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Human memory is actually incredibly selective, and we often have no control over what we remember and how. Probably, each of you have had several cases when some completely unnecessary and petty nonsense crashed into your memory, but something really important left your mind almost immediately.

And this happens more than once or twice in life - even half a century later, we remember who made that silly fumble in a meaningless regular season football game, but at the same time, we can forget the date of our own wedding anniversary (God forbid doing this, in fact, it’s better to write down it somewhere, just believe me!) It's just how our memory works, and there's nothing to be done about it.

Moreover, such selectivity is typical not only for individuals' memory, but also for entire groups of people or even all of humanity. It is enough, for example, to recall the famous "Mandela effect," when after the death of the former President of South Africa and Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela in 2013, it turned out that many thousands of people around the whole world were for some reason completely convinced that he had passed away back in the mid-eighties, while in prison.

In fact, such phenomena of collective memory are not isolated, there are a huge number of facts and various things in life that are often not given attention, and people live as if they do not know this - although it is actually obvious to almost everyone. And so, a few years ago, a thread appeared in the AskReddit community, the topic starter of which asked people this question: "What fact is ignored generously?"

As of today, the original thread has over 66.5K upvotes and around 26.7K diverse comments, so there is a real danger of getting lost in this sea of information. Lucky for you, there is Bored Panda, who specially compiled this selection of the most interesting, unexpected and just extremely popular comments of the thread, so please feel free to scroll to the very end and we're almost sure that some submissions will surprise you at least for some reason. And of course, your own comments are highly appreciated as usual.

More info: Reddit

#1

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because it's legally allowed doesn't mean you're not a douchebag for doing it.

Whaatthefuck , Hunters Race Report

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Laughing histerically in " Portuguese " right now. ( Our actual governament motto, " yea it looks bad, its probably not ethic, but hey it is legal though " )

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#2

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."

- George Carlin

Back2Bach , Ehimetalor Akhere Report

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Two_rolling_black_eyes
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never underestimate the power of stupid people. 1 guy sick with the symptoms of COVID decided since his son had COVID, he couldn't get sick since it had only been 4 days since his son's symptoms started. He was an UberEATS delivery driver and 8 people, including him, died because he worked 2 days maskless.

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#3

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Giving birth to a kid doesn't make you an expert on raising them. Nor do they owe you for being born.

Moral_Gutpunch , Lisa Fotios Report

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bingo. I didn't ask to be born, honestly i would probably prefer never to be born in the 1st place ( no problems, no worried, no disapointments, no pain etc )

FusterCluck
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s a dark space to exist in Paulo. I remember feeling like that but I had the realisation that I *was* born and it was up to me to decide what happens next. For the next 10 years I changed jobs and tried my hand at all of the things I wanted to try in my spare time. I ignored the things my upbringing told me I should or shouldn’t do and pursued my passions. I did stand up comedy, tattooing, was successfully self employed and fronted bands. All this because I realised that if I didn’t care about life and nobody else cared about my life I was free to try and fail. As soon as I wasn’t afraid to fail I was free to explore and decide what I wanted to do with this existence that was forced on me. I’ve never been rich but I’ve been so much happier. Follow your passions and don’t be afraid to fail. If anybody criticises or mocks your failures remember - they are the people afraid of failure, you’re already a few rungs up the ladder from them. Keep climbing.

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N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You are also not special for giving birth and are not entitled to preferential treatment just because youve done what generations have done before. (Thinking specifically about holiday priorities, queuing priority, especially being given something that someone else has paid a premium for)

LizzieBoredom
Community Member
1 year ago

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J Bo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Along with this, I hate how people will automatically say of their parents "they did the best they could". That is BS for the parents of so many people whom I grew up with.

James016
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son is 8 and we are still winging it. His first birthday was more of a celebration of us not accidentally killing him.

Alexia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oooh, tell that to my parents. I heard countless times: "we made great sacrifices for you! we spent so much for you, and you don't deserve anything!"

Jason Melvil
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also not everyone else are forced to be as obsessed with them as you are

Solidhog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Children are like flowers. They might look the same but they all grow in their own unique way.

the shrimp whisperer
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

every parent is always complaining about the "edgy" teenagers that say "i didnt ask to be born" but what about the mothers that say "i brought you into this world" like they jumped in front of a speeding train to save you and singlehandedly took on 40 machine-gun-toting russian assassins with superpowers to save you from being tortured for 80 years

Huddo's sister
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True, but many people think that they should offer parents unsolicited advice when it is not required. You don't know the whole situation, so if it's not endangering the child, you should mind your own business.

robin aldrich
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yet even now in "this day and age" when a woman gives birth she's automatically expected to know what to do and how to be a good mom.

Paul Sanders
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I told my evangelical quiverfull parents this almost word for word!

C Cat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I fully admit that I'm not an expert, and I search and ask for help when I need it. The owing thing is a little different... No parent is perfect, but the ones that actually try should deserve the respect of their kids. Hmm, that's a tough subject.

Bleble BlebleBla
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish I was never born. Heck, I wish I died in that coma, but WTF - I had to wake up and be alive again.

Justin Rogers
Community Member
1 year ago

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My kiddo has the worst attitude about being born, 23 years of hating me and feeling entitled to everything!

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#4

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Admitting to a mistake is not a sign of weakness. Bending over backwards to cover it up and pretending like it never happened is.

Skuffinho , Liza Summer Report

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Bec
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! And a good boss or partner will accept your apology and work with you to move forward, not make you feel worse for messing up.

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#5

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because i don't agree with you doesn't mean i hate you

Absolute_Zero_EXE , Ketut Subiyanto Report

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#6

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver You have blinkers for your car so that you can tell other drivers that you're changing lanes.

Fun fact: it's the law

byunj , RLEVANS Report

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Bob La Capra
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the other hand, just because someone is using their turn signal it's no guarantee they're actually going to execute the turn. Make sure they've at least started the turn before you move.

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#7

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Prevention is more affordable than treatment

anon , cfarnsworth Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep...would you rather wear $20 safely glasses or $2000 to treat an injury? I'm saying this from being someone who didn't wear PPE all the time to someone now that wears it all the time. Thankfully no injuries.

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#8

Being a celebrity does not automatically make someone a medical, economic, or political expert.

yeetpotatopie Report

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#9

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Orcas and dolphins aren’t happy in those aquatic parks

Boules_De_Plumes , Magda Ehlers Report

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Something
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People don't realize the extent to which this is true. It's not like animals in regular zoos. It's physically possible to give some zoo animals a habitat that matches the size of the amount of area they'd typically move around in in the wild. This isn't the case for large ocean-dwelling animals.

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#10

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Human memory is extremely unreliable.

We forget important details. We fabricate memories and convince ourselves that they're true. What we do remember is distorted to conform to our biases.

squigs , Christina Morillo Report

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#11

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Mob mentality doesn't mean you are right.

anon , Josh Sorenson Report

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Apatheist Account2
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As Ricky Gervais observed, just because you're offended, it doesn't mean you're right.

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#12

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being at a job for a long time does not mean someone is good at their job.

DMDingo , Nenad Stojkovic Report

#13

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That just because someone tells you something is a fact doesn’t mean that it is. (Make sure to do your research!)

liveifUr3llyWt , Pexels Report

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Dan Holden
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't stress this enough, especially given the last few years. Know what doing your research entails! It does not mean find the first website/person online that agrees with your preconceived notion. Sometimes it means taking a long hard look at your worldview and letting the facts challenge that worldview.

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#14

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver The number of people who die after a war to consequences of war (hunger, disease, etc) are not counted in the statistics.

GreatMun312 , Lukas Report

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Jorie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kind of like the COVID statistics they kept throwing at us. The collateral damage caused by the mishandling of the pandemic is inestimable.

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#15

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Older doesn't always mean wiser. Wisdom is obtained from what you do with your time, it's not about how much time you've had.

IdentityTheft02 , James Frid Report

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Older also doesn’t mean unhireable or not the right person for the job or someone who’s going to leave the company to retire in a couple years anyway. Some of us can’t afford to retire at 65, and need to keep—-or get—-jobs that are in our field, not the f*****g greeter at Walmart, ffs. Jobs we might have to stay at until we’re well into our eighties. Now, we may not work as lightning fast as someone younger—-though we’re not that f*****g slow—-but we make sure our work is done completely and correctly, instead of fast, dirty, and half-assed. Additionally, some of us got degrees or additional degrees as older adults, so have education and training that’s just as recent as that of someone in their twenties—-and we probably got better grades as well. So don’t ignore our resumes, and don’t let our age be the deciding factor for hiring us or not. We may be older, but we still have bills to pay—-often way more than younger people, including student loan payments for recent degrees we thought would help us but are now hindering us—so need a steady income too, ffs.

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#16

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being rich doesn't mean you're great with money or someone who should be trusted with business decisions.

The_Game_Eater , Shane Report

#17

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Most people are not very smart

5hot6un , Anete Lusina Report

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Luke Branwen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine how dumb is an average person. Now consider half of them is even dumber.

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#18

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Concentration camps in china are still going on.

CraazyGamerz , Yan Ke Report

#19

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That colds and flu are caused by viruses, not by being cold or wet.

lesters_sock_puppet , Polina Tankilevitch Report

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darqemm
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And being cold can compromise your immune system making you a little more susceptible. But overall, yeah, cold doesn't cause flu, etc.

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#20

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver facts aren't opinions

apexmedicineman , Imogene Huxham Report

#21

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver The importance of getting 7-9hrs of sleep every single night.

Kfbr392___ , Pixabay Report

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Benita Valdez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know the importance but my body ignores it. Won't even listen to reason and insists it can do what it wants.

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#22

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver TikTok is literally Chinese spyware

etymologynerd , cottonbro studio Report

#23

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Every single year, cruise ships dump 14 billion pounds of garbage into the oceans

GravyxNips , Pixabay Report

#24

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Humans overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in an year

purplefeather93 , Bich Tran Report

#25

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Nearly every hand you shake has held a penis.

AssholeIRL , fauxels Report

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Pedantic Panda
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And all have been inside a uterus. Edit; this is in reference to during pregnancy.

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#26

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That you should really get off your phone and go to sleep.

Edit: lol guys I meant at night

Toxic_Button , Pixabay Report

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#28

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because a movie or a book is good, doesn't mean you like it.

anon , Lucas Pezeta Report

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If its good it means i like it, now if the sentence was " just because some One says a movie or a book is good, doesn't mean you Will like it " then i would agree.

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#29

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That we all have confirmation bias

sutree1 , Štefan Štefančík Report

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K W
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is true but I've had a lot of fun doing research papers during college where I look at all the info regardless of what my initial idea is. Some things do have overwhelming data for one side and some things are very complex and deserve nuanced discussions and conclusions. Not that social media or media in general are geared toward nuance or complexity.

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#30

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Everyone is a huge hypocrite when it suits them...including me

NearbyPlenty1 , Mike B Report

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Na na na, i despise hipócrits with a passion, i rather face nasty reprocutions than being a hipócrite ( and i allready did )

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#31

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Experience is not equal to competence

abhi_wiz , Daniel Jiménez Report

#32

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because some people are naturally talented doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard.

anon , Ludwig Kwan Report

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Rilmar
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sheer talent can only carry you that far, after that you either put in the effort, or you fall behind. Actually being "gifted" often puts you in disadvantage because you don't learn to work for it from the start. I say it as a former gifted child and a current mediocre, depressed adult

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#34

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver France didn't stop executing people by guillotine until 1977.

Naweezy , Alice Triquet Report

#35

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being well known doesn’t always make you popular, as you may be well known for pissing yourself in class.

charlstarking16 , Taylor Flowe Report

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Pedantic Panda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is kinda obvious, many of the most well know people, both contemporarily and historical are not well liked.

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#36

Depends on the agenda of the people doing the ignoring. People only care about the facts that agree with them.

777Howl777 Report

#37

You shouldn’t have a child unless you are emotionally and financially ready, and have a stable partner.

PhoneJazz , Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas Report

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Melody Johnson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Welp..... I guess me being a single mom goes against your opinion, friend. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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#38

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver You aren't supposed to stick q-tips in your ears

mattreyu , Jen Theodore Report

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Felicia Dale
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve been using cotton buds since my late teens to dry my ears after showering. Never, ever had a problem. In fact, last year my doctor checked my ears and expressed admiration at how clean and healthy my ears were. Your mileage may vary.

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#40

The government is trying to pass an anti encryption bill that could strip away any and all privacy given to US citizens.

AJplayzsupreme Report