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“Don’t Assume You Are The Average”: 45 People Discuss Things That Seem Safe But Actually Aren’t
Some mundane things seem harmless at a first glance, and while a few of them actually are, others can be quite hazardous to one’s well-being. Not realizing that often leads to people failing to take necessary precautions and—consequently—paying the price.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed such instances after the redditor ‘u/Deviant55’ asked them what’s a really dangerous thing that everyone treats like it’s safe. The netizens’ answers covered everything from stress and loneliness to sun and sugar, showing that something people often consider humdrum can be pretty dangerous. Scroll down to find more of their answers on the list below.
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#2
Social Media
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
Soft disagree. It depends very much how you use it, and monitoring how minors use it to make sure they're doing so safely. Personally, without social media I wouldn't be able to stay in touch with friends and family.
GrowingThruConcrete 1 year ago
Undisciplined use of devices in general. Hear me out. In the 80s, you'd get out your calculator, do your math, put it away. It was a tool. The phone would ring, information would be conveyed. You'd hang it up and go back to actual life. It was a tool, just like a shovel is a tool. Now dam*it when I put that shovel away after digging a hole, it doesn't call to me or nag at me "come use me, come pick me up and use me". Our phones are no longer a tool... Our phones have turned into something else. We're in bondage
#3
The old folks running the US government.
#4
40+ hour work weeks. I shouldn’t see my coworkers more than my family and friends.
#5
Sun burns would be treated much differently if they were called by their true name, radiation burns.
The only Plueschopossum 1 year ago
Yesterday I overheard someone brag about how you will NEVER find sunscreen in their suitcase and making fun of another person using sunscreen while sitting in a boat on a very sunny day. For a moment I considered arguing with them but then left it alone. I think it's no use...
#7
Texting and driving.
Will Cable 1 year ago
I still find it odd that touchscreens are allowed in cars...Totally agree with NOT texting while driving but having functions to operate a car via touchscreen seems insane
#8
Child birth for both mother and child
Manusha Kanis 1 year ago
Yes Thank you, people can be very weird about that. I got an illness that makes me unable to fully care for myself, I was told to go make a baby, that would make my body all healthy again...
#9
The heat. I feel like people still dismiss it way too easily.
I had a massive heat stroke about 5 years ago and it almost took me out; my body will never be the same. It went through so much trauma, that it now works harder to keep me cool making me even more susceptible to heat-related emergencies.
devotedtodreams 1 year ago (edited)
This! Every time a heat wave rolls around, people are all like: "BuT iT's SuMmEr" Dude, just because you happen to like it doesn't mean it's not dangerous, and not everyone can handle the heat (well). I wonder if something horrible has to happen first before it's taken more seriously by everyone (including employers)... like, what does it take, a horrific death toll due to heat? Sheesh! (Personally, I loathe heat and consequently summers - born in it, unfortunately, but I'm a winter's child in my heart and soul ♥)
#11
Stress
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
It’s not much but it’s everyday and I feel pains everywhere all the time
#12
Wild animals
I was in Thailand when a 30 year old got bitten by a monkey. Her complaint? No one had warned her not to pet the monkeys. Honest to God.
#13
I get a lot of tourists in my area trying to casually summit the local 14,000ft mountain in sandals. Some weeks in the summer are absolutely nuts for search and rescue and the emergency room staff.
It’s frankly disturbing how common this kind of interaction is. But a lot of people don’t have the exposure to nature to really understand that the elements can and will endanger you at the drop of a hat.
#14
animals
like they're cool and all but like they're still animals, it's not a reason to try and get up close to them, there's a reason that safari tours stop 200 feet away from the animal, there's a reason that zoos have glass and metal bars separating you and the animal. just because an animal is USED to be people doesn't mean you should get up close to it.
same thing with pets, pets have the restraint to not ACTUALLY try and hurt you if you bug them because they love you and know you are not trying to hurt them but they are still capable of enforcing boundaries, meaning don't act like your pet won't bite or scratch you or a kid when the kid is messing with his face or actively causing pain or fear without intent.
too many animals were killed or labeled as dangerous because humans assumed they didn't have boundaries.
Aknavi Epona 1 year ago
I think the biggest problem here is that most people have the urge to "humanize" animals, ignoring its needs and instincts and what I see most the inability to read the animals body language. That's where the root of most problems lies when it comes to pets. If you are stupid enough to think you can hug a wild animal you deserve to get in trouble.
#15
Water on the road. You *might* be able to drive through it, but more often than not you shouldn't try to.
Daniela Lavanza 1 year ago
The point is that you don't need a high level of water to drown your motor. 15 cm can be enough.
#16
Revealing personal information about yourself on the internet.
#17
Long hair around pulleys and belts.
There’s a YouTube channel where two young ladies are working around a sawmill with long hair, and I can’t count how many times people have begged them in the comments to tuck their hair up. They don’t.
#18
Blunt kitchen knives. One might think, oh this is just a flat piece of steel but cutting becomes tearing and crushing. The extra force this takes can easily send the knife off in an unintended direction in a swift and uncontrollable manner. Then you find out what a flat piece of steel can do to your fingers.
Deedee 1 year ago
I do woodworking as a hobby and have several times slipped. Once the knife jumped and stabbed my leg so badly that I had to go to the ER and get stitches. 99% of the scars are from blunt knives. Last year I got a high-quality whetstone and haven't had a problem since. Stay safe and remember that a dropped knife has no handle.
#19
Everyday household cleaning chemicals. Especially if you mix them to make a 'better, stronger' cleaner.
#20
Going to a bar, drinking, and driving home. It's so goddamn casual.
#21
Loneliness.
The NHS (British health care system) did a study like this: develop a statistical definition of loneliness - a threshold of social connections, below which, yeah, the subject is pretty surely lonely.
Examine the difference in death rate between people in the same demographic categories, who are lonely (as defined) or not lonely.
Being lonely turns out to have about the same risk as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Michael None 1 year ago
So glad I developed a second personality years ago. Haven't been lonely since.
#22
The springs in your garage door.
One of those yeeted itself across my garage, through two paint cans, and punched a hole in the drywall. We installed safety cables after that surprise.
#23
I say this as a passionate stoner: weed
F****n hell its Addictive and it sure affects your psychological well-being. And smoking it is -well, Smoking in general- very unhealthy, Not only to your lungs, but also the cardiovascular system and your genes (yes, your genes).
devotedtodreams 1 year ago
I've never touched the stuff and most likely never will. The stink alone is enough to keep me away >.<
#25
Alcohol and benzos are some of the only substances that can physically cause death from withdrawal. One needs a script, and one I can get walking 10 minutes down the street.
Jared Robinson 1 year ago
I've almost died several times from alcohol withdrawal. it's not fun. What they don't tell you about is how much it hurts. On
#26
Infections. Every person reacts differently to them. Don't assume you are the average.
#27
Trampolines, especially with multiple people.
#29
Riding a horse is comparable with serious extreme sports, and head injuries are the most common.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
That's why we wear the safety helmets. The people with severe head injuries are the ones who don't bother - which is incredibly stupid! There's a saying: "If you think your hairstyle is more important that your brain, you're probably right". I've been riding horses for almost 30 years now with minimal injuries. A few weeks ago I blew out my knee while sitting in my desk chair and pushing back with my leg. Maybe I need to give up working instead? :)
#30
Animals. People taking selfies with wild animals or jumping into a lion exhibit at the zoo.
#31
Child birth and pregnancy
Freya the Wanderer 1 year ago
Childbirth is far more dangerous than a lot of people realize. And guess which of the developed nations has the worst maternal and infant mortality rate?
#32
Cheap car seats for kids
Billy Harrelson 1 year ago
As a father I can't stress this enough. Don't go to the thrift store to buy a seat just because you "can't afford" a new one. You don't know what that used seat has been through. Once they're in an accident, whether the child was present or not, it's useless. Honestly, it should be illegal to resell old car seats. Spring for the new, in the box, seat.
#33
Motorcycles, atv's, really anything without a cage around it. Even if you wear a helmet, the brunt of the impact force goes on your spinal column.
LovingKnuckle 1 year ago
Whenever we see someone on a motorcycle racing down the highway darting through traffic my dad calls them an organ donor.
#34
Living paycheck-to-paycheck
#35
Compressed air.
I was once putting air in a car tire while on a road trip with a friend. After filling the last tire I handed him the tube and started screwing on the cap. For some dumb reason, he thought it would be funny to stick the air tube in my ear and turn it on.
I couldn’t hear out of that ear for like 20 minutes and it hurt so much. I probably should have gone to the hospital but the pain went away almost instantly and my hearing came back so I just didn’t go.
#36
Those b******t carny rides at state fairs.
Stephanie Did It 1 year ago
My ex had a part time job as a teen at a fairgrounds, assembling the big rides. He refused to ever get on one because he knew how bad they were.
#37
ATV's
Even if you are going very slow they can gently tip over sideways and crush you.
At the hospital, any time we see "trauma, ATV" show up on the list there is a good chance it's going to be a terrible injury.
#38
Driving
Arturo De la Rosa 1 year ago
I mean yes, but it should be drivers. Statistically speaking the people around the drivers are in more danger
#40
Having your Snapchat location on
#42
Resin! It is toxic if not used with appropriate ventilation and equipment (including gloves and a mask) but everyone uses it for projects in their little apartment studios. Always stresses me out to see that.
#43
Over the counter painkillers - They are easily abused and can cause liver and/or kidney damage.
#44
Stairs
Bored Potato 1 year ago
this reminds me of how multiple WWI officers died from falling down stairs in the trenches
#45
Getting in the ocean
What do you think ?
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 1 year ago
Right?! Life is dangerous, especially if you have no common sense (should be called uncommon sense these days).
Load More Replies...
wowbagger 1 year ago
I don't understand the negative comments on having a list like this. It's good for us to be aware of dangers we might not have realized were dangerous. Not all of us were blessed with parents who taught us all this stuff. Also, there will always be people of lower than average intelligence (by definition). Are we just going to shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, sucks to be them"? Or should we try to protect them from dangerous things that they might not be capable of protecting themselves from?
the_avenging_knight 1 year ago
Don't forget door frames, 2 french kings died by hitting their heads on one.
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 1 year ago
Right?! Life is dangerous, especially if you have no common sense (should be called uncommon sense these days).
Load More Replies... wowbagger 1 year ago
I don't understand the negative comments on having a list like this. It's good for us to be aware of dangers we might not have realized were dangerous. Not all of us were blessed with parents who taught us all this stuff. Also, there will always be people of lower than average intelligence (by definition). Are we just going to shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, sucks to be them"? Or should we try to protect them from dangerous things that they might not be capable of protecting themselves from?
the_avenging_knight 1 year ago
Don't forget door frames, 2 french kings died by hitting their heads on one.
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