this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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- The entire showerthought must be in the title
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- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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I think this perception of increased global ignorance may not withstand scrutiny — for starters, global statistics continue to reflect a rise in median education levels over time — but is an increasingly popular intuition that is likely bound to a few adjacent factors, namely:
1. Increased access
Many social spheres have become more inclusive, and perhaps none more-so than those found on the World Wide Web. In other words, you are more likely to encounter ignorance today than 20 years ago not because ignorance is more prevalent, but because those with less education have recently “joined the chat.”2. Shifting goalposts
What used to be considered minimum required knowledge in a particular era, WRT a particular domain, is now considered insufficient if not obsolete. The most obvious examples relate to Information Age technologies, but include important changes in the realms of finance, climate, economics, and social theory.3. Expanded range of lifetime education
Measured in years, there is now a much greater spread between groups with “low” versus “high” education rates. This just means the potential difference in those who know more or less is greater, which can easily lead to a perceived decline in knowledge, critical thinking, etc.