their time,” the OP pointed out, providing names for who they think are considered great but are actually monsters.
“But I also think you have to look at it in the perspective of the time and in those times would he have been considered great, or a monster. I think the longer you go back in time and look at these historical figures, the more you see their greatness as opposed to their negatives,” they added.
#6
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#7
Blows my mind that a good number of Americans still praise Ronald Reagan. He was a gd monster. He dismantled the mental health care system in California when he was governor and that had direct impacts on the growing homeless population.
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#8
Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witness. I grew up in that cult and so many people I knew died from not getting blood transfusions.
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Talking about liking certain people, especially on a superficial level, Prof. Christopher J. Ferguson pointed out that we generally judge people by how they present themselves and, ultimately, how charming they are (which might not work with historical figures, as they can’t alter the way they present themselves anymore). And for the most part, that seems to work out fine, as—although we all engage in some "positive image management"—most people's outward personalities are reasonably representative of who they are.
However, according to the expert, some folks learn to game that system and purposefully present themselves in ways that will be attractive to others that don't necessarily represent who they truly are. “This may include insincere flattery, learning to be interesting and ‘cool’ or presenting oneself as a moral crusader,” he said.
#9
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#10
Chris Brown. His fame is particularly disturbing to me because over the years since his attacks on Rihanna, he has been involved in numerous altercations, charged with multiple counts of abuse, holding women hostage, sexual assault and armed standoffs with the police. It’s clear he has not evolved or matured as a person and presents a significant threat to many people. The fact he still gets support and is collaborating with artists is very disheartening.
I’m in favour of allowing grace for those who have mended their ways, but this individual has not stopped hurting and endangering people, almost exclusively women and the fact he’s still seen as a sought after artist is confusing to me.
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#11
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“In recent years, as victimhood has gained currency, presenting oneself as a ‘victim’ may also be a viable strategy for some [people],” Prof. Ferguson continued. “Such people may present leadership qualities without having the internal substance to back them up and their true purpose is less to guide others towards doing something useful as opposed to lining their own pockets.“
#12
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#13
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#14
President Andrew Jackson trail of tears, why is he on the 20 dollar bill
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Whether a person tends to focus more on the negative or the positive aspects of someone else’s personality or behavior depends a lot on the context, Prof. Ferguson said; on whether or not the person is primed to be open-minded or suspicious in a particular context.
“For instance, a door-to-door salesperson might prime suspiciousness in a lot of people,” he pointed out. “But, particularly for Americans, our culture is to assume positives of those we meet in casual, non-threatening situations (which may differ from some European cultures).
“Thus we may give people we meet the ‘benefit of the doubt’ and be more easily taken in by charm,” the professor continued, adding that once attitudes form, they can be resistant to change so people may be hesitant to believe the worst of someone they just formed a positive opinion of.
#15
#16
Ellen DeGeneres. She opened up about how she hated the TV personality outside of the show and hated being around fans who would stop her to do something silly.
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#17
Mark Wahlberg. More recently, he's been claiming that Hollywood is persecuting him for being a Christian, which is why he's decided to move his kids to Nevada. It's pretty ironic for the guy who threw rocks at Black children and beat up Vietnamese people wants to talk about being unfairly targeted.
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In an interview with Bored Panda, another psychology expert, Dr. David Ludden, seconded the idea that shaking a first impression is difficult. “People quickly size up a person they've just met and decide on a quick, intuitive level that this new acquaintance is either good or bad. Once that assessment has been made, people interpret new information about that person in a way that is consistent with their first impression. It can be really hard to change someone's opinion about you after your first meeting with them. That's why first impressions are so important.”
#18
Pablo Picasso was an unrelenting bastard to his romantic partners. He once said "for me there are two kinds of women: goddesses and doormats." And his granddaughter described his treatment of the women in his life by saying: "He submitted them to his animal sexuality, tamed them, bewitched them, ingested them, and crushed them onto his canvas. After he had spent many nights extracting their essence, once they were bled dry, he would dispose of them."
And that wasn't hyperbole, two of Picasso's partners suffered nervous breakdowns due to his emotional abuse. Worse yet his lover Marie-Thèrése Walter and his second wife Jacqueline Roque were driven to [self-harm].
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#19
It's finally coming out, but Drake. I’m 30. I can’t imagine wanting to talk to someone underage all the time. I have nothing in common with them, I feel like they’d get annoying (not their faults but they’re young and immature). I mean if I had family that young maybe. But just random teenagers is so strange
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#20
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According to Prof. Ferguson, it's important to remember that most people will actively try to hide their negative traits. “That's normal, and nothing to panic about,” he said. “But I suppose the main thing—when being drawn entirely into a person's orbit or worldview—is whether or not there is any possibility that they're profiting from some degree of insincerity and is it making us prone to ignoring some information that should throw up some red flags. There [has to be] a careful balance between being naive and overly suspicious.”
#21
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#22
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#23
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Prof. Ludden suggested that the people who could be considered monsters might charm you. “But at the same time, you may get an uneasy feeling about the person,” he added. “Don't dismiss this feeling just because you really want to like this person. You may be picking up on subtle body language cues letting you know this person is not to be trusted.
“I'm also not saying that you should never trust other people. But it is much better to build that trust on an honest, objective assessment of the person rather than a superficial first impression and the halo effect.”
#24
Lizzo. I loved her song "boys" because it was literally just her singing about how she thought dudes were cool, and she doesn't discriminate over size, height, demographic. She seemed cool, and then she turned out to be an a**hole who judged other WOMAN for their size and its like....Lizzo is fat af how can she tell act like that?
#25
#26
Narendra Modi of India. Despite being praised for economic reform he’s an autocrat at heart.
#27
Jackie Chan. He confesses a lot in his book (without realizing how much of an a*****e he is, I guess?), abusing his toddler son, etc etc.
And THEN on top of that he's a shill for the CCP. Says s**t like "Chinese people don't deserve freedom". He's from Hong Kong, which is probably a double slap in the face. Even a lot of mainland Chinese people know what the CCP is, but they can't necessarily escape. He's an international star, and decides to say what he does.
#28
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#30
The Rock/Dwayne Johnson.
I think stuff is just starting to come out since he’s always been super controlling of his public image, but it seems like the guy is a complete and total sociopath.
Edit: I didn’t expect this to blow up. Here’s an article detailing how him and his team have crafted his public image
People have also started to speak up about his bad behavior on set, being late all the time and rude to crew members.
There was the Hawaii b******t with Oprah. There was his handling of Black Adam bombing - also reports of bad onset behavior and mistreatment of others.
“Monster” might be a stretch, but the guy is definitely an a*****e and people are just now finding out. Dude is fake as fake gets.
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#31
Oh, yall don't know him but my dad. Absolute scumbag. He's extremely well respected in his field and all of his family adores him. I was a secret child he hid for years. When I was assaulted he blamed me. He made his children lie to their own family about their secret sibling, and he literally sabotaged my career in my 20s. I only found success when I finally went no contact.
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#32
John Harvey Kellogg (the cereal guy) was a real piece of work.
TLDR; John Harvey Kellog was the cook, and his brother was the industrialist.
As far as I can remember, the insane brother invented the cereal. The sane brother invented the factory process of making them, and had the idea to cover them in sugar (frosted flakes).
The insane Kellog believed that the default state of man was an apathetic unfeeling void and anything that caused excitement such as good food, warm baths, obviously intercourse for anything other than procreation, was sinful and against God's design. I believe he was also a proponent of yoghurt enemas, which HAS to be a fetish thing, right?
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#33
#34
Dr. Seuss. Cheated on his wife while she was sick, which lead to her [self-harm] then married his affair partner the very next year.
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#35
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#37
My mom’s old roommate back when I was a kid. Everyone around him to this day thinks he’s a saint but he’s a creep. I was horrified when I learned he has young children.
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#38
Anne Sullivan, AKA Teacher. Despite helping Helen Keller rise above her disabilities, it's well-documented that she often beat Helen (as a means of disciplining her when she was still a "wild" feral child), and colluded with the Kellers in preventing Helen from marrying the man she loved.
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