People can learn a lot from movies, but it would be wise for audiences to take any imparted wisdom with a grain of salt.
A majority of blockbusters are fiction of course, and even films loosely based on real-life stories can have false information unless a notable director is helming the picture.
To show that some popular beliefs people believe to be true can be dangerously spurious, Redditor kuroi_sny asked:
"What survival myth is completely wrong and can get you killed?"
The desert is beautiful. But it can also kill you. Beware of the following myths.
Nourishment From Desert
"Drinking water from a cactus. If absolutely needed for survival, you could get some water out of a Fishhook Barrel Cactus but only in limited amounts, most cactuses have various acids and other fun things in the water that will make you sh*t yourself to death, dehydration in the desert isn't a laughing matter and you don't want to lose the precious bit of water left in your body to the desert ground."
– Kraymur
The Intense, Dry Heat
“'The desert is hot and little clothing is best.' Cover up during both the day and the night. The sun will burn you and dehydrate you very quickly. During the night it’s really common for people to die of hypothermia because the temperature drops so fast. And honestly living here, during the winter it gets to the low 20s f pretty often. And the wind is awful."
"Edit to add: it’s dry heat here. There’s no moisture in the air majority of the year. You can drop dead from heat stroke 'barely' sweating."
– Curious_Wrangler_980
Leave It To The Pros
"Most of the stuff Bear Grylls does. Like eating raw meat, picking and eating fruit out of bear sh*t, or squeezing the juice out of elephant sh*t and drinking it."
– DemocracySausage89
Deadly Eats
"You cannot eat everything that an animal can eat. There are things animals can eat that humans find toxic, so eating everything you see animals eating can lead to you potentially eating deadly berries or mushrooms."
– lordbeezlebub
In the face of immediate danger, you may want to unlearn these popular "tips."
See Ya Later Alligator
"Running in a zigzag to outrun an alligator. Alligators don't run for long distances, so this will probably just waste your energy. They can also climb some fences and trees as well."
– TchaikenNugget
Seal Yourself In
“'If you’re in a tornado, open all your windows to equalize the pressure inside to match the outside.'”
"If you’re in a tornado opening any window or door will create a wind tunnel that rips your entire roof off."
– NightOnF'kMountain
Lightning Pattern
"Lightning never strikes twice in the same place."
"If lightning has found a path that it likes to the ground it's extremely likely to strike there multiple times. That why lightning rods work."
– CatboyInAMaidOutfit
When Encountering Jaws
"If a shark is coming after you, swim away."
"If a shark is coming towards you in the first place, it's most likely just curious and wants to check you out. Swimming away and thrashing about will further intrigue it to keep following you. Instead, redirect it by running your hand along its side and carefully positioning it to swim away from you."
"(Side note: If one happens to bite you, poke/stab it in the eyes or pull on its gills instead of bopping it in the nose. Gills and eyes are far more sensitive than a shark's nose.)"
– swaggy_kyu
When Falling From The Sky
"If your plane is crashing, an inflatable raft makes a TERRIBLE parachute."
– shaka_sulu
Cinematic Example
"But hiding in a fridge will save me from a nuclear blast though, right?"
– Stevotonin
What Happens After
"That you can give somebody CPR and they'll be fine moments later like nothing happened."
– Q8Q
No Coming Back From This
"You can survive a Moose attack."
"That's it, that's the myth, because no you f'king can't."
– TheWelshExperience
Are you lost? You won't be found as easily if you fall for these unfounded suggestions.
Change Your Voicemail When Distressed
"That bullsh*t 'change your voicemail if you are lost' PSA that was making the rounds over the last year. You need a cell signal to change your voicemail, if you have a signal then why wouldn't you just call for help?"
"Moreover it misses the most important thing about US cell phones and being lost: 911 will work on any cell tower regardless if it's 'in network' or even if you have an active phone plan or not. So in an emergency always TRY dialing 911 regardless of your phone appears to have signal or not."
"EDIT: To the dozens of people who replied that you are supposed to change your voicemail before going out, this is still a bad idea. If you're lost or injured in the woods, your survival depends on being found quickly. Waiting for someone to get worried enough about you not coming back to try calling you is just going to waste precious time. It's much better to just tell your friends/family where you will be and set up a check-in time so they know you made it back safely."
– Histidine
Getting Your Bearings
"That moss grows on the north side of a tree. It can grow all over the tree, so it’s not a steadfast rule that you should make important decisions solely on."
– dildorthegreat87
No Banquet In The Forest
"That you’ll be totally safe if you only eat plants/fungi you recognize. Hemlock looks a lot like wild parsnips. Basically all wild almonds will kill you if you eat more than one. And of course there’s the Chris mccandless 'potato seed' thing."
– Redqueenhypo
Debate On An Outdoorsman's Death
"Chris McCandless is the subject of the book/movie 'Into the Wild.' He died alone in the Alaskan wilderness. He’s a pretty controversial figure in the outdoor world. Some people think he is inspirational and died not due to lack of knowledge or training but to a fluke, some think he is an idiot who got himself killed by not being prepared or knowledgeable. Basically he ate something toxic and died. It’s been a long time since I’ve looked into it but there was a very lively debate about what he ate that killed him. From what I remember some think he misidentified a plant and accidentally ate a poisonous plant, some say he ate a plant that’s perfectly fine in limited quantities and if you are in good health, some say he ate a plant that is not itself poisonous but does sometimes grow a poisonous fungus on it."
– The_Mighty_Pato
Just in case you're planning a solo hike in the desert or go scuba diving in uncharted waters of the deep, your newly acquired knowledge here could save your life, thanks to these anonymous Redditors.
It's a good reminder to double check on the things you've heard to be true to get a solid confirmation.
A brief research can literally be a matter of life or death.
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- People Who've Almost Been Murdered Share Their Survival Stories ... ›
- People Dispel Myths That Are Still Widely Believed Today - George Takei ›
Every now and then, a friend of ours might say something, or we might overhear a complete stranger say something that makes us stop in our tracks.
More often than not, what we can't believe we just heard is something so ridiculous, we can't help but put the person who said it in their place.
Other times, however, what we just heard might have stunned us silent because of how shockingly clever it was.
Resulting in our not wanting to scold or yell at someone, but rather give them a handshake.
Redditor SubmergingOriginal was curious to hear the sharpest and wittiest things they've ever heard, from friends and strangers alike, leading them to ask:
"Enough with the dumbest; what is the wittiest thing you've ever heard someone say?"
Don't Give Me So Much Credit...
'I was on a team at work that was on a project working insane overtime."
"One night after an 80-90 hour week, we were all sitting around the table trying to finish up so we could go home."
"Around 11, my buddy's wife called, dubious about the hours he'd been keeping."
"We heard her through the line - 'are you cheating on me?'"
"Exasperated, he looked at our boss, then replied 'honey, if I was cheating on you, I would have been home by now'."- lionbatcher
Eternal Optimism...
"Asked a blind guy if he'd been blind his whole life."
"He said 'Not yet'."- Feeling_Mode_6465
Free time Isn't The Only Thing He Has On His Hands...
"My brother got a vasectomy and when the doctor was releasing him and giving him instructions (with the nurse listening in), one of the orders was to 'come back and have a follow-up appointment after you’ve ejaculated 30 times'.”
"Without missing a beat my brother asked 'what time do you open tomorrow?'”
"The nurse couldn’t keep it together after hearing that."- UtahUtopia
Awkward Season 8 GIF by The Office
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Double Whammy!
"My pal uses the phrase 'he doesn’t look strong enough to carry information' and it cracks me up every time."
"Calling someone stupid and weak in one fell swoop."- JennyW93
Can't Hide Your DNA...
'Whenever I jokingly insult my mum, she says 'that must be where you get it from'."
"She cracked the code."
"I can never offend her without offending myself."- JennyW93
Self-Sufficient!
"My brother was a line cook at a New Orleans restaurant."
"My mom was in town, staying at a fancy hotel, and he stopped by after work, still wearing his kitchen whites."
"He was reading a newspaper in the lobby waiting for her to come down when the shocked lobby manager sputtered at him, 'MAY I HELP YOU!?!?'
"He answered, 'thanks, but I know how to read',” and went back to his paper."- jobrody
Morph Current Affairs GIF by Aardman Animations
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A Miracle!
"My brother-in-law’s comment."
"The entire family went out for my mother’s 80th birthday and after the meal we all went to a local park, largely occupied by the elderly, to rest."
"My mother needed crutches at this point, and they were resting against her bench."
"My 10-year-old niece, who looked like every starving waif image from Dickens, grabbed the crutches and started hobbling round the park."
"All the OAPs were following her progress with looks of pity until my brother ran up behind her, and kicked away the crutches."
"There was an audible gasp from round the park and then my niece picked the crutches back up and started chasing my brother, clearly intending to hit him."
"In the confused silence my brother-in-law’s voice rang out 'Praise be! She can walk again!'"
"We still think this was the highlight of the birthday celebrations."- DdraigGwyn
Still Legal, Whichever Way You Cut It...
"I picked up my pleasantly tipsy boyfriend from a nightclub."
"We were stopped by the Police for a random breath test."
"They asked me my age, and I said, 33."
"My bf blurted out '33? You told me you were 22'."
"Police just laughed and let me go."- Aggravating-Corgi379
Music Video Police GIF by Andrew W. K.
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A Bit Too On The Nose?
"Business law class in college years ago, talking about the issues that black Americans had before the Civil Rights."
"Amendment, trying to travel through the south with the discrimination so rampant, trying to find restaurants to serve them and decent lodgings."
"My instructor was posing a hypothetical: 'So you pull up out front of this place, you're exhausted from driving for hours, and you see the sign out front says 'Ku Klux Klan Motel'."
"'What would you expect to find there?'"
"Without missing a beat, from the back of the room came this gem: "'Extra sheets in every room?'"- NedsAtomicDB
Not Yet, Anyway...
"I was working with my friend and his dad."
"My friend (26) heard an ice cream truck near where we were working."
"He asked his dad if he could have a couple dollars."
"His dad asked, 'what for?'"
"My friend told his dad that there was an ice cream truck in the neighborhood, and that they were playing music."
"My friends dad told him "'They don't charge anything to listen to the music'."- tatersalad1234567890
Words Escape You In The Literal "Heat" Of The Moment...
"A friend of mine is a teacher and her husband is known for his wit."
"She told this story to him:"
"One day at school a kid took the hall pass and returned reeking like smoke."
"She asked the kid if he’d been smoking and he denied it over and over."
"She was about to send him to the office when she noticed smoke coming from somewhere."
"She told the kid and he realized that he didn’t put his cig out completely and it was burning in his pants pocket."
"The kid noticed and frantically tried to put it out and someone finally poured water on it."
"Her husband sat listening to this with a weird look on his face."
"She asked him what was wrong."
“'What’s wrong???'"
"'This was probably the only chance you’ll have in your life to say literally, ‘liar,liar, pants on fire’ and you missed your chance'."- Luder714
On Fire No GIF by PEEKASSO
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Amazing What You Might Say A Few Drinks In...
"When I went to a renaissance faire once, I went to a beer tent and ordered a Newcastle Brown Ale (seemed the most fitting for the surroundings)."
"The beer wench, without skipping a beat, said, 'Everyone wants a Newcastle - no one wants to remodel!'"- jayhof52
Read The Room People!
"My dad wiped out when skiing down a mountain and lost a ski."
"After a few minutes of hunting for it, he gives up, slings the one remaining ski over a shoulder and starts walking down the mountain in his ski boots."
"About half-way down, another skier stops and goes 'Gee! Did you lose a ski?'"
"My dad instantly replied 'No, I was out for a walk and found one!'"- PeterJoAl
There's a reason your mother always told you to "use your words".
As clever remarks can have a much more lasting effect on people than a push or shove.