Goatfury Writes

Goatfury Writes

Share this post

Goatfury Writes
Goatfury Writes
Dunning Kruger

Dunning Kruger

Andrew Smith's avatar
Andrew Smith
Sep 18, 2023
∙ Paid
28

Share this post

Goatfury Writes
Goatfury Writes
Dunning Kruger
20
4
Share

McArthur Wheeler was a big dude with a history of mental health issues. Tired of working a low-wage job, and bored with his situation, he decided to do something exciting.

Wheeler would rob banks. Sure, this was a high-stakes game, but Wheeler knew something the average person didn’t know. Wheeler had a plan:

Lemon juice.

Bank robbers typically want to obscure their face in some way, typically via a disguise or mask, but Wheeler didn’t need any of those things. He knew that lemon juice was used as invisible ink, so he smeared it all over his face.

Wheeler confidently strolled into two banks that day. Of course, the security footage clearly showed his face, unmistakable and unhindered by any invisible ink. Wheeler legitimately seemed flabbergasted by this, even saying five words that should have gone down in meme history:

“But I wore the juice!”

Alas, there were no memes back in 1995, so people did scientific studies instead.

Dr. David Dunning and his then-graduate student, Justin Krug…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Goatfury Writes to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Andrew Smith
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share