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40 Myths People Think Are True, Yet They Are in Reality Very, Very False, As Shared In This Online Thread
Comedian Ron White once famously called his show You Can't Fix Stupid. The statement is debatable, because in theory, education is supposed to do that, but it's a completely different story when it boils down to practice. And so there is always work to be done when pushing away the tide of ignorance.
But until then, Redditors embrace the reality by asking questions and sharing experiences. Specifically, this time around, someone on Reddit asked people to share the dumbest myths people today still believe, and the r/AskReddit community was quick to deliver.
Scroll down, enjoy the list, and why not upvote and comment some of your stories in the comment section below!
More Info: Reddit
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#1
Vaccines cause autism…..
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
I wish I could upvote this more than once! AUTISM IS A NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION DETERMINED BEFORE BIRTH, TYPICALLY CAUSED BY GENETIC FACTORS
RELATED:
#2
Trickle down economics.
Oliver Seitz 1 year ago
Trickle down is just a lie to justify big tax cuts for the rich to "pay back" big coproration donors. GOP loves that excuse and their brain dead voters believe each c**p they get told.
#3
That there are dozens of hot singles in my area just dying to meet me.
Craftsman 64 1 year ago
There are dozens of hot singles (true) in my area (not as true) just dying (possibly) to meet me (flat out lie)
#4
When I had cancer a few years back and was doing chemotherapy I had people who constantly questioned that I actually "had cancer" due to the fact that my hair didn't fall out until I was actually in remission (Had been off chemo for about 2-3 weeks when my hair started gradually thinning and falling out).
It's a complete myth that every single person's hair will have the same reaction to chemo. Some people lose hair right away, some don't. Everybody is different.
Sonja 1 year ago
There was a letter on ask a manager of a woman who threw their padding at a colleague after a mastectomy when those nasty potstirrers claimed she couldn't have cancer because she didn't look sick enough. It's ridiculous how cruel some people can be if you don't fit in their expectations.
#5
I still believe that if any of my limbs hang off the bed while sleeping that a monster will grab them. I also believe that the moment I remember this and pull them back on the bed is just in the nick of time before a monster grabs them.
You can't prove there isn't a monster under my bed.
#6
Fish only have a 5 second memory. My fish are fed automatically on a timer and they know dinner time better than my goddamn cat
#7
Religion imo
Cynical, Burnt And Jaded 1 year ago
Amen. Lots of hate, wars and discrimination because you aren't with the right group. Such BS. Treat everyone with kindness. If they can't reciprocate, move on.
#8
Tear here to open.
#9
The whole “Alpha/Beta male” thing
Craftsman 64 1 year ago
When that first started, some guy tried it on my wife at a pub and she told him I was an Omega male. He stood there having no idea what Omega meant so she said "He'll be the f*****g end of you". (Nobody clapped or bought us free drinks all night but he did walk away looking like a wet, beaten dog)
#10
“Lightning never strikes the same place twice.”
Yes it does, that’s the entire reason for lightning rods on buildings.
Michelle C 1 year ago (edited)
The late Roy Sullivan, a Canadian farmer, held and still holds the world record for the most lightning strikes experienced during one’s lifetime: he got hit by lightning seven times over the course of his life.
#11
That humans only use 10% of their brain. This is false, regardless of how those who proclaim this myth seemingly demonstrate that it is in fact true.
#12
That you eat spiders in your sleep.
Spider will not knowingly walk into a preditors mouth.
They can sense both the heartbeat, heat and noise from humans. All things that would alert them not to go into our mouth.
Craftsman 64 1 year ago
The sound of my snoring ensures there are no spiders within 25 yards of our house.
#13
Life is fair, and bad things only happen to people who deserve it.
#14
“Do what you love and never work a day in your life.”
No one is paying me to play video games and eat pizza.
Genericist 1 year ago
I used to be a games tester. Sounds a lot better than it was - my job was to check new updates still let old games work, so I just tested each game for an hour, week in week out. When you consider some of the nonsense that gets released (Barbie and Bratz are two games that stick with me), it stops looking quite as fun. Wasn't a bad job by any means, but it wasn't non-stop decent gaming. Christmas parties were awesome, though; cheers Sony!
#15
That there are magic pills that make you lose weight and gain muscle without ever going to a gym. Or that there are snake oils that will take years off of your face and make you look young. There's a sucker born every minute.
#16
There are dumber ones out there, but the one I, as an estate lawyer, deal with constantly is the idea that there needs to be a "reading" of the will, where the family all gather and the lawyer reads it aloud to them for the first time. We don't do that, we just mail everyone their own copy if they want it.
It's a really stubbornly persistent one because people continue to see scenes of it in movies and TV shows, where it's used for some big dramatic reveal. I've even had irate beneficiaries insist that the administration of the estate can't be "official" until there's a reading.
Way, *way* back, like 150 years ago or so, I believe we used to do something like that at times because you couldn't exactly presume literacy on the part of the beneficiaries, but now we feel it's a pretty safe bet that you can either read it or find someone who can.
StrangeOne 1 year ago
I'd rather my inheritances be given out discreetly. I know too many people on my mom's side who are vindictive, scheming, entitled and will try to rob my beneficiaries of their rightfully given estates.
#17
Corporations care or even exist for any reason other than to make money.
#18
"Lie detectors" as a literal thing.
There's a reason they aren't admissible as evidence in court in most places.
#19
Still blows my mind that people think the Earth is flat.
#20
That Einstein failed his grade school math class. It was the subject of a Ripley’s Believe It or Not column in 1935 and Einstein himself refuted the article. In primary school he had been at the top of class and by 15 he had mastered differential and integral calculus.
David H 1 year ago
In Germany at the time they used a 5-1 GPA system where 5 was the lowest and 1.0 was the highest, Einstein had a 1.05, putting him in the top 1/1000th percentile in Germany at the time. Journalists used to the British 0-4 or 0-5 where 4 or 5 is the highest (like what we use in the US, Canada, etc) saw a 1.05 and not realizing it was a different system, just assumed he failed, when he was near perfection
#21
You have to wait 48 hours to report someone missing
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
This one is DANGEROUS- the odds of someone who’s been kidnapped surviving decrease exponentially after the first 16-24 hours, I believe
#23
Anything about MSG. I battle with my health conscious wife about this often.
EDIT: Too much of anything is bad for you. I still don’t understand the demonization of MSG.
MrsFettesVette 1 year ago
MSG= Make S**t Good (let's not forget there are naturally occurring glutamates in SO MANY FOODS)
#24
At some point, a viral video allegedly proved that the “beg buttons” at crosswalks are just placebos.
Some of them are, but most of them really do add a cycle for pedestrians to get a walk signal. You should use them regardless
#25
That magnetic jewelry / healing will cure just about anything. A dude named Mesmer the 1780 came up with the idea, and it have been debunked many times - yet it’s still a billion dollar industry. Fun fact - the word “mesmerized” is related to him.
Hippopotamuses 1 year ago
Great for checking out the bodywork of the second-hand car you’re about to buy, though.
#26
Halloween candy is commonly laced with [illegal substances] or razor blades.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
It’s one of those things where it’s very rare, but HAS happened, so it’s worth checking to be sure. Although, I did get a rice krispy treat with “choose god” on it once.
#27
Had a cab driver insisting that the reactor meltdown at Fukushima was a failed Chinese attack on the US. The plan was to superheat the rods so they'd burn into the ground, through the center of the Earth, and come out in America and irradiate it.
Amazing.
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
I could think of a million reasons why it would not work, but it sounds like the plot of a movie I would watch.
#28
It is believed in Indian culture that keeping your unibrow means “good luck” I kept my unibrow for 20 years thinking it is my “good luck” until I got stage 5th of kidney failure and I did my eyebrows after that because who gives a f**k about luck anymore. Now my eyebrows look cute af.
#29
I remember the myth that gum takes 7 YEARS to fully pass through your digestive system
sparkly radish 1 year ago
Okay this is partially true. If the gum stayed in your system, it would take 7 years for it to be digested into the body. However, it just stays in it's gummy form and follows the rest of the waste out the back door.
#30
That you can target fat loss in specific areas of the body by doing certain exercises (like doing sit-ups to lose belly fat)
AndThenICommented 1 year ago
This one includes an extra myth - that you can’t tone a fatty area. You cannot target fat loss, but you CAN build muscle and tighten muscle. As the muscle grows, there’s more surface area for the fat and that in turn can give the illusion of fat loss. For the example of crunches - if your core is weak, then strengthening can give an improved appearance by: tightening internal corset and promoting better posture. However, true abs are made in the kitchen in conjunction with an appropriate training plan.
#31
"Oh, I dont want a raise/make more money, because then I'll lose more money to taxes and take home less!"
You only get taxed on the money thats made above your current bracket. Its literally impossible to make more money and take home less.
XenoMurph 1 year ago
Unless you are on some form of benefits and the raise makes you cross the threshold of income. Making £100 per week, plus top up of £20 from government, pay £5 tax. Income £115. Then a raise of £10. Earn £110 but now wages too high for top up, pay £6 tax. Income £104 But that's just bad government.
#33
My dad had this guy helping him out (think Big Box store DIY curb ready helper) who told him "If you sleep with your hair wet, you will bleed out of your mouth"... and he was 110% sure that was fact.
We were both just confused and bewildered at this statement.
What the hell had this guy witnessed?!
#34
Had to explain to a grown a*s adult that blood isn’t blue inside the body and red once it hits oxygen because… blood already carries oxygen.
ETA: I didn’t expect this to take off, I first commented when the post was brand new and only had 30 comments. I understand that I came off as a snarky a*****e about it, but the dude and I were cool after 10 minutes of convincing him that what he was taught was a myth. No hurt feelings, buds.
BlueEyesWhiteDragon 1 year ago
Well, some of us DO have blue blood...if we are octopuses. (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/octopuses-keep-surprising-us-here-are-eight-examples-how.html)
#35
So many people think Narwhals are mythical.
A more serious one, that people who have been hurt or oppressed are morally better. My Mom thought that because she had been hurt by her Dad, whatever she did to the family was somehow justified. The Hutus were legitimately oppressed by the Tutsis (but to be fair, that comes back to Leopold, the patron satan of Africa). All people are fundamentally similar.
#36
Astrology. It's just a fun nerdy thing but now it's almost religious beliefs
#37
That you can write a comment 36 minutes after the post has been made and believe that it will gain any sort of traction
#38
Being cold is what makes you sick
Sonja 1 year ago
This again is a half truth. Being cold does not directly make you sick but it heightens the risk of getting sick. That's why cold countries have flu and cold mini-pandemics every year. Cold air makes our nasal tissue more vulnerable to diseases and the natural defenses against viruses and bacteria go down.
#39
There are still people who believe that having [making love] in certain positions or eating certain foods can influence the sex of your unborn child or impact whether you have twins/multiples.
Thomas Bentley 1 year ago
It does, if you don't have sex you can guarantee that you will not have a boy, girl, twin or triplets. i can speak from experience.
#40
People think bats are blind. They aren’t
What do you think ?
Andrea Steinacher 2 weeks ago
Well, it´s true for dresses in the shape of a circus tent
Load More Replies...
tatumn 1 year ago
that gas prices have to do with the president. no, the president has no control over gas prices.
Linnoff 1 year ago
That's not entirely true. In the US we have massive government owned oil reserves specifically to help lessen spikes in gas prices. Obviously it can only do so much, but if it weren't for that we probably would have seen $10 gas last year. Also, control of the reserves are done by the executive branch if not the president specifically.
Load More Replies...
Mike Crow 1 year ago
Women’s bare breasts are bad. I checked and no one died from women’s bare breasts last year but many died from guns.
Andrea Steinacher 2 weeks ago
Well, it´s true for dresses in the shape of a circus tent
Load More Replies... tatumn 1 year ago
that gas prices have to do with the president. no, the president has no control over gas prices.
Linnoff 1 year ago
That's not entirely true. In the US we have massive government owned oil reserves specifically to help lessen spikes in gas prices. Obviously it can only do so much, but if it weren't for that we probably would have seen $10 gas last year. Also, control of the reserves are done by the executive branch if not the president specifically.
Load More Replies... Mike Crow 1 year ago
Women’s bare breasts are bad. I checked and no one died from women’s bare breasts last year but many died from guns.
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