A modification of Hanlon's razor; to attribute both malice and stupidity when explaining one's behavior.
Hanlon's razor advises not to attribute malice to a behavior when it could be reasonably explained by stupidity - Trump's razor advises attributing both.
Hanlon's razor advises not to attribute malice to a behavior when it could be reasonably explained by stupidity - Trump's razor advises attributing both.
"Supporters of 47th President Trump cheered on as he promised tariffs, thinking it would harm the target nations and boost the US's economy. Both assumptions are incorrect and based in a lack of understanding of tariffs and harmful intent - hence another example of Trump's razor." - MSNBC, probably.
by ma02rc February 27, 2025
Get the Trump's razor mug.A term used during drinking when a "razor" (a drunk individual who is extremely aggressive and loud) starts wildin' out and causing issues. They will often verbally and physically begin attacking the people around them, including but not limited to their friends, staff, and strangers looking in their direction.
Man you see that razor razoring, we ain't drinking with her no more.
I don't drink with Kesha anymore, she's always razoring when we drink. I don't got time for all that drama.
I don't drink with Kesha anymore, she's always razoring when we drink. I don't got time for all that drama.
by Winterpanda1997 March 24, 2023
Get the Razoring mug.Never attribute to a conspiracy what could be attributed to inefficient bureaucracy. Conspiracy theories are generally fueled by people trying to make sense of the unexplained. People who have not been a part of really large organizations overestimate the level of internal coordination that actually happens. Generally, they are too slow moving to accmplish big complex things quickly and quietly. This mostly applies to "Enemy Above" type conspiracies. In short, the government or other large organizations is rarely competent enough to pull of a large conspiracy, and almost definitely could not keep it a secret - it probably just moves slow.
Related to Hanlon's razor (Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity), but more focused on whether conspiracy theories are true. It was penned by Jamie Wallace (@jamiemw) in 2023 to after 20+ years of working in large organizations.
Related to Hanlon's razor (Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity), but more focused on whether conspiracy theories are true. It was penned by Jamie Wallace (@jamiemw) in 2023 to after 20+ years of working in large organizations.
Wallace's Razor would explain why Pearl Harbor happened, the bureaucracy of the Navy prevented signals intel from getting to the right sources in time, it wasn't that FDR just wanted an excuse for war.
by Razor Author March 31, 2023
Get the Wallace's Razor mug.The harder the media pushes a story, the more you should look away for what they aren't telling you.
by maxxmane March 31, 2023
Get the Hollaway's Razor mug.Logical fallacy around the mantra “Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice”.
In reality, acting like “Whoops, sorry! Stoopid me!”, so the victim is willing to forgive you for longer, is the oldest trick in the book of evil.
Mostly used by anxious sheltered people when overwhelmed by reality .
Not necessarily wrong. But not necessarily right *either*. There simply is no rational basis for it. It is useless. Its false sense of security can itself be harmful again. Purely exists as a coping fantasy. Same thing as conspiracy theorists (−1) , but with an opposite polarity (+1).
Risen in popularity in late 2010s, due to an anxiety epidemic in young people caused by over-sheltering parents, for-profit fear media, over-prescription abuse, and several bad events (pandemic, wars, …).
The real way to tell evil from stupid is:
*Evil has a goal*. Its actions *converge* towards that.
Stupid is incompetent. Its actions *diverge* (into chaos).
Catch 1: Stupid people can *still* be useful pawns for evil people, and follow them. (See example.)
Catch 2: There doesn’t *have* to be an evil person. It may be emergent behavior in a group. (Proof: Your body’s cells aren’t smart. Yet together they can act smart.)
Usually it’s more complex, but that’s the gist.
In the end, stupid is already harmful. It wastes resources and slows advancement down. That is evil.
While evil is already stupid. As teamwork (being nice) is clearly an evolutionary advantage.
In reality, acting like “Whoops, sorry! Stoopid me!”, so the victim is willing to forgive you for longer, is the oldest trick in the book of evil.
Mostly used by anxious sheltered people when overwhelmed by reality .
Not necessarily wrong. But not necessarily right *either*. There simply is no rational basis for it. It is useless. Its false sense of security can itself be harmful again. Purely exists as a coping fantasy. Same thing as conspiracy theorists (−1) , but with an opposite polarity (+1).
Risen in popularity in late 2010s, due to an anxiety epidemic in young people caused by over-sheltering parents, for-profit fear media, over-prescription abuse, and several bad events (pandemic, wars, …).
The real way to tell evil from stupid is:
*Evil has a goal*. Its actions *converge* towards that.
Stupid is incompetent. Its actions *diverge* (into chaos).
Catch 1: Stupid people can *still* be useful pawns for evil people, and follow them. (See example.)
Catch 2: There doesn’t *have* to be an evil person. It may be emergent behavior in a group. (Proof: Your body’s cells aren’t smart. Yet together they can act smart.)
Usually it’s more complex, but that’s the gist.
In the end, stupid is already harmful. It wastes resources and slows advancement down. That is evil.
While evil is already stupid. As teamwork (being nice) is clearly an evolutionary advantage.
Leader figure A: Evil (scapegoat group B) are invading our (group A), destroying our (values) and taking our (valuables)! = Evil. Goal: Power
Group B, Pawn 2: Durk urr durr! Kill all (group B)! =Stupid. Goal: Whatever dear leader A says.
Group A, Anxious traumatized person 3: OMG, (group B) is destroying our (group A)! They are evil! Hyper-focused on anything remotely similar to the previous trauma: “It *must* be real!” Goal: Safety through avoidance.
Group A, Anxious *black-eyed* person 4: Calm down, it’s just Hanlon's Razor! Everything is fine. Nothing to see here, move on. Hyper-focused on anything remotely similar to the previous *safe space*: “It CAN’T be real!” Goal: Safety through ignorance.
(As you can see, everyone in this example is wrong, and merely driven by their anxiety, clinging to what they grew up with that seemingly lets them handle reality.)
Group B, Pawn 2: Durk urr durr! Kill all (group B)! =Stupid. Goal: Whatever dear leader A says.
Group A, Anxious traumatized person 3: OMG, (group B) is destroying our (group A)! They are evil! Hyper-focused on anything remotely similar to the previous trauma: “It *must* be real!” Goal: Safety through avoidance.
Group A, Anxious *black-eyed* person 4: Calm down, it’s just Hanlon's Razor! Everything is fine. Nothing to see here, move on. Hyper-focused on anything remotely similar to the previous *safe space*: “It CAN’T be real!” Goal: Safety through ignorance.
(As you can see, everyone in this example is wrong, and merely driven by their anxiety, clinging to what they grew up with that seemingly lets them handle reality.)
by Evi1M4chine April 3, 2023
Get the Hanlon's Razor mug.by Jitterbug567 January 24, 2023
Get the Razor blade hard on mug.The opposite of Occam’s Razor - the most complicated, delusional and convuluted approach to solving any problem or understanding anything at all
by Beanol April 28, 2025
Get the Sean’s Razor mug.