The MARITES Pyramid of Learning Explained

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There's the term MARITES which can be often said as Masters in the Art of Relaying Information Through Exaggerated Storytelling. Such people give a bad name to any woman named Marites. I wouldn't be surprised if women would stop naming their daughters Marites for that reason. I decided to make this simplistic meme to talk about what I'd call the MARITES Pyramid of Learning. The Pyramid of Learning has been used as a joke in many memes. 

One of them has the caption "Trust Me Bro" (read more about that here) at the tip which is the fallacy of Appeal to Emotion. If Trust Me Bro isn't enough then what happens next is, "If you don't believe them you must be (insert insult)." If there was a lesson I had to be taught many times, "Never get mad at insults. That just proves that the other person is either insecure, in the wrong, or has a very shaky ground that he or she is defensive. Get even and they'll play the victim." 

If there's any truth worth noting, it's that insults are the arguments often employed by those who are in the wrong. It's like how many times I try to disprove the myth of a parliamentary government in the Philippines, the need to pass 100% foreign equity ownership laws in the Philippines, that the Philippines needs to upgrade the constitution, and that parliamentary systems are more democratic--I get a hurl of insults. I think most of them are stubborn boomers who probably got too comfortable achieving much at such young ages, that they think their children should be exactly like them or have excellent academic records based on an obsolete education system. That's why I remembered how some people wanted to transfer their children to easier schools not because the children had a hard time but because the children no longer entered the honor ranks. What's the use of being an honor student decades ago when lessons were easier than today when lessons got harder? Yes, lessons will get harder because of new content. I wonder if they're too proud to learn anything new?

When I ask for evidence to back up their arguments, many of the arguments tend to just write CTTO which means Credit to the Owner. That one wouldn't always work since citing academic work requires an actual source. It's not enough to surf the Internet. One needs to go to the nations. That's why I even tell the person to go tell a neighboring ASEAN country that their arguments are valid. Instead, they start name-calling. I admit I'm irritated and I want to fight back. However, the truth of the matter is that they're not even worth punching. It's because using insults is just plain stupid. The Positive Writer really says this about using insults to win:

It’s a Sign of Incompetence

If your goal is to present a counter suggestion, idea or even to debate, then lacing comments with insults nullifies any useful input you may have. You effectively ruin an opportunity to give thoughtful feedback.

Sorry to say it, but that’s just stupid.

Once someone includes an insult, subtly or blatantly, the focus shifts from the opinion to the insult and people naturally tune out any points you may have had.

Worse, insulters are not considered competent enough to provide any meaningful input, because using insults make them look foolish.

I sincerely believe some people become insulting because they’re unable to compose a convincing argument and so they end up embarrassing themselves by becoming belligerent.

It’s little wonder why such comments are usually posted online anonymously.

I’d also hazard a guess that nine out of ten times, people become insulting because of…

Frustration and Anger

We all have succumbed at times to frustration and anger when we passionately disagree with something, and that’s normal.

It’s best to allow anger and frustration to dissipate before saying anything.

I take a few extra moments to collect my thoughts, make notes, and when I’m ready, I do my best to provide my side in a respectful manner. That is, if I want my opinion to be considered.

Frankly, I like for my comments to be taken into consideration and not disregarded because I was thoughtlessly blowing off steam.

I would really say that the problem with insulters is that they take great joy in insulting others. It's all about their assertion of dominance. They're probably just waiting for the right opportunity when the insulted had enough and finally gets even. There's a quote that some people will get the worst out of others and then play the victim when it happens. It's common especially when people can take advantage of their gender (ex. women) or their short stature (ex. short people who are small but terrible) to start a fight. Of course, expect them to cry foul when the other person finally has enough and stoops down to their level. The reason why insulters get mad when it's backfired is loss of dominance. Though, they can easily turn the tables by playing the victim. 


People who use insults and trolling are in the end, just losers. They think that they're practically just exposing stupid people online. They think they're so smart because there's the Duning-Kruger Effect. There's also cognitive dissonance. Facts don't matter to them, only their feelings. They feel like throwing a tantrum will change the facts. They feel like calling names will make them superior. Yes, it makes them feel superior, they can declare themselves the winner, but the facts remain the same. I can lose every argument with them. It's often said that it's impossible to win an argument with a fool. 


This illustration of the pigeon would really summarize the situation with the MARITES Pyramid of Learning. It overrides all degrees. These MARITESes can even have a Ph. D. and waste it by using Appeal to Confidence accompanied by an insult. They end up wasting all their years in school by becoming pigeons. Is it me or has it become a commonplace problem where people go to school and then forget everything they learned after they graduate? It's because the school system tends to care more about grades than learning. They act as if they never had a real education. They end up acting like pigeons regardless of educational attainment. They end up wasting their attainment when they choose to insult those who don't listen to them.

I've experienced such pigeons. I've been called names every now and then. All the name-calling and Ad Hominems are unavoidable. These people have their so-called superiority. The facts don't matter and they will figuratively poop on the board and strut around it like they won. In all ways, I don't care if those guys graduated from a prestigious school. What's the use of having a prestigious degree anyway if at the end of the day, all the person does is insult others who disagree with him or her? 

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