INCOMPETENCE PROTECTS ITSELF...
HOW STUPID PEOPLE KEEP GETTING PROMOTED
You watch it happen again. Someone who clearly cannot do the job gets promoted. They miss deadlines, make poor decisions, and leave chaos behind. Everyone sees it. Everyone knows it. Yet suddenly, they are the boss.
Meanwhile, the person who actually keeps things running stays in the same position. They fix mistakes quietly. They carry the workload. They solve problems without recognition. Over time, they begin to feel invisible.
At first, it feels unfair. Then it becomes confusing. Eventually, it starts to feel insulting. You ask yourself what you’re doing wrong. You wonder if skill even matters anymore.
This pattern is not new. It’s not personal. And it’s not random. It keeps happening because of how power naturally forms and protects itself.
Once you understand this, frustration turns into clarity. You stop expecting logic from broken systems. You stop blaming yourself. And you begin to see the rules that were never explained to you.
CONFIDENCE ALWAYS BEATS UNDERSTANDING
Incompetent people speak with absolute certainty. Capable people speak with caution. That single difference explains a shocking amount about who rises and who gets ignored.
When someone understands complexity, they hesitate. They see risks. They consider consequences. That awareness naturally slows them down. When someone lacks understanding, they feel no hesitation at all. They speak boldly because they don’t recognize what they don’t know.
People follow confidence, not accuracy. Certainty feels comforting. It feels strong. Even when it’s wrong, it feels better than thoughtful doubt.
In meetings, the person who says “this is complicated” gets overlooked. The person who says “just do it” gets followed. If it works by luck, they get praise. If it fails, someone else gets blamed.
Confidence is easy to see. Real ability is harder to measure. So confidence keeps winning.
SYSTEMS DON’T REWARD TRUTH, THEY REWARD STABILITY
Most systems are not built to find the best ideas. They are built to protect what already exists. Anyone who questions the structure becomes a threat.
Competent people notice inefficiencies. They ask why things are done a certain way. They suggest changes. That forces leaders to admit problems. Admitting problems threatens status and comfort.
Incompetent people don’t question anything. They follow rules without understanding them. They defend bad decisions. They support authority automatically. They keep broken systems running just well enough to avoid collapse.
When promotion decisions are made, the safe choice rises. Over time, safety becomes more valuable than ability.
This is not a secret agreement. It is self-preservation.
THE CASCADE OF DECLINING ABILITY
Once an incompetent person gains power, they feel insecure. Even if they won’t admit it, they sense their weakness. That insecurity shapes every decision they make.
When hiring or promoting, they face a choice. Surround themselves with people who might expose them, or choose people who make them feel superior. They choose comfort every time.
Those people do the same when they gain authority. Each level hires someone slightly weaker. Over time, intelligence drains downward.
The result is an organization filled with people chosen not for skill, but for how unthreatening they are. Problems multiply. Solutions disappear.
This is how entire institutions slowly rot without ever fully collapsing.
WHY WE KEEP FALLING FOR IT
Most people cannot evaluate real competence. They don’t have the technical knowledge. So they rely on shortcuts.
Confidence becomes the substitute for intelligence. Loud becomes strong. Certainty becomes leadership.
Our brains are wired this way. It once worked in simple environments. In complex systems, it fails badly.
Today, the most confident voice is often the least informed. But people still follow it because confidence feels like control.
That mistake repeats in offices, governments, and organizations of every kind.
MORAL HESITATION HOLDS SMART PEOPLE BACK
Capable people tend to think before they act. They consider consequences. They worry about fairness. That internal process slows them down.
Incompetent people don’t struggle with that weight. They take credit easily. They shift blame quickly. They say what works in the moment.
In systems that reward results without accountability, this lack of hesitation becomes an advantage. Ethics turn into a disadvantage.
When dishonesty works, dishonest people rise. And people who lack depth often have no trouble being dishonest.
CHAOS HIDES INCOMPETENCE
Skill is easiest to measure when things are calm. In chaos, nothing can be judged clearly.
Bad leaders create chaos naturally. Poor decisions lead to problems. Those problems create distractions. Distractions prevent evaluation.
As long as there is always a new crisis, no one looks back at the original mistake. Everyone stays busy reacting.
Constant disorder exhausts people. Exhausted people stop thinking critically. They focus only on survival.
Chaos becomes armor. And incompetence hides behind it.
WHAT SYSTEMS ACTUALLY REWARD
Most systems do not reward results. They reward appearing busy. They reward confidence without proof. They reward loyalty over honesty.
Competent people struggle in these environments. They dislike pretending. They hate politics. They question authority.
Incompetent people thrive. They believe their own performance. They project confidence naturally. They play power games without shame.
Unless a system actively protects competence, it slowly slides toward stupidity. And most systems don’t protect it.
MY CLOSING THOUGHTS…
This isn’t about intelligence being rare. It’s about intelligence being inconvenient.
Competence challenges comfort. Incompetence protects it.
Once you see this clearly, the world becomes easier to understand. Promotions stop feeling mysterious. Leadership failures stop shocking you.
You stop wasting energy trying to be recognized by systems that don’t value truth. You move strategically. You choose where to invest your effort.
And most importantly, you stop confusing silence with insignificance. Some systems don’t overlook intelligence by accident. They reject it on purpose.
Understand how that toxic imbalanced hierarchy operates to do your eight and hit the gate!
I appreciate that you came through, it truly makes my day!
Sincerely,
SCURV