Be Wary of the Bucket of Crabs

Joe Rogan is easily my favorite podcaster, and he’s what I’m listening to 90% of my time in the car. Recently, while interviewing bowhunting athlete Cameron Hanes, mentioned that life is like a bucket of crabs. Here’s what that means: in a bucket of crabs, when one figures out how to climb up and escape the bucket, what do the others do?

They pull him back down.

Joe offhandedly said, “That’s pretty much what’s wrong with the world in a nutshell. We’re a bucket of crabs.”

I’ve thought the same thing, crab metaphor aside.

This is especially true on the internet, where everyone seems to be hardwired to criticize and find fault – the bucket of crabs model seems to be the standard operating procedure. It goes:

Don’t be inspired, be insecure.

Don’t celebrate someone else’s success, be envious.

Don’t learn, but instead cling more fiercely to your own confirmation bias.

Don’t escape. Stay and suffer the collective fate.

It’s a toxic pattern that comes down to self-awareness. I don’t think people consciously understand what they’re doing, but nonetheless their behavior is viral, as it’s easier for everyone to displace their own insecurities and worries by rooting for the failure of others. I see it in fitness, careers, even kids’ sports. Self-awareness is hard work and a constant vigil. Jumping into the middle of the zeitgeist and rooting for the one successful guy to take a fall, or to mock his new product or service? Well heck, that’s easy. After all, you didn’t quite get that startup off the ground, so that dude certainly can’t, right?

Or at least so says your ego.

We’re in a bucket of crabs.

Maybe we should learn a thing or two from the one who escapes.

Have a good weekend, everyone.