Redditor gaudiergash wanted to warn everyone about all the simple things that threaten our lives on the daily, so they asked:
"What are some everyday things that kill people because most don't know about it?"
Danger is all around.
Be alert!
Don't Forget
Warning Sign GIFGiphy"Carbon Monoxide is something everyone knows about but everyone also seems to forget about."
bottomless-bs
"Knew a girl from school, she and her family were all killed from carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at a cabin on New Year's weekend 2017. Her husband and two young kids. I still think about them going to bed, never to awaken."
hookersince06
Reach the Brain
"Poor dental hygiene and gum infections hit the brain fairly quickly and can be fatal before you even knew something was happening. So brush your teeth and talk to a dentist, most will try to work with you on the money side if you don't have insurance. If not try contacting a dental school near you, they are often looking for test subjects, I mean patients to work on for training."
SomeRandomUser00
"True stuff... this just killed my cousin."
FLAMES
"I know of a few things, all fire-related..."
"1. Pinched electrical wires - having, for example, a table leg or something on top of a wire creates a hot spot that can eventually start a fire."
"2. Toasters under cabinets - if you have a toaster on your countertop, and have cabinets mounted above that countertop, leaving the toaster directly under the cabinets while in use is also a fire hazard. be sure to pull it out from beneath the cabinets before use."
"3. Not sure if this one is still unknown by most people, but I'll add it just in case - water does not put out a grease fire, it makes it worse because the grease/oil is less dense and floats on top of the water and continues to burn, so pouring water on a grease fire is likely to just spread the grease and fire around. baking soda, a lid/cover of some kind, or of course a fire extinguisher will all smother the fire without spreading it around."
designer_sheets
In Defense
"Stress. Stress is a state when your body feels threatened and produces a hormone to defend yourself, which will typically boost your muscle and reduce to minimum other functions, like digestion, your kidneys, and overall all organs that aren't involved in fighting off a bear."
"If you're always stressed (Chronic stress), you will damage your organs. All of them. At once. Chronic stress is a poison, you must avoid it."
"Note that 'normal, episodic' stress like you're taking an exam today or you have 13 missed calls from mom isn't going to kill you. Well, not the stress at least."
Dahns
Drink Up
Season 7 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Once read about someone who died when they had the flu - they were medicating with over-the-counter cold and flu medicine and drinking multiple cups of lemsip, one after the other, not realizing lemsip also contained painkillers. they died of an overdose."
StrikeOk9626
I never knew the flu was so dangerous until COVID.
It only takes a sneeze.
The BIG Bullet!
Driving Action Movie GIF by James Bond 007Giphy"People are not nearly careful enough driving vehicles. you are operating a 2,000lb bullet, please stop texting and pay attention."
BigMoney5594
No Bleach
"Mixing cleaning supplies. Cleaners are usually dangerous chemicals, mixing certain chemicals can create dangerous gases. One of the common cleaner mistakes people make is dish soap and bleach, a lot of dish soaps have ammonia in them, and you don’t want to be around the gas that ammonia and chlorine make. Also, don’t clean your kitty litter with bleach, use chlorine-free disinfectants instead. Cat pee naturally has ammonia in it and can cause a reaction too."
SegaNaLeqa
Too High
"High blood pressure."
Ultimatelee
"High BP also presents as just a headache for some. I had preeclampsia and after the baby was born I kept getting these headaches, to be honest, they weren't that painful but I felt foggy and just, off. Come to find out my BP was so high I needed 3 rounds of magnesium to bring it back to normal."
deckpumps_n_deldos
Small Evils
"Bites from the wrong flea/mosquito/tick have been decimating mankind since forever."
Midas_Artflower
"If your tick bite gets a bullseye shape around it, go to the doctor, possible Lyme disease."
"If your spider bite gets raised and white, go to the doctor, possible necrotic lesions from recluse."
"Don't live in fear of these things and squash everything with crawly legs. Do some research (tons of bug info online free from many universities, tons of insect/spider/etc subreddits), and be smart. Wear tall socks in long grass and check yourself and your pets."
BirdsLikeSka
Red Puke
season 9 berries GIFGiphy"Elderberries are poisonous until you boil them. My mom works at a school where a teacher lets some kids eat them because she didn’t know they were poisonous. Red puke everywhere. I also had a friend post a picture on Facebook of her son eating them."
CoffeeCactus92
Why are berries so dangerous?
I love them. Darn it!
"What are some good first date questions to get to know someone?"
As one might expect, the Reddit community had a more than a little fun when answering this question.
A More Likely Possibility Than One Might Think...
"What's the largest mammal you think you could knock out with a single punch?"- AB0RTMISSI0N
The Come In Packs...
"In an emergency how many 3rd graders could you fight off?"- Pithius
Playing Happy Children GIF by MOODMANGiphyChildhood Friends... Hopefully?
"What are some things our parents don’t know about you?"- MayTanMay
Hey, When You Know, You Know!
"Will you marry me?"- MontagueorCapulet
First Date Jitters...
"Have you ever had a dream that, that, um, that you had, uh, that you had to, you could, you do, you wit, you wa, you could do so, you do you could, you want, you wanted them to do you so much you could do anything?"- whatnowalt23
Scared 30 Rock GIF by HULUGiphy...Is This Even Funny?...
"Which side were you rooting for in WW2?"- eagle1459
Thankfully, there were a few who did take the answer seriously, and offered some pretty good advice.
Where Were You?
"On our first date my husband and I did a thing where one of us would choose a year, then we'd both say what we were doing in that year of our lives."
"It was a great way to get to know each other!"- shhhushnow
Christmas Serendipity GIF by GoPlayGiphyGetting Their Name Right Is A Good Start
"If their name is an uncommon one, make sure you ask what's the correct pronunciation."
"Literally the first thing I said to my husband on our first date was 'hello' followed by a butchered attempt to say his name."
"He replied 'what did you just call me?' and up until that moment, I had never before felt the urge to jump into the nearby creek in mid-February."- yallready4this
No Greater Bond Than A Mutual Hatred Of Brussel Sprouts...
"Which vegetable offends you the most?"- Calculon009
Carnivore Or Vegetarian?
"Favorite dinosaur?"- Giant_bird_penis_69
yell jurassic world GIF by Regal CinemasGiphyThe way some people answer certain questions could immediately raise some flags, sending the ones who asked immediately back to Tinder or Hinge.
Of course, it should also be made clear, that it can also be easily determined as to whether or not there will be a second date by the questions people ask.
As one can't help but wonder how many second dates those who answered the first few questions have actually attended...
Redditor schnozzberryflopwanted to compile a list of pronunciations we need to sharpen up on.
"What's a mispronunciation that sends you into fits of rage?"
Don't axe me anything. Ask me.
Correct evading
genie talking GIFGiphy"'Eluding to’ something. That’s alluding meaning referring to something indirectly. Eluding means evading something."
7oakskent
"I once made this typo, and someone commented 'it seems the correct form of 'allude" eludes you.' :D "
Memorphous
The Classic
"Ugh... affect/effect I just have a hard time ignoring. Like my brain will read the one they wrote but in a sarcastic/condescending tone."
CumulativeHazard
"Actually, legitimate question for you: when should one use "affect" and when should they instead use 'effect?'"
"I've never been able to find a hard and fast rule, and have been using it like; 'affect'; when something causes something (example: "you are affected by the sleep spell"), and effect when referring to the effects of something (ex: 'the sleep spell has an effect in a 30 ft sphere'). Is this anywhere near correct or am I way off?"
hahasnake
For once in my life...
"My co-worker keeps saying 'Ask-rix' instead of 'asterisk.' It drives me insane."
MLaw2008
I just found out and I’m, like old, that I’ve been saying it wrong 'asterick' my whole life. I want to punch myself in the face. Hopefully the next 40 years go better."
"I had a former coworker correct me when I said asterisk. She was very confident that it was asterix. For once in my life, I didn't rub it in endlessly."
JustMakinStuff
What a Year!
"I had a boss once who would always call it a 'physical year.' It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that she actually meant 'fiscal year.' It’s amazing how much more sense my job made after that lol."
Then_Jury_1336
"Had to scroll way too far for this. I have worked in finance and people still say Physical Year.. which is just mind-boggling to me. Fiscal and physical are two different things."
Flimsy-Animator756
"I've always thought a physical year in accounting/book keeping to mean Jan-Dec and fiscal year is the time between the company closing their books."
SmellyTofu
???
No Way Smh GIFGiphy"I try not to get worked up about mispronunciations, but I had a manager who said 'per batim' instead of verbatim, and I winced every time she said it."
AngkorLolWat
It's like nobody went to school.
Letters Matter
Insanity Going Crazy GIFGiphy"My boyfriend doesn’t pronounce the first r in 'frustrated.' He sounds like a child and it’s… well, frustrating."
crazycatguy23
"My husband (and his family) does this. Makes me insane."
becktacular_b
The Mix Up
"Not a pronunciation but I see people switch 'sale' and 'sell' in social media all the time and it boggles my mind they don't know the difference."
Jfonzy
"I’ve seen so many people mix up woman and women online that I can’t figure out if they don’t know that one is singular and one is plural or if it’s autocorrect for some reason. I’ve seen it so many times that I really don’t think people know the difference and it bothers me so much."
SleepyCakeInsomniac
just get a taco...
"My mom cannot pronounce chipotle. She says 'chip-ol-tee.'"
absurdbrain
"My Dad does the same thing! He also says 'kay-suh-dill-uh' no matter how many times I correct him."
VoidWalker4Lyfe
"When the town I grew up in finally got a Chipotle, nearly everyone pronounced it 'Chi-pol-tay' and it made me stabby."
scootypuffjr2
"My bf says... 'Kway-so' instead of queso. Makes me wanna go kwazy and kwill him."
Adorable-Ring8074
In Hotels
"I work in a hotel. The number of people that refer to adjoining rooms (meaning to have the connecting door between them) as 'ca-joined' (not conjoined which is still wrong but still less wrong) makes me want to rage punch them. Call them adjoining. Call them connecting. Call them adjacent even. But ca-joined is not a go**amn word."
heyderhoneydew
I'll have Tea
"When people say eXspecially instead of eSpecially."
throwwaywaywayyaway
"EXpecially if they order eXpresso at the coffee shop."
GeeZeusCries
"My Dad says expresso. Very smart, very educated, very good grammar, loves coffee. Still says expresso."
algo-rhyth-mo
"Had to scroll too far for this one, it’s the worst."
zuniceratops
"Someone I work with does this with so many basic words that she says almost daily, including exspecially. She also always says physical when she means fiscal. Oh, and she says supposably instead of supposedly."
thehelldoesthatmean
Be Sure
the narrator GIFGiphy"They never get insure/ensure right either."
TimidPocketLlama
"Like nails on a chalkboard."
wazoof01
Did we all pay attention? Sound it out!
Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below!
Knowing how much work it takes to get one stupid little plate of salad might seriously change the way people relate to food, the land, water rights... just about everything changes when you understand the effort and balance it takes just for survival.
Reddit User bartertownbeer11 asked
"What should everyone learn how to do?"
You have my thoughts, let's see what Reddit says.
Swimming
Cat Swimming GIF by ViralHogGiphy"Swim There’s no downside to knowing and it could save your life"
- polp54
"You don't need to be an expert swimmer, but everyone should be able to swim at least a little. A terrible number of people (of all ages) drown every year despite being a very short swim to safety."
- brufleth
"My dad who could not swim made sure us kids knew how to swim. I made sure my kids could too."
- PrisonerV
"May I add: if you do not know how to swim, take a very deep breath and relax completely. Spread your arms and legs and just let your body relax completely. Once you found out that the human body actually floats start breathing slowly. No one I know knew that and everybody is amazed how my lazy butt just floats around without me doing anything. Found out through pure distilled laziness."
"It's no alternative to learning how to swim! Learn how to swim! There are very few humans who are not able to float, due to body density. Most humans, however can learn it. Try it, it might come in handy one day."
- HKD49
You Need To Eat
Homer Simpson Cooking GIFGiphy"Cook. Even if you hate cooking you love to eat, cooking is an essential life skill. If it’s only one dish you know how to make, that’s still a meal you can prepare yourself."
- Sayurimai
"I totally agree. I know so many people who have no clue how to cook anything despite being perfectly capable of it. People are so scared of it when it's simply following directions"
- Welcome2_TheInternet
"As everything in life, practice makes perfect."
"Most people I know who can’t cook, have never really tried"
- West_Corgi8126
"Even if you hate eating, you still have to eat. Cooking means you can take care of yourself."
- notreallylucy
One Important Word
"How to say No without any hesitation"
- KalkiHill
"I agree, it’s completely okay to say no but some people feel that pressure to say yes"
- SlipnSlide78
"I have such a hard time with this when my only reason is "I don't feel like it." I can't accept that as a legitimate reason to say no so I just do whatever it is."
- asafum
"Go read Miss Manners. No is not only OK, it is polite. You don't need to provide a reason. Internalize that anyone demanding a reason is the rude one, not you."
- Grave_Girl
"I'm not joking when I say that, if you can, practice."
"Small things, big things, f**k it have a mate roleplay any scenario with you and you tell them no."
"I've gotten better at it since I told my mum I struggle to say no and she actually had me practice there and then with her."
- TheftMDom
"it’s okay to say no, because it’s very important to say no. if someone asks you why, they’re not worth it because if you say no they don’t need a reason why."
- SlipnSlide78
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
"CPR."
"I dragged my best friend with me when I had to get CPR certification because I wanted to be able to partner up with someone else that I knew. She was reluctant but eventually caved and did it."
"Her learning CPR saved my life. You learning CPR could save someone else's life. Go learn it."
- Jennyferr0412
"I worked at a homeless camp and someone overdosed on heroin. The 911 operator explained to my co-worker who explained to me how to do CPR while another resident of the homeless shelter administered narcan."
"We were extremely lucky that we got through to the 911 operator very quickly, and that he was able to communicate so quickly and effectively how to perform CPR. That 911 operator saved that woman's life, had he not come on the phone so quickly, she would have died. Learn CPR, you absolutely have to learn CPR because you can save someone's life with it."
"We got lucky is what I'm saying. Don't depend on luck, learn CPR. Right now."
- AntelopeElectronic12
"I learned CPR at work and a week later saved my mom's life when she was choking on food. Best 30 minutes at work I've ever spent!"
- No_Relationship1850
"The high school I go to makes us do a CPR lesson every time we get our athletic physical. If you’re getting the physical on campus and not from your PCP, you have to practice CPR with a paramedic before you leave the building, I think it’s great."
- Beautiful_Squash8854
Spot The Scammer
John Lithgow Reaction GIF by LaffGiphy"Learn how to spot a scam, especially in emails and phone calls."
- ral365
"Definitely a skill worth learning. I've gotten pretty good. But recently my friend's elderly mother got one of those robocalls asking her to enter in her credit card number and she did it. It's a good skill to learn in this day and age."
- Roook36
"I recently ordered something from Home Depot online and now I'm getting fake emails saying I've won a power drill, BBQ, etc. They look like they are originating from Home Depot, but just looking at the actual email address it's sent from shows that it's a scam. One was an address from Perdue university."
"So if someone is trying to give you something for free, be suspicious. And just check the sending address at least."
- could_use_a_snack
"I got a scam email from “Paypal” from a scammer on Facebook Marketplace trying to get an expensive item without paying. They said that Paypal would give me the money after I shipped the item to them and inputed the “shipping verification”. They even sent a fake Paypal email saying the money was pending. The email address was a @gmail instead of @paypal though, so good thing I didn’t fall for that."
- reap3rrrx
Sew
sew sewing machine GIF by US National ArchivesGiphy"For something thats less obvious/most people learn how to do one way or another anyway, I'd say basic sewing."
"Maybe it was just from my experience working at a craft store but a lot of people don't seem know how to do the basic sh*t like, sewing on a button, applying a patch, stopping a frey before it completely unravels, or hemming pants/sleeves. People could keep their clothes much longer or avoid paying a tailor for basic services if they just watched a few youtube vids lol."
- Reddittoxin
"I decided to learn some basic tailoring because i was sick of every shirt being so big in the gut. Its surprisingly easy to just take in the side seam a bit and makes the shirts look so much better"
- deathgaze5
"Came here to post this. Learned it in Home Ec in high school and has helped me soooo many times."
- Ender914
Light Agriculture
"Grow food."
"Even if it's a tomato plant, some green beans in a pot, or some herbs, home grown food tastes better than store bought, and tending to a garden, no matter how small, reduces stress."
- cinch123
"My needy a$ dying plant stresses me the fuck out…"
- Flyingdutchm3n
"To be fair, house and container plants tend to be much more high maintenance than plants you put in the ground. Plants are meant to be in the ground and many food plants are fairly versatile/adaptive in their soil/water needs."
"Once it's in a container though, it's tough to figure out exactly how much water it needs, and there's a finite amount of soil that doesn't replenish itself with nutrients naturally so you have to do that for it (not a bad idea for a garden either, but more nessecary.) And house plants tend to be lower light needing plants which means they'reore likely to need unusual soil types. Drainage is also more important because everything is contained in that small (as compared to the ground) pot."
"The only plant care bonus for potted plants is that yoy can adjust the amount of light they're getting much more easily than plants that are stuck in the ground."
- Wonderful-Custard-47
Basic Maintenance
car repair GIFGiphy"Change a tire and car battery."
- StoneAge00
"Adding on, learning how to check oil as well. It takes two seconds to learn and can literally save your car. A friend of my girlfriend asked me to check her car because 'the lights were blinking inside'. I pulled out the dipstick and a plume of smoke followed it. The car literally gave out that afternoon."
- greenwasp3000
"Agreed. My dad taught me to check oil, top up fluids, jump-start a battery, change a tire before I got my license. It’s come in handy many times"
- purplegoldcat
Let The Emotions Talk
"Develop emotional language and how to use it."
"Usually this is something taught by parents like 'use your words' or 'how did that make you feel'."
"Along with this the ability to ask for what you want."
"I know many adults that have had to work at undoing old hangups about relationships and how their parents raised them. And it's hard when you have to teach yourself."
- Darkwaxellence
"This is a mega important skill in life. It’s vastly underappreciated."
- Dont____Panic
"I am always recommending 'love languages' to people. The whole thing is a bit 'woo' but the concept of expressing love/affections/emotions in different ways is eye opening for a lot of people. The first time I learned about it a lot of my interpersonal relationships suddenly clicked. I'd missed so many opportunities to feel and express love in ways that others understood. Expensive gifts for some = showing how much they love and are willing to sacrifice for you. Keeping your shoes polished is an act of love (because really, who likes polishing shoes), etc."
- Wtrset
"Wow this is amazingly succinct and it's so right!"
- fali12
Survival Skills
"The basics of surviving in the wild in this order:"
"How do you get freshwater"
"How do you get a warm and safe place to sleep"
"How do you get food"
- Fakedduckjump
"3 hrs for shelter, three days for water....three weeks for food."
- anewleaf1234
"Ok, yes, the order of the first two really depends on where you are. You are right, if it's really cold and wet, a shelter and fire absolutely has first priority. If it's hot you don't have 3 days time to get water, especially because getting water takes much time sometimes, when you have to catch vapor from leaves or wet ground for example, you should start that at first and let it run while caring about the rest. I had the latter one in mind, because I once nearby had been died by thirst."
- Fakedduckjump
Alright y'all, apocalypse prep team is a go!
Let's learn some things and be ready.