
Years ago, I was at the beach when I got caught in a ripcurrent. I was with my brother and my mother could only watch in horror as we were pushed further out to sea. It was then that I remembered something: To swim parallel. I remembered reading about that in a novel once. I decided to try it: I calmed my brother down and we did just that. Soon, we were out of the danger zone. We then slowly, very slowly, made our way back to shore to a very relieved mother.
After Redditor danikm10 asked the online community, "What is a little known fact that could save a life?" people shared their best advice.
"You can still drown..."
You can still drown up to 72 hours after a non-fatal drowning or other aquatic incident via water remaining in your lungs afterwards and causing edema (swelling).
Shortness of breath, wheezing or raspy breathing, chest pain are all signs to look for and one should get medically checked out ASAP, even without any symptoms after a near-drowning/aquatic incident it is highly recommended.
"It's a stroke that requires..."
Learn the elementary backstroke. It's a stroke that requires less energy to swim. Lay on your back. Keep your chest inflated to stay afloat.
"They cannot choke..."
Do NOT put anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure. They cannot choke on their own tongue, but they can choke on a wallet, belt, etc.
DO turn them on their side, time the seizure, and call 911 (or your local emergency services if not in America).
"Do not mix..."
Do not mix household chemicals unless you know specifically what the result will be. Specifically do not mix bleach with anything other than water.
"Have a schedule..."
Have a schedule to check your gas pipes, gas convector, water heater, anything that can produce carbon monoxide.
It's a silent killer.
"If you drive..."
If you drive or are a passenger in a car, make sure to put your head rest up behind your head. Keeps your neck from snapping in an accident. Even minor accidents can mess you up!
"Breaking a window..."
Puncturing an orange with your bare hands takes the same amount of force as puncturing a human eye. If you're attacked and have no other options, go for the face with confidence.
Breaking a window doesn't require weight, it requires force. If you ever need to break a window choose something hefty but most importantly manageable; momentum will give it plenty of force. Also aim for the corners.
"Unfortunately..."
If a diabetic is unconscious or confused they need sugar, NOT insulin.
Unfortunately many die because people do not know about the risks of low blood sugar and refuse to help a confused person who can't speak clearly find some juice/candy. Asking for a candy as an emergency is a valid thing, people literally die if they don't get it, it could save so many lives if people knew it and didn't think this is absurd.
"The forest is full..."
Take Benadryl to the forest with you. The forest is full of lifeforms you do not usually come into contact with, in other words a treasure trove of allergies you didn't know you had. A hiker carrying Benadryl saved my brother's best friend after he stepped in a hornet's nest with no known allergies.
"Whether they're sick..."
Unconsciousness is a medical emergency. Whether they're sick or got knocked out creating fodder for fightporn, a person who is unconscious must be evaluated at an emergency room.
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Just because rich people have thick pockets doesn't mean they're not capable of acts of kindness.
Many wealthy people genuinely like to help others and struggling institutions. George Soros, for example, is known for his philanthropy by giving scholarships to South African Black students during apartheid and Chuck Feeney, who actually became nearly broke after secretly giving away a great deal of money to various human rights causes.
Unfortunately, there are also plenty of affluent people who are led by their avarice to flaunt their privileged status.
Curious to hear examples, Redditor nononononononi asked:
"What's the most disturbing thing a rich person has done?"
Big money is typically tied to corruption.
Convicted Sex Offender
"I mean.... Epstein is probably up there."
– Dan_-_-_
"and everyone else involved."
– Ih8JE
Genghis Khan
"Epstein is terrible, I agree -- but more for the hint at what his existence implies lies beneath the veneer of society. Historically speaking, Epstein doesn't even make the top 100."
– froggysayshello
No Limits
"Leopold II of Belgium in the Congo must be one the the most disturbing. 10 million people died to make a man who was born a prince even richer. Just shows there are no limits to greed."
– scotty18192
Another Convicted Felon And Businessman
"Ed Buck is definitely up there. His thing was luring black, gay sex workers to his house, injecting them with crystal meth to the point where they'd pass out and then assault the victims. Some took the drugs 'willingly,' others did not. Two of the victims died because he overdosed them."
"Luckily he's been sentenced to 30 years in prison. At his age, he'll die there."
– HarrysonTubman
The following corporations were scrutinized for their corruption and scandalous affairs.
Ties To The Liberian Civil War
"Firestone (the tire company) basically operated a giant slave plantation (it took up a good amount of the entire country) that grew rubber in Liberia up until the 1980s. They contributed to the conditions that caused the Liberian Civil War that got countless people groups genocided. They evacuated white workers while leaving their black basically-slave workers to get massacred."
– Atiggerx33
Have You Heard About Ford Lately?
"Ford did basically the same thing in Brazil in the 1920s. He even named it 'Fordlandia.'"
"It all came crashing down in 1930 when (among other dumb things) the cafeteria in the 'town' switched to self-service. Personally, I would've drawn the line at the forced square dancing classes the citizens had to attend."
– StrifeRaZoR
Looking Out For Number One
"Nestle as a corporation stopping African women from producing their own milk with just enough free samples, ensuring they have nestle formula as their only option."
– leswhinin
Bad Medicine
"Just watched Dopesick so create a highly addictive and incredibly dangerous drug, then lie about its dangers to make billions and create an opioid epidemic that still plagues millions. Oh and caused half a million deaths."
– leese216
Murderer & Philanthropist
"John DuPont sponsored olympic sports competitors including members of the US wrestling team. His involvement went so far as to build private facilities at his Foxcatcher ranch, personally supporting athletes and their families with housing and travel. He befriended them and was extra involved to the point of hosting holidays, birthdays, and became semi-delusional that he was also an elite athlete."
"His delusions escalated as his own mental health deteriorated culminating in the murder of US Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz who he had an extremely long and close friendship."
"DuPont spent the rest of his life in an institution while all the athletes he supported, not to mention the victim's family, had to find other means to support themselves."
"There are many articles about what happened at Foxcatcher Ranch and a Netflix documentary featuring extensive interviews with athletes, police, and the victims families. Home videos are used throughout the Netflix doc and it's heartbreaking to see something that was seemingly wholesome end how it did."
– onagonal
There is no shortage of wealth people and their atrocious misdeeds.
Posh Boys
"Plenty of examples from the Bullingdon Club. It's a student club at Oxford University for posh boys to flaunt their (parents') wealth. They're known for burning money in front of homeless people and smashing up restaurants and pubs."
"The really disturbing part is that two of the UK's last three Prime Ministers were members."
– MrScaryEgg
Land For Sale
"As one small but notable example:"
"In Mom's hometown, many acres of land from a former farm became available for sale."
"When news of the town intending to buy it to build affordable housing and a playground/park, a wealthy lady bought the property immediately at a much higher price because she 'didn't believe it was suitable to have low-income people decreasing property values in the area.'"
– Back2Bach
Money and corruption go hand in hand.
The examples mentioned above are only the tip of the iceberg as there are many other cases of people exerting their power and wealth that have yet to be exposed.
Life is just fraught with the rumors.
The older you get the more you learn about how easily duped we all are.
Who comes up with some of this nonsense?
And why are we so gullible?
Maybe because we don't learn to Google until we're at least 6.
It is time to eradicate some of these silly lies about hazards and danger.
We are more secure than we want the other person next to us to know.
Redditor AirAmbitious530wanted to know what certain parts of life we don't have to fret about. They asked:
"What things are said to be dangerous but are actually safe?"
I feel like this a lot of danger in the world. But that's just a given with living.
Sky High
"Flying is safer than riding in a car by a long shot, right?"
hostilecarrot
"The most dangerous part about flying is driving to/from the airport."
MadaraU
Chewy
"Swallowing gum."
Working-Spare-4799
"I suspect that myth about how long gum stays in your system came to be because of a misunderstanding. Probably someone laid out some fact like, 'It would take your body seven years to break down bubblegum.' Then some dumba** decided that meant it would stay inside you for seven years because he had never heard of pooping before."
carlweaver
In the Mist
"Gorillas. There are zero instances of a human ever being killed by a gorilla in the wild in all of history. They are peaceful herbivores. If you came across a gorilla in the wild just don't be a fool and respect its space. Don't look in its eyes, don't show your teeth, and just overall act submissive and non-threatening and you will be fine."
"Movies like Planet of the Apes and Congo really got people thinking gorillas are these rampaging beasts just waiting to tear you limb from limb. https://youtu.be/Ld8qkDKl89g"
Dates
"Eating food after the best before date."
Never_stop_caring
"My country has a 'Best Before' and a 'Use By' label. If it's marked Best Before it's going to be fine to eat after the date, it's probably just going to suck. Common 'best before' foods include canned foods, cereals, biscuits, sauces, chocolate, sugar, flour and frozen foods."
"Use by means you shouldn't consume it after that date. Common 'use by' foods include milk, sliced ham and shaved meats."
frogbertrocks
Yummy
"Eating seeds of watermelon/apples. Would take literal lbs of them to kill you."
No-Job-5915
Seeds? Seeds are suppose to be dangerous? Never heard that one. Not that I'm a seed eater.
MOOOOOoooooo....
"Sharks, they’re a lot safer than movies like Jaws make them seem."
Final-Blueberry5386
"Statically you're more likely to die by cow than a shark."
Empty-Neighborhood58
Crackle
"Cracking your knuckles - there's absolutely no link to arthritis, people just say that because they hate the sound."
poop-in-the-urinal
"I used to crack my knuckles when I’d get waxed. Just to take the sensation away and try and focus on something else. The lady that waxed me would always yell at me about how dangerous it is, maybe she just hated the sound too. But we’re even for the pain then haha."
coldsheep3
Inside the Squall
"I'm seriously wondering if 'taking a shower during a thunder storm' should be on this list. I've always heard it was dangerous, but I've never in my life heard of anyone being harmed by it."
heelspider
"I don't know about showering but back when we still had corded phones my aunt was talking to someone when lightning hit the phone line. She had burns on her ear and hand and her hair caught fire. She was, of course very shaken but not seriously injured. She was the first person in the family to get a cell phone."
scooterboy1961
8 Legged Issues
"Tarantulas."
LittleRainghost
"I remember seeing a tarantula in the grass when I was a kid. I went in close to look at it, and it turned to me and reared up, fanning its legs out to look intimidating. Then it immediately fell on its back. Totally shattered the tough guy image."
Nut_buttsicle
From Above
"Sky diving is a lot more safe than people think."
TrickBoom414
"Correct. It's been a long time since I looked at the numbers but IIRC the vast majority of skydiving deaths are experienced jumpers pushing the limits of their skill/equipment. Deaths among first time and students was incredibly low."
Meshuggahn
Life isn't as scary as you might think. You just have to have faith.
I find I have less time and patience and interest for absolutely everything.
The years we add, the more we recognize all of the flaws.
Our flaws and life's.
Redditorvieps about what parts of life we tend to find ourselves over with each passing year. They asked:
"What becomes less interesting as you age?"
I'm over always staying positive. Bleh. Who needs it?
Winners
"Who won. Who won any crappy argument. I'm in my 60s and when I hear someone winding up to tell me a story that features 'then I saidxxxx then SHE saidxxx'.... my brain stops."
pyrofemme
Private Thoughts
"Other people's opinions of you."
LucyVialli
"Yeah, I love being 40 and having self belief. You can only hold back and have been right so many times before you learn to speak up, and stop giving a sh*t what people might say."
AlterEdward
"Yes, came here to say this. Ultimately, only you can make yourself happy and that starts with loving yourself and not caring about other people’s opinions."
Lee2026
The Popular
"Following trends."
StarViolet33
"I think it starts to creep in when you hit like 30, even. You still put in the effort, but you don't just closely follow trends. Especially not fashion trends. I mean it's getting popular to dress like mall goths again."
"That was lame the first time around. We're just stuck on a 20 year cycle for fashion. Baggy pants are coming back as well. Which is another dumb one, to me. Don't get me wrong, skinny jeans were a bad idea for like 90% of people. They looked good on skinny people. Not so great on others. But baggy pants just look bad on most people, to me."
appleparkfive
I May Die
"Getting sh**faced."
FirefliesAndBikinis
"This, yeah. The next day sucks now. Usually I strictly limit myself to 2 drinks a night, and rarely drink more than 2-3 nights in a given week."
"Here a couple months ago I'd had a particularly bad week, said f**k it, and decided to just relax and not pay attention to how much I was drinking. All was fine till I stood up. Queue stumbling across the house to the bathroom and waking up in the hallway the next morning thinking I was gonna die. I don't remember getting drunk being like that 20 years ago."
siskulous
Who Cares?
"Birthdays."
SupineProtoplasm
"Once you hit 21, there aren’t many more exciting milestones (in the US). At 25 you can rent a car but that’s it."
SmartAlec105
I try to keep celebrating each year, but I grow more and more tired. I feel that one.
"freedoms"
"Adulthood and the associated 'freedoms.' When I was a teen I was so excited about getting to be an adult and drive where I wanted and drink and all that crap. Now I just wanna stay home and watch cartoons LMAO."
GenericNerdGirl
I'll get pissed...
"Mindgames in relationships."
GGBigChungus
"I am very fortunate that I found a wife who never played mind games to begin with, and I never cared, so that has never been an issue in our relationship. We've been together for 33+ years and will celebrate our 30th in three months, and we've elevated our relationship to these micro conflicts."
"Like, she can say something, I'll get pissed, I'll say something back, we go into this split second mode of anger at each other, and literally, 5 seconds later, we're fine. She'll say, 'You're a jerk', I'll say, 'But you nag', and the whole thing is completely defused and over."
"It's the way we are, we're best friends, we're equals in that we trust each others judgement and our decisions are generally mutual. I know it sounds boring, but it's awesome that the most important thing for us that gets less interesting as we age is conflict and an inability to compromise."
oxiraneobx
All of It
"Literally everything. Especially people's opinions."
gingerpeachwin
"I'm 14 and I don't care what others think already... mostly my 'motto' would be 'if it doesn't hurt anyone then it's fine,' no I don't care if you give me that weird look when I make a contraption on the side of my desk out of used correction tape, if it gives me a place to put my pens then I'm keeping it, I'm starting to feel old."
WangYat2007
Cringe
The older you get, the less impressed/interested you are with basically everything. Once you see all the world's gimmicks for what it is, the rose colored glasses start falling off. What got me excited as a 20 year old, does not spark any joy for me a decade later. My motto 'if your past self doesn't make you cringe, you aren't growing.'"
Medical_Season3979
Over It
"Real life drama. I cannot stand listening to people gossip & talk about who is fighting with who. Who slept with who. Who did this & that. idgaf. You're grown & still acting like you're in high school. it's embarrassing."
theabcsong-
Life goes on. Life moves on. 'Tis the way...
For the most part, our pets get treated extremely well. They are fed, bathed, played with, cooed over, and are treated like part of the family.
Some pets get even more comforts awarded to them, such as luxurious beds, copious amounts of toys, and amazing food. My best friend rents a three-bedroom apartment just so her dog and cat can have their own rooms!
However, sometimes we're not always the best caretakers. Most of us don't intend to neglect our pets or any part of their care. However, a combination of unfounded internet advice, our pet's favorable reactions, and sometimes even plain old hubris, lead us to make decisions that aren't in the best interest of our furry friends.
Luckily, veterinarians are here to tell us the proper way to care for our pets.
This is all thanks to Redditor Feeling2Leafy who asked:
"Veterinarians of Reddit, what do pet owners ignore the most?"
Feed Them Right
"Husbandry advice, but dietary advice in general. I see a lot of animals being fed inappropriate diets, which owners will refuse to stop feeding because "the animal likes it.""
– Moctor_Drignall
"My neighbours used to feed their dogs bread with butter and meat. Over the past 15 years they killed 3 dogs like that and dont want to admit that their way of feeding is the problem"
– MaxRptz
"Yup this annoys me especially since even Google will tell them what they are feeding them is wrong or just plan bad."
– Valuable-Currency-36
Start Young, Start Early
"I believe that the finest thing you can do for your new pet, particularly a puppy or kitten, is to handle it frequently when it is young. Getting them used to having their feet handled, nails trimmed, mouths opened (even more benefit if you get them used to brushing their teeth daily - gold standard for at-home dental care), ears touched (especially breeds prone to ear infections - huge benefit in the future if you have to administer topical ear medication)... Restraint is also crucial. I constantly advise my clients to train their animals to be restrained. Because it hasn't learned to be okay with restraint, that wriggly puppy that is cute when it nips when you hold it grows up to be a massive dog that can't be properly examined."
– Relevant_Home_810
"Thank you for mentioning restraint. Restraint's very important in making sure pets can coincide with their environments!"
– Feeling2Leafy
And Don't End At Old
"Teeth and quality of life in older senior animals."
– Campfire77
"I can definitely agree that senior animals need more care than some people realize."
– Feeling2Leafy
Dogs Are Not Accessories
""People who carry their toy breeds everywhere and feed them human food instead of dog food... they are killing their pets slowly.""
"My vet said this to me as we were as we were walking our dogs on the beach. Apparently lots of small breeds get very little exercise and are extremely overweight."
– Nobody_Wins_13
Of Course It Hurts!
"Obesity and sadly, pain. I have met many owners who have had lame dogs for weeks and didn’t think the animal was in pain. Sometimes we have even discovered after X-rays that the animal has a fracture."
– Safe_Ad4328
"My favourite is when clients come in to get the stitches removed from their dogs spey and hand back the pain meds (that they paid for???) for us to dispose of because “I didn’t need to give any, she wasn’t in any pain”"
"Like I’m sure having your guts cut open and an organ ripped out is just a walk in the park for you, but I think fluffy would have appreciated some pain relief"
– Elliespaghetti669
Greens Aren't Always Good
"Look up what plants are toxic to your pet! You'd be surprised what common house plants are incredibly deadly to your fuzzball."
"An example is lilies for cats, getting some pollen on their fur and licking it up or drinking water out of the vase is enough to cause deadly kidney failure in a few days. Check the plants you have and deal with the toxic ones. I got rid of my peace lilies before I got my cat. You could also place them somewhere your pet can't get at them (off limits room, behind glass, hang it out of reach, etc.) Though that carries a risk of accidents."
– raininmywindow
Sometimes The Best Thing Is The Hardest Thing
"This might not be the most ignored, but it’s the one that if ignored cause the most suffering.
"Deciding the time to put your pet to sleep. Some people tell us that “they aren’t ready”, which is sad, and I know it’s going to be the hardest choice you’ll ever need to make regarding your little one."
"But the hard truth is, it’s not about you."
"If your pet is crying all night, not eating without you force feeding one bit at a time, and can’t even walk on it’s own, it’s time. Most of the time our animals tell us when they’re ready, and they trust that you’ll do what’s best for them."
"We have an amazing opportunity with animals, which is to let them go when their quality of life just isn’t there anymore, and selfish owners that refuse just because they “can’t handle it yet” is half the reason why working in the industry will not be long term for me."
– Elliespaghetti669
Be Willing To Do The Work
"The top one for me (and I’m sure it’s been mentioned somewhere) is a rabbits general needs. Dietary, husbandry, and housing. Rabbits have so many needs that need to be met- they are not easy animals! They have burrowing needs, hay and straw are necessary, so many vegetables they cannot be fed or shouldn’t be in high amounts that people ignore, and the majority of hutches they are kept in do not meet their needs!"
"My friend specialises in rabbits and the stories I’ve heard from her are just terrible. Please do genuine research into rabbits before you buy them or ask a vet advice."
– h0n3yst
Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate
"Not a vet, but worked at a clinic. vaccine schedules. You want to go as soon as your pet is due, don't wait a few months or even a few weeks. We had a clients dog die of lepto because they were behind in the vaccine. Preventatives are another. You need them year round, bc fleas and ticks still come out and heart worm is not something to f**k with"
– roccotheraccoon
Rehome, Don't Dump And Run
"Please give your unwanted pets up for adoption, or at least put a little effort into giving your pets a future home. Summer is season for abandoning pets in the wild, even though many wont survive in nature, let alone the cold climate in some countries."
"You have responsibilities ffs... Just because the poor pet suddenly doesn't fit into your lives, it doesn't mean it has to suffer."
– MrPundick
"It's one of the few things that I just cannot empathize with is dumping a pet. Needing to rehome a pet, absolutely, we all end up in situations that we couldn't have foreseen and my heart breaks for anyone faced with that decision, but then take it to a rescue. There is NEVER an excuse to dump an animal in the wild for any reason."
– KaleidoscopeInside
Okay, so those people are deliberately evil, and we don't need a vet to tell us not to abandon a pet.
However, a lot of this advice is really useful. We all love our pets, and now we know how to take care of them better!