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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.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This seems kind of weird as I still don’t understand how anyone can defend them.. but the Kardashians. Everyone thinks they’re “self-made” and have done a lot of charity work, but in reality they are professional scam artists and masters at tax evasion and fraud. There isn’t a good one in the entire bunch.
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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.
#3
Tom Cruise gives millions to an aggressive cult that destroys families.
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.
#5
Steve Jobs was a deadbeat dad, a spoiled child masquerading as an adult, a slave labor monster, and a borderline idiot.
“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
I'm glad Doctor Phil is finally getting his comeuppance. He's said and done terrible things to people who needed real help for the sake of viewership and acts like he cares so much. Well it's obvious he doesn't.
#7
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.
Jerome Lenovo 6 months ago
My mom became one of them. I can't talk to her anymore, she always tries to turn me into one of them. I hate these guys.
#8
Christopher Columbus.
Quick reminder, the imperialist and slave-holding nation of Spain sent him to prison once he got back from the new world because his monstrous brutality towards his slaves was too much even for them.
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
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.
DC 6 months ago
That ... Trickle down ... arming some religious nutcases in the middle east because "every enemy of the USSR is our friend", which ... well, they're worse. The USSR's heads, after Stalin at least, shared some basic rationality. Chrushtshow should have remained in power another few years, ... anyway, as for Ronny, I totally agree. He wasn't even dumb - often claimed - he was downright insane, way above Nixon in that regard, just a less showing, less obvious trade thereof. Even more dangerous? Obviously so, but only after the aftermath is archived already.......
#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.
#11
Personnel in HR Department. They’re not there for you. Don’t bother to report anything or it will backfire on you.
Javelina Poppers 6 months ago (edited)
Got laid off after 30 years because the company wanted to offshore. When HR handed me my notice the lady smiled at me and said, "So are you going to cry now?" She was just one of a long list of total d-bags that occupied that office.
“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
Mufuggin Gandhi.
When Gandhi's wife was stricken with pneumonia, British doctors told her husband that a shot of penicillin would heal her; nevertheless, Gandhi refused to have alien medicine injected into her body, and she died.
Soon after, Gandhi caught malaria and, relenting from the standard he applied to his wife, allowed doctors to save his life with quinine. He also allowed British doctors to perform an appendectomy on him, an alien operation if ever there was one.
Also he served on the British side in South Africa and earned a medal for valor.
#13
President Andrew Jackson trail of tears, why is he on the 20 dollar bill
#14
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].
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
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.
#16
Caitlyn Jenner. During the time she was getting person of the year, she killed someone, and was praised for it.
#17
Lame answer, but my mother. She is known by a lot of people in town because she’s a teacher and is part of the theater scene, and people love her. Little do they know that behind closed doors she abuses the s**t out of her children. I ran away when I was 17 because I couldn’t take it, and despite giving the police a s**t ton of proof of what was happening, they couldn’t believe that she was capable of any of that and forced me to go back. Even after kicking me out a few months later while I was still a minor, almost no one thought she did anything wrong. The nicest people hide the darkest s**t
ETA okay this was not what I was expecting. I’m reading all of your comments, and wow. I am so sorry that so many of us have dealt with this. I promise you it does get better over time
As for me, I am doing better. The 11th is three years since cutting her off, and while my life is still really hard, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.
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
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.
Ephemera Image 6 months ago (edited)
I never got how she was funny? Every snippet I ever saw was of her humiliating someone - in a cutesy 'joking' way of course. I found that repulsive. Even the stars she had on her show were forced to humiliate themselves. A real b***h.
#19
Brett Favre. People finally figured it out after the welfare thing but he's always been scum. I went to USM (his alma mater) as well as my parents who were there at the same time he was, and every story I heard from locals about him was about him blowing off charity events that he was paid for and smacking his girlfriend in public back in his college days. Apparently he used to get his a*s beat by the locals when they'd see it but he was well into his NFL career before that stopped happening publicly. The man is a menace but people hear that South Mississippi accent and assume he's a nice guy.
Also, just because I feel like there aren't enough people saying it, f**k Michael Vick and anyone who still let's him have any kind of public life.
#20
Barbara Walters her interview with Coery Feldman is disgusting. She knew what Cory was saying was true, and she kept questioning him on it.
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
John Lennon sang about peace and love and then went home and beat his wife and kid.
Graham_Illegal 6 months ago
We know about Lennon's abusive past because he openly discussed it in his lyrics and interviews. He transformed from an angry working-class boy into a feminist adult. If anything, he should be seen as a positive example of recognizing and changing toxic behaviors. If you’d rather focus on the tabloid aspects of his life instead of his art, at least be aware of his timeline and progress.
#22
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
#23
Jared Leto.
For someone who does a month long spirit journey in the wilderness each year, he's a huge piece of s**t.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 6 months ago (edited)
He will be outed as the next R Kelly, the things that people know about him? He is a predator.
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
I always knew Will Smith had horrible vibes even before "the slap". Not as bad as others on this list but he seems like a prick.
#26
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.
Michael Wlodarczyk 6 months ago
He also has an illegitimate daughter he has basically disowned and abandoned because of her sexuality.
#27
Narendra Modi of India. Despite being praised for economic reform he’s an autocrat at heart.
Marno C. 6 months ago
I am concerned by the return of the idea of voting for 'strong men': charismatic, authoritatian, populists who create a base by demonizing whole population. They convince their supporters that they are 'victims' who are suffering from the secret machinations of these 'enemy' groups and only the Strong Man can help them. Not only are these Strong Men corrupt, but also it also sows unnecessary division and hostility within a country. All to gain power.
#28
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.
#29
Literally every judge from Sharktank. They scam so many people out of so much money it’s f*****g deplorable.
#30
My ex-best friend. We were close like sisters. She started living with my fiancé and I. She then started sleeping with my fiancé behind my back and would say stuff like, “sometimes I forget you’re in a relationship.” I of course broke up with my fiancé and ended my friendship with my best friend. They left together and dated for a couple of months before he moved on to the next girl. In the meantime, my ex-friend turned many of our mutual friends against me because I wouldn’t forgive her and she now felt really bad about what she did.
She’s an a*****e. Our mutual friends still think she’s great. At least I figured out who my real friends are.
#31
Lyndon B. Johnson, I find it hard to believe he is being lionized by the descendants of the people who hated him so much. He was responsible for the deaths of 55,000 Americans and millions in SE Asia, he looked us in the eye and lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident so he could widen the war to fatten his friends.
Now people say "oh but his domestic policy, he gave us Medicare and Headstart", how cheaply he bought you out, he was a war criminal who killed a lot of my friends.
iseefractals 6 months ago
social security acts that created Medicare and Medicaid, the first civil rights acts since reconstruction, the 1965 Voting Rights Act that tackled racial discrimination in southern polling centres, the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and the Higher Education Act of 1965. Yeah....so cheaply.
#32
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.
#33
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?
#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.
#35
I think Eddie Murphy #1. Most think he's a cool guy but heard story after story he's mean, hateful, and downright terrible to people.
JLo is mean many stories about her getting people fired and so forth for trivial reasons and belittling the help. Yet she is fairly popular most think she's a decent person.
I am not calling her a monster but most think Jamie Lee Curtis is super cool and would be nice as hell but heard she is actually a snob and cold in person. Which surprised me.
SlightlyTarnished 6 months ago
This is what happens with you get your news on pop culture from BuzzFeed and Bored Panda
#36
Ray Lewis
Never understand why people buy into his holier than thou preacher schtick.
#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.
#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.
DC 6 months ago
Beating children was considered normal at that time. I won't advocate for doing it, but other than today, back then, you were basically taught what was right by people just as clueless as you, and we tend to believe that something that happens all around us must be somehow ok'ish, at least not wrong. Remember, deviating from your peers is what takes effort, often bravery, not fitting in.
#39
Brad Pitt - reading the account of what happened on the plane between him, Angelina Jolie and their kids is terrifying.
iseefractals 6 months ago
Until you consider all the things that Angelina has actually been proven to have done...and remember this "story" came to light as she was enduring the backlash of her own shiftiness. Accusations aren't evidence.
#40
Alexander Graham Bell. Wanted to eradicate deaf people. Tried to ban ASL. Also he didn’t invent the telephone, it was really an Italian guy. 🤷♀️.
Andi 6 months ago
oh get it right! He did not want to eradicate deaf people but deafness. His wife was deaf which is why he started working on the telephone in the first place - to help her and other deaf people. He was a proponent of oralism, but that was seen as advanced for the time and fought for the education of deaf children who were excluded at the time. And as for Antonio Meucci - the invention of the phone is a complex affair so it was not just ' an Italian guy' -actually Italian American but we'll skip that.
What do you think ?
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 6 months ago (edited)
No Mother Theresa? She was a fame whore and a hypocrite who denied patients in her hospitals basic healthcare, when she was ill? The best treatment money could buy. And the money she collected? Instead of spending it on the needy, she hoarded it all like Smaug.
Poison Ivy/Boo 6 months ago
I was expecting her to show up and surprised when she didn't. Came here to point her out....and you already did, so thanks.
Load More Replies...
Brian Hawley 6 months ago
Works the other way round too. I had a theatre friend who worked with Victoria Beckham. She looks like a hard faced b*tch, but she was really nice.
Gavin Johnson 6 months ago
True. Did some work with her and David Beckham at their home in Alderley Edge when he was at Man Utd, both down to earth and decent people, she made a properly decent mug of tea too!
Load More Replies...
Jill Rhodry 6 months ago
Also surprised by no Mother Theresa. But I'm in two minds about some of these things - some people, yep truly evil but some are taken out of historical context, not saying what they did wasn't bad but was acceptable at that time - also, I think it's a good lesson it that no-one is all good - having said that, I do believe some people can be all bad - yep, I rambled, trying to process...
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 6 months ago (edited)
No Mother Theresa? She was a fame whore and a hypocrite who denied patients in her hospitals basic healthcare, when she was ill? The best treatment money could buy. And the money she collected? Instead of spending it on the needy, she hoarded it all like Smaug.
Poison Ivy/Boo 6 months ago
I was expecting her to show up and surprised when she didn't. Came here to point her out....and you already did, so thanks.
Load More Replies... Brian Hawley 6 months ago
Works the other way round too. I had a theatre friend who worked with Victoria Beckham. She looks like a hard faced b*tch, but she was really nice.
Gavin Johnson 6 months ago
True. Did some work with her and David Beckham at their home in Alderley Edge when he was at Man Utd, both down to earth and decent people, she made a properly decent mug of tea too!
Load More Replies... Jill Rhodry 6 months ago
Also surprised by no Mother Theresa. But I'm in two minds about some of these things - some people, yep truly evil but some are taken out of historical context, not saying what they did wasn't bad but was acceptable at that time - also, I think it's a good lesson it that no-one is all good - having said that, I do believe some people can be all bad - yep, I rambled, trying to process...
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