Morons like Ben Shapiro have no problem being confident, as hang ups and trepidation tend to be traits that come with intellect. Hard to second guess yourself if there's nothing going on upstairs.
Smart people tend to get in their own way, and are prone to depression and suicide. This really isn't a time you want to be living in as someone with above average intelligence, unless you're a high functioning sociopath, then you can run the table, as intellect + no regard/empathy for how your actions may harm others is a potent combo in this dystopia.
Most people don't even need intellect to "succeed" in western culture, just a severe empathy deficit, which is easier to cultivate the less cerebral you are. "Just don't think about it" is an idiot's comfort zone.
Ben Shapiro and the like may have awful backwards views but I don't believe for a second that they're stupid. They know a lot of what they're saying is bullshit but it doesn't matter because the checks keep rolling in.
Are they geniuses? Absolutely not. But they're not morons like the slackjaws they preach to.
I'm starting to wonder if imposter syndrome and self-awareness go hand in hand. Or if maybe imposter syndrome is self-awareness gone wrong, or dialed up too high. Because it seems like you will never see imposter syndrome in people like Ben Shapiro who are absolutely convinced of their own superiority or intelligence. Narcissists are probably immune to imposter syndrome.
I would love to see a debate forum that cut each person's mic after a single point. But I doubt any of the people I want to see in such a forum would ever risk participating.
I am constantly having a similar thought. I'm a student and not a single thing I do is good enough. I've gotten honors and awards every semester, I get good grades, but not without professors tearing apart my papers with petty criticisms, not infrequently contradicting their own instructions. And then I think about what George Carlin said, or a paraphrase of it, "think about the stupidest person you know. Most people are even more stupid than that" or some such, and I'm just like ??
Intelligence is becoming a fucking rarity in the US, but because of that it's almost becoming a form of deviance that everyone is afraid of, questions, or dislikes. Or all of those.