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30 False Facts People Believe In That Peeps In This Online Group Are Tired Of Explaining
Interview
Has your friend ever said something so incorrect that you actually had to stop walking to correct them? It’s even worse if you’re a specialist in the field they’re talking about and it’s always so hard to make them change their mind about it.
The good people on Reddit came together to share some of the misconceptions they’ve had to correct one too many times.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
alterperspective said:
Depression = sad.
eddyathome added:
You're just kind of meh about everything and nothing excites you. You have no passion for a hobby, say. You just kind of exist and do the bare minimum to exist. You don't bother with your appearance because nobody looks at you anyway. You don't do laundry because effort. You maybe watch tv but you're just kind of killing time, not really enjoying the show.
It sucks being depressed.
RELATED:
#2
Quarantine and "stopping the curve" was not meant to prevent anyone from getting covid it was meant to slow down the spread so that hospitals did not get overloaded
I'm so f*****g tired of hearing people complain about how useless quarantine was because it didn't completely magically stop covid or something when that was literally never the f*****g point
Also the mask wasn't to prevent you from breathing in other people's s**t it's to stop you from spreading your germs further because many people will be asymptomatic carriers for anywhere between a few days to a few weeks after infection before showing any symptoms similar to how it's been normalized in a lot of Asian countries to for example wear a face mask if you have to go out in public even just with a cold or something
it's to prevent you from spreading it to other people.
Libstak 1 year ago (edited)
Thank you. Also it wasn't a government political agenda. The vast majority of governments referred to the best available information the medical community had available to them at the time. Medicine does not stand still, it is not static, more information equals changes in priorities and information was being gathered, analysed and disseminated on a global scale every day. Give them a break and a round of applause they did the best they could with what they knew every day, tirelessly, TO SAVE LIVES.
#3
Frivolous lawsuits like the McDonald’s coffee example. The lady suffered 3rd degree burns from coffee spilled on her lap. Her labia fused!! She only wanted the bills covered.
F*****g Ronald’s PR team made it seem like she took a sip of above warm coffee and sued for inconvenience. That poor woman
In order to gain more perspective about common misconceptions people have, Bored Panda reached out to one of the commenters, toast_sweat7. Toast’s bone to pick is with people who laughingly say “I’m so OCD,” whenever they straighten something out or wipe down dust, because obsessive compulsive disorder isn't fun to have.
I was kidding about the bone picking, by the way, what toast_sweat7 is more interested in is breaking stereotypes and spreading correct information about OCD.
#4
I hate having to tell people that vaccines don't cause autism. The guy who originally came up with that theory used it to push his own product at the expense of the existing vaccine, and most of the 'evidence' people point to when they believe this comes from correlation, not causation,
#5
That if I have blue hair and tattoos I crave attention. Nope. I hate attention, it's panic inducing. I just really love tattoos and coloured hair and do it to make myself happy.
#6
That everyone wants children.
Katarzyna Drozd 1 year ago (edited)
More and more people realize they don't have to. This is not an obligation. Many people had kids not because they wanted them, but because they were told it's the only way of living
Toast says that they hear stereotypes in common conversations. It’s not uncommon for a random conversation to follow the lines of: “I have to keep X organized because of my OCD,” with toast running across these conversations once a month, sometimes more often.
“When I tell people I have OCD, I don't get as many stereotypes as I first did,” toast says. People associate them with germaphobia, and they may not be very far off, as they are particular about public restrooms, anything that looks like blood, and so on.
#7
I'm an alcoholic.
No, I dont drink every day, I have never been drunk at work, I always Pay My bills and I havent lost Any relationships as a result of My drinking. I have never stolen money, I have never driven drunk.
But I drink too much when I start. I have No stop button, and I will drink to the point of oblivion unless I am otherwise forced to stop. I Black out. I say vile things to People.
It's not a matter of "learning to moderate". If you dont think I am an alcoholic it's because you Are Lucky to have never seen me actually drinking. If My life hasnt been ruined it's because it hasnt happened yet. But it Will.
Binge drinking is a thing. And I am not intending to ever go back.
MrsFettesVette 1 year ago
I had an ex-bf like this, he turned into another person when he drank, but because he had a great job, was educated, managed his life well, etc, people never saw it. But I was scared to death by it, because once he started he couldn't stop until he just passed out, and he'd say and do hateful things along the way. His public face was v different from his private one.
#8
There were no trans people in the past
Or the apparent misconception that not letting people transition somehow makes fewer people trans
N Miller 1 year ago
Yes, this one confuses me. We haven't suddenly evolved to become trans in the last 50 or so years. It's not a new thing invented to p**s off people who don't like how fast the world moves. We've invented the language to go with it now, but the concept has been around as long as humans have had the concept of gender.
#9
People asking my boyfriend and I which one of us is the “female and male” in the relationship.
In a same-sex/same-gender relationship, there **is not** a “man and a woman”. My boyfriend and I are **both men**
Ace 1 year ago
Honestly, I think most of the idiots asking this question are only interested in details of the sex, who does what to whom, in an almost voyeuristic way.
Lynn 1 year ago
Years and years ago, I thought there had to be a "man" and a "woman" because I believed in the stereotypical gender roles. That's all I knew in the 70s. Thankfully I've grown and learned since then
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Surralvampi 1 year ago
I get this a lot. To which I respond, we are not a knife and fork, we are two chopsticks.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
What they really want to know is who the dominant and submissive partners are. These people can't imagine a relationship without a power imbalance.
Biana Weatherford 1 year ago
I had a coworker whisper behind another's back "She's the man in that relationship." I replied...I think the point of being a lesbian is that there is NO man in their relationship. But she continued to think her narrow minded thoughts.
Gozer LeGozerian 1 year ago
Or even better "two people". People are obsessed with gender stereotypes
D'oh Rae is Me 1 year ago
I'm a female in a hetero marriage, and by these antiquated stereotypes, I'm definitely the male and he's the female'. People can't move past historical tropes of what "normal" is.
R.A. Haley 1 year ago
And it's nobody's business "who does what to who." That's the other stupid question.
Caridina 1 year ago
Some who ask this are voyeuristic idiots, right. Some who ask just assume that in many relationships one partner is a bit more emotional than the other, one is better at cooking, one earns more money etc. So, those want to know who serves which cliché better. Which is also idiotic, alright, but honestly not entirely deniable. Well, I know couples where SHE serves the male cliché and HE is unsettlingly girly. Weird couples, but all are happy.
Zaach 1 year ago
I was sitting in a restaurant booth with my gf who had shorter hair than me when some effing a-hole stuck his head between us and said "I can't tell who the boy is" - I had a beard as long as my hair at the time (hair was down between my shoulder-blades). The temptation was to throat punch him but ... we just stared at him until he left
Nezuko_Chan 1 year ago
Today just a few hours ago some kids and the class-6 park / the shoppet ward told us that their guy friend liked men I asked them if there was anything wrong with that and they said yeah it’s against the Bible I nearly said wtf
crowspectre (he/they) 1 year ago
Thankfully no one has asked me or my bf that I would probably slap them
N Miller 1 year ago
This is a lack of adequate vocabulary and understanding, as well as being unbelievably nosy. I believe the failed question is... uh... who goes on top? (See, I lack the adequate vocabulary to use the right euphemism too!) It's absolutely not any of their business even asking, but I'm suggesting what the question was probably meant to be and why it's an even more stupid question than it first appears.
Bethany Heller 1 year ago
This actually not usually the case. They are not referring to sexual positions (because apparently it's okay to harass gay people as long as you don't mention the act?), but to traditional gender roles. Who goes to work? Who stays home? If someone were asking about that, they would probably say just that- "who goes on top?" Or "who is the top/bottom?"
Load More Replies...
Summer Woodsong 1 year ago
You know, we were trained from our earliest memories to divide things into gender-specific categories. Folks are finally being exposed to the full array of human diversity. So, they try to fit things into the only pattern they ever knew. Every generation will find less and less to inquire about as all of our friends share all of their many points of view and experiences. Right now, we're coming out of the dark ages. Not all people are idiots, they're just experiencing a broader exposure to the real world.
Featherking 1 year ago
Dude. I thought that foolishness died out in the nineties. Guess I was naive.
Blue_Mouse (read bio) 1 year ago
I think the reason people have this misconception is because some gay men (no offense) can come off as feminine or “girly “I’m not saying this because it’s true, I am saying it, because stupid stereotypes
Charlie Pond 1 year ago
Ellen DeGeneres said best "Asking which one of us is the man is like asking which chopstick is the fork"
Michael Largey 1 year ago
It's "No matter what you are, you are defined only by our expectations and our labels."
Tamra 1 year ago
It's incredibly rude to ask any random person about their sex life.
Load More Replies... While their coworkers stick up for them if they think something may be bothering toast, they aren’t sure the colleagues understand they react only to certain triggers: “it's not full-fledged germaphobia and it has some OCD form of 'logic' behind it.”
Toast doesn't really bother with correcting people in everyday conversation about it because they’re not up for the discussion. They also don’t want to assume or disregard others’ experience in case they do have some form of OCD, but they don’t think that’s the case typically.
#10
That there aren't poor white people.
The color of you money separates us more than the color of your skin.
#11
That, as a lesbian, I just "haven't met the right guy yet" 🙄
#12
Alpha and beta. This is getting worse with more people using the terms. The guy who came up with them spent his entire career trying to disprove it.
Humans don't have alpha and betas, wolves don't have them either. There is no pack animal on this entire planet where they have 1 ruler that dictates everything and has an absolute ruler. Pack animals work as groups based off strengths. Hell, even bees will over throw their queen if need be.
I hate explaining to people how alpha and beta doesn't even make sense for survival.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
in programming, "alpha" software is buggy c**p that you do not release to the public. "beta" is suitable for testing by the public.
“I used to comment on stupid social media quizzes about 'How OCD are you?' that have nothing to do with OCD,” toast mentions.
Now they focus on educating people through social media, sharing articles from sources like the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). They also participate in the organization's walking fundraiser and they may not get a lot of donors, but they feel they get more views talking about what real OCD looks like. Toast even wrote a little book about OCD stereotypes with a friend and self-published it through Kindle direct publishing.
#13
That I am like Rain man or Sheldon Cooper because I'm autistic
#14
Introverted doesn’t mean you’re shy, extraverted doesn’t mean you’re outgoing.
Susie Elle 1 year ago (edited)
I'm very extroverted. I can't stand forced interactions, such as networking events at work, but watch me hit the absolute epitome of excitement in a group of people I actually want to spend time with. And yes I can be loud, but I actively try to leave room for people who tend to get talked over. But during forced interactions I'll just sit somewhere, speak as little as I can and wait for it to be over :')
#15
As someone with brain damage that in turn resulted in physical disabilities: That just because some disabled people can do the Special Olympics and whatnot, doesn't mean we all can
People refuse to help us or say I'm lysing because Joe Smith on the news was able to regain mobility or whatever
Bunzilla 1 year ago
This, so much this. There's a huge range of levels of disability. Sure, I can walk without a cane, but I have to spend most of my day laying down in bed in order to function. And people who use wheelchairs, not all of them can't walk at all, and accusing them of 'faking' is cruel.
#16
Bisexual != Polyamorous. Also being bi isn't only "real" when I'm in a same sex relationship.
JK 1 year ago
THIS! I'm bi, but I'm married to a man, so supposedly I'm not allowed to say I'm bi, because I'm "actually straight", but if I dated a woman then I was either "just experimenting" or "just a part-time wannabe lesbian" (actually got called that once, by a lesbian). No, I'm bi, and like most bisexuals that doesn't mean I want to jump in the sack with anyone/thing I meet. Also because I'm bi, that does NOT mean I'm a nymphomaniac or more likely to cheat. I'm a fiercly loyal monogomist thtough and through. The worst c**p I get for being bi comes from the LGBTQ+ community!
Toast would like for people to know a lot more about OCD: “I'd like readers to know that OCD is mental torture. We have an intrusive thought and latch onto it. If I had this horrible thought, it must make me a horrible person, right? No, but OCD says yes.”
There are a lot of different obsessions and compulsions, and they’re typically not logical. OCD sufferers generally know that, but the miniscule chance of 'X is true' or 'Y will happen and it will be my fault' overrides everything else.
Toast would also adopt other people’s symptoms if they read about them. At this point, toast has been exposed to so much information, takes medication, and has been in therapy, so they aren’t as worried about that anymore. Yet OCD attempts to find new ways to present itself - it’s a sneaky and creative disorder.
#17
That OCD is all about cleanliness and germaphobia. Or that it's quirky. The stereotypes are really pervasive...I usually don't even correct individual statements anymore.
#18
*Shelling out for eggs:*
People who prefer brown eggs do so because they believe brown eggs are healthier and more natural than white eggs.
However, the truth is that all eggs are nutritionally very similar, regardless of their size, grade, or color.
Both brown and white eggs are healthy foods. A typical egg contains lots of vitamins, minerals, and high quality protein, all wrapped up into less than 80 calories.
Randy Sanders 1 year ago
I keep chickens, three different breeds for eggs. All lay different color eggs and all taste the same. All free range.
#19
The current versions of AI are not conscious, they do not "think," they do not "understand," and they sure as s**t don't "feel" or "experience." I see people talking about chatgpt like, "let's listen to what it wants from us, we need to understand what it is experiencing."
There is no it. There is no there there. The way people anthropomorphize AI with total conviction, total certainty that it is just a breath away from consciousness, is really irritating not because it's a crazy idea, it's not, but because people reach their conclusion based on zero understanding of how the technology works. It's OK to not understand how it functions, but then the next step is to educate yourself, not dive into the deep end of ignorance and assume you know something that is just wrong.
"If I don't understand it, no one understands it," is the gist of how people decide they are right, and it's tiring. Read a book, read the documentation, come up with a more sophisticated opinion.
#20
I’m a payroll accountant. If I have to explain to one more person that you can’t lose money by getting a raise because you’re in a “higher tax bracket” they are going to have to change the term going postal to going payroll.
N Miller 1 year ago
There is a very specific set of circumstances where you *can* lose money by getting a pay rise into a higher tax bracket - if you are receiving means tested social benefits (such as child tax credits) you may no longer be eligible for them any more. Whether this means an actual drop in real money will depend on your individual circumstances, but it has been known for someone to lose £40 a month by getting a pay rise and losing tax credits as a result.
“You might not be able to immediately tell someone is engaging in an OCD compulsion. Some are mental compulsions that can be invisible, or maybe the person won't seem entirely present in the conversation,” toast provides. They may be repeating or mouthing phrases that are compulsions for soothing their anxiety, which is only temporary.
Others engage in behaviors that the average person associates with OCD, for example, washing hands until they’re raw and bleeding.
What people don’t see is other, more detailed reasoning: "I have to wash my hands because I touched that binder from science class that touched the table that had people's hands and pencils on it, people/pencils who were in the same lab with me growing E. coli, they might not have washed their hands well and I don't want to get myself/my family/my friends/my dog sick."
#21
People that argue about private educating vs public education don't understand the fight. Private schools exist in poor areas too and barely survive. What they are really fighting about is the filthy rich vs poor schools.
Glengoolie Blue 1 year ago
Many schools in the US are funded by local property taxes, so poor areas have less funding than rich areas. It's a self-perpetuating problem.
#22
Only 10 percent of people with Tourette's Syndrome compulsively swear.
Monochrome 1 year ago
AND if someone does swear and says it's a tic that doesn't mean they're faking tourettes syndrome
#23
Work from home is better than going into the office. Sorry Jan that you can't walk around staring at your workers computer screens. Just have to trust us I guess.
Frando Bone 1 year ago
To each their own. This shouldn't be a debate. If you like WFH, find a job that allows you to do so. Stop calling your job toxic because their policy requires you to go into the office and find a job that doesn't.
#24
That the eye has its own immune system, and if your brain found out about the eye it would attack and destroy it.
* The brain doesn't control the immune system that way, like a general sending soldiers to attack.
* The eye has the same immune system as the body, it just has some immune privileges.
* The one area that doesn't have the immune system is the cornea, because it's not vascularized.
People may walk a certain route, knock three times, avoid a pair of socks, arrange books perfectly, retype a sentence perfectly or do any number of unrelated things because someone may get hurt or die if they don’t.
Toast says that they would have to make sure that they didn’t hit a person when hitting a pothole. Later on they’d hit the same pothole and have to turn around to check again. Logically, they know that they didn’t hit someone, but the “what if” remains.
There is a reason why OCD is the “doubting disorder.” Toast finishes the interview by saying that there are a lot of resources about it, but they recommend the IOCDF, which you should definitely check out if you’re interested.
#25
Bipolar disorder doesn’t mean one day you’re super happy, full of life and then the next hour you’re sad, tired and mad
#26
That the southwest US is running out of water because too many people live here. It's almost entirely a problem of agriculture, not houses.
#27
Daddy Long Legs spiders are nowhere near the most venomous spiders
#28
As someone who currently goes to cooking school if i need to explain that the red s**t you see coming out of your medium rare steak isn’t blood one more time im gonna have a god damn aneurysm.
For this fact, Bored Panda reached out to the post for a bit more insight into food misconceptions.
Another common myth that Weirdo mentioned is people believing all fats are bad. There are, actually, healthy and unhealthy fats.
Healthy fats are in foods like avocado and are very nutritious. On the other hand, trans fats are one of the worst things you can have as they can cause heart and other issues.
"Not all fats cause you to get "fat," for lack of a better term. Mainly it's sugar that gets people all fatty, not the actual fat from food."
Weirdo69213 doesn't suggest that all kinds of fats are good, but that you should be more informed about them and know what you're eating and what they may be doing to your body.
josh wampler 1 year ago
I find this to be misleading. Blood itself is about half water, so saying it's not blood, it's water and myoglobin feels disingenuous. Really what they want to say is it's not hemoglobin, it's myoglobin. And the difference between the two is minor to a non-professional. Hemoglobin binds and transports oxygen to, e.g., muscles. Myoglobin binds and stores oxygen in the muscles. So both hemo- and myoglobin are cytoplasmic proteins that bind oxygen for muscle use, both are red, both spend a lot of time suspended in water. I think that is probably blood enough for most lay people
#29
That countries like China are incapable of manufacturing a quality product.
They can make whatever you ask them to. But they’re usually asked to cut corners to make it as cheap is possible.
Glengoolie Blue 1 year ago
When I was young, "Made in Japan" was a sign of inferior goods. In 20 years, Chinese products will be high quality and some other developing country will make all the inferior c**p for a couple of decades.
#30
Me being Romani means i come from Romania
What do you think ?
ghostFluff 1 year ago
Just because someone you don't know exhibits one good trait does not make them perfect; this mindset is actually created by something that could very well be affecting your thoughts right now; The Halo Effect, where if someone you don't know exhibits one good or bad trait, you will assume that they hold many other traits that correspond; for example, a teacher may have a student in their class who is failing that class and assume that they aren't doing well in other subjects, when they don't know that for sure and their failing class could simply be a weak point. Similarly, a teacher may assume that a student who excels in their class does well in their others, even if they are actually failing all other classes. This naturally affects people's thoughts of others without them ever being aware that this is happening.
Aaron Parker 1 year ago
The human brain, despite all of it's mysterious glory, is very flawed. Halo effect is a great example you've provided here.
Load More Replies...
Bowtechie 1 year ago
That being Diabetic automatically means you made poor decisions about your health or eat badly. First off, there's Type 1 which is an autoimmune disease (your immune system kills the cells that produce insulin which is why we need a constant source of the artificial stuff). And with Type 2 there are several factors that lead to insulin resistance like age and genetics, it's not just diet, and just because one Type 2 went into remission doesn't mean all of them will. I stg if I hear one more person telling me I can "cure" my diabetes by changing my diet I'm going to... well, honestly I don't know, but that person isn't going to be happy by the time I'm done. We have doctors that help us with this, leave us alone and keep your damn "cures" to yourself. And honestly that applies to all chronic illnesses/disabilities/autoimmune conditions/etc....
Red PANda (she/they) 1 year ago
That Furries want to be animals. No, that’s otherkin and therians. That furries want to have sex with animals. Those are zoophiles and frowned upon in the furry community. Some people find being a furry to be a kink thing (they like dressing up as animals), but not all furries are like that. Some just think anthropomorphic animals are cute and like cosplaying as them. The furry community is very misrepresented and there are so many misconceptions about them it frustrates me >:( I know a lot of them and they’re great people, not weird or creepy at all.
Vera Cyning 1 year ago
The bisexual thing lawd I've heard some stories. If you discover that you're bi during a relationship that does NOT mean your partner has to agree to you "expressing" yourself by cheating. It means you're cool with entering a relationship with either. You still have to be faithful if that's what your partner and you agreed to. You don't get 2 relationships unless all 3 of you are happy with that.
ghostFluff 1 year ago
Just because someone you don't know exhibits one good trait does not make them perfect; this mindset is actually created by something that could very well be affecting your thoughts right now; The Halo Effect, where if someone you don't know exhibits one good or bad trait, you will assume that they hold many other traits that correspond; for example, a teacher may have a student in their class who is failing that class and assume that they aren't doing well in other subjects, when they don't know that for sure and their failing class could simply be a weak point. Similarly, a teacher may assume that a student who excels in their class does well in their others, even if they are actually failing all other classes. This naturally affects people's thoughts of others without them ever being aware that this is happening.
Aaron Parker 1 year ago
The human brain, despite all of it's mysterious glory, is very flawed. Halo effect is a great example you've provided here.
Load More Replies... Bowtechie 1 year ago
That being Diabetic automatically means you made poor decisions about your health or eat badly. First off, there's Type 1 which is an autoimmune disease (your immune system kills the cells that produce insulin which is why we need a constant source of the artificial stuff). And with Type 2 there are several factors that lead to insulin resistance like age and genetics, it's not just diet, and just because one Type 2 went into remission doesn't mean all of them will. I stg if I hear one more person telling me I can "cure" my diabetes by changing my diet I'm going to... well, honestly I don't know, but that person isn't going to be happy by the time I'm done. We have doctors that help us with this, leave us alone and keep your damn "cures" to yourself. And honestly that applies to all chronic illnesses/disabilities/autoimmune conditions/etc....
Red PANda (she/they) 1 year ago
That Furries want to be animals. No, that’s otherkin and therians. That furries want to have sex with animals. Those are zoophiles and frowned upon in the furry community. Some people find being a furry to be a kink thing (they like dressing up as animals), but not all furries are like that. Some just think anthropomorphic animals are cute and like cosplaying as them. The furry community is very misrepresented and there are so many misconceptions about them it frustrates me >:( I know a lot of them and they’re great people, not weird or creepy at all.
Vera Cyning 1 year ago
The bisexual thing lawd I've heard some stories. If you discover that you're bi during a relationship that does NOT mean your partner has to agree to you "expressing" yourself by cheating. It means you're cool with entering a relationship with either. You still have to be faithful if that's what your partner and you agreed to. You don't get 2 relationships unless all 3 of you are happy with that.
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