"What's an annoying myth that people still cling to?"
Hobbies, Who?
"That having hobbies as an adult is only worth it if it brings in money. No, I love my meaningless and expensive hobbies, even if they don't bring in any income."
- Sneezy_baby
Joy Is Worthy
"I've been interrogated about why I'm a trained swordfighter."
"Because it's fun, you dolt!"
"I'm not going to try to rationalize about how it's an effective way to stay in shape or how sword fighting trains skills used in practical self-defense, or how studying the manuals is an intellectually-stimulating academic pursuit."
"I'm just an adult who likes playing with swords."
- Drach88
History Hidden Under Paint
"Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture and architecture being pure white marble."
"They are now. That's because art dealers long, long ago washed the paint off."
- Needydadthrowaway
Is MSG Really So Bad?
"My grandmother saw me adding MSG to a curry and the look on her face was like I was pouring rat poison into the pot."
"Meanwhile, she has basically shaved her diet down to only food with very high natural MSG content. Miso soup with kelp seasoned with soy sauce is her go-to meal when she doesn't want to think about it, her backup is a soup made from dried fish, tomatoes, gochujang, and kimchi."
"Inconsistent, I tell you."
- dudemanguy301
Scientific Fact or Idiom?
"The saying that, 'Lightning NEVER strikes twice in the same place.'"
- Back2Bach
Wait an Hour to Swim after Eating
"I was on a swim team as a kid, and if I ate and swam too close together, I most definitely got abdominal cramps."
"I always attributed it to the intensity of swimming because when this happened, this was with full-on swimming (either competing or training), and properly swimming uses basically every skeletal muscle you have."
"Eating and hopping in the pool for a float or to screw around with friends never gave me trouble."
- bigalfry
When Life Gives You Lemons
"Don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad!"
"I don’t want your d**n lemons, what the h**l am I supposed to do with these?"
"Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"
- BismarkUMD
Buns Bunny vs. the Optometrist
"That carrots give you good eyesight."
"But have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses?? No?? It works! (sarcastic comment)"
- TimBambantiki
Alpha Males
"The alpha theory for wolves, people still believe it even though the person who made the theory took it back. The ‘alpha’ of wolves is actually just the pack’s parents, and the pack is usually made up of their offspring."
"But this is a useful myth. Because the people who continue to espouse it and live their life by 'I'm an alpha' ideology gives a demonstrable reason to avoid them."
- MalkavianPrinceofJC
10% of Our Brain
"I hate this one. Our brain is a massive, fuel-guzzling organ that's full of folds and wrinkles to increase its size. To make an organ that big and then only use 10% is stupid."
- PM_;EOttoVonBismarck
Missing Persons
"That you need to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report."
"Yeah, in fact, it's the exact opposite, the first 24 hours are the most important."
- Aesk19
Define "Undercover"
"An undercover cop has to tell you they're a cop if you ask them."
- No_Instance_1851
Dietary Needs
"My grandma told me not to cross my legs because the baby wouldn't have room. I told her the baby was making me uncomfortable and I was going to move into whatever position I needed and that is what is best for both of us."
"My sister was even more annoying. She thought she had better medical knowledge because of nursing school, but she really didn't."
"We were at a friend's wedding and I ordered my steak medium well (you aren't supposed to have it medium) and it came medium. The risk is super low. I decided that sending it back to the kitchen would make it more likely to have an issue than eating it as is."
"She said something. I am diabetic. I didn't eat the wedding cake, but I had a chocolate-covered strawberry. A single chocolate-covered strawberry. She was asking if I really should be eating that."
"Yes. I should. The less than 20g of carbs were within my limits, and I was moving around all day and I needed the sugar!"
"To be fair, my family isn't in my life anymore because they are abusive and toxic people. So many pregnancy myths are about control. Pregnant women already have such a loss of control and agency. It is so dehumanizing."
"S**tty people use it to erode the confidence of first-time parents. They want to seem wise and relied on others for advice. They want you to think they know more than you and get you to trust them over yourself."
- Viperbunny
What Free Lifetime Pass?
"If you give birth in Disney World, YOU DO NOT GET A FREE LIFETIME PASS."
- mrkrabs445
Natural Births
"I have issues with the unassisted birth crowd."
"They say, 'Your body was made for this. Women gave birth for thousands of years without hospitals.'"
"Yeah, and the mortality rates for both birthing parents and babies were way higher than it is now. They also typically had midwives and doulas with them, not this unassisted bulls**t."
- NerfRepellingBoobs
The world is constantly overflowing with information, and we're bound to get some of it wrong some of the time.
But pieces of information that are repeatedly misinterpreted, as shown here, can be wildly concerning.
Misconceptions can happen anytime. We're prone to them if our experiences, media and representation are limited.
The way in which we see the world can cause us to have "naïve theories," or ideas about the world that our brains took short cuts to get to. So, you may think you know all about how to be a good lawyer because you watched 10 seasons of Law and Order, but really your scope is limited to an exaggerated fictional world.
Thankfully, we have the internet with the ability to share what it's really like to be lawyers, teachers, mathematicians, computer scientist, and so much more.
"What’s a common misunderstanding in your line of work?"
A few professionals over on AskReddit told us the truth about some of the wildest misconceptions about their careers.
Software Developers
"Software developer here. People seem to think that if someone knows anything about computers they know everything about computers."
"I've been a professional software developer for over 10 years, so friends and family come to me with all their computer related questions, but I know jack shit about computer hardware, or really anything that isn't related to code."
- Renmauzuo
"I work software support, and this same thing goes for my household and family. I'm the 'tech guy.' I tell them every time that if I don't know how to set something up, or configure something etc. (which is often) I just tinker till I figure it out."
- shartnado3
Military
"That everyone in the military is in combat."
- solidsumbitch
"When I got out this was a big issue for me. I did IT for the army, and I had several job interviews where I'd go in and they'd ask me general army questions and we would talk about ruck marches or HMMWVs, without ever once giving me a technical question."
"Then a week or so later I'd get a response from the interviewer that they weren't sure about my technical ability. I had to change up my resume to imply that I did IT for the army instead of being in the army doing IT to finally get real interview questions."
- Lark2231
Retail
"As a retail worker, the most common misunderstanding is that I give a sh*t what happens."
- w_4wumbo
"I'd laugh to myself whenever a customer would proudly exclaim 'They would never shop here again!' like I'm supposed to be offended or something."
"Great! One less a**hole I'd have to deal with!"
- bangersnmash13
Designers and Engineers
"Pretty much every conversation between Engineers and Designers."
“'That’s a cool design man, but probably can’t be done at any moderately acceptable cost.'”
“'Why not, it’s JUST metal?'”
- AmerisaurausRex
"Lighting Design from architect: 250,000"
"Lighting Design in budget: 50,000"
- annomandaris
"I'm an engineer. No I don't want to help with your in-home DIY project. I'm not even that kind of engineer."
- Grindelflaps
"Or their car problems."
- The_Sherpa
Mathematicians
"Being a mathematician does not mean that I'm particularly good at mental calculation - I'm average-to-mediocre at it, as a matter of fact."
"I toyed with the idea of learning it for fun, and sooner or later I might just for the heck of it; but really, it has nothing whatsoever to do with what mathematics is about."
- Lyrolepis
"Me too! I was never particularly enthusiastic about math growing up, but somehow fell into a Math B.S. program. I love the conceptual stuff but something about quick mental calculations just wasn't built into my brain from an early age."
- DreamsOfCleanTeeth
Computer Scientists
"There is a huge difference between a computer scientist and tech support."
"I tell the computer to do things, I'm not here to fix your damn router."
- PAVOLU
"I feel so bad for people in the IT area at work. One of my former coworkers decided to finish his degree in computer science and move to the IT area and people call him for everything from, my phone isn’t working, computers internet is not on, can’t open this app on the computer, even how to search for things online."
"Anything remotely to do with a computer he gets called in to help, and since he worked with us for so long and knows most of us he’s the first person everyone thinks about calling. Anytime he comes to just say hello he’s inundated by calls to help in one way or another"
- docasj
Movers
"Moving is expensive. Like, really REALLY expensive. Especially now with staffing shortages. And it’s seriously a “you get what you pay for” business. It always surprises me when a person has $250k worth of furniture in their 6-bedroom mansion but gasps when it’s going to cost $5k to move it."
- KTLJay
"Damn 5k is a steal, are the moving local? My employer payed like 14k pre-pandemic to move our house."
- AjKawalski
Lawyers
"No, your lawyer didn’t screw you because he didn’t get you off or your lawsuit got thrown out."
"Also, lying to your attorney because you don’t want to be embarrassed doesn’t help you out."
- DildoBaggins82
"Also you need to tell your attorney EVERYTHING in order for them to be able to properly gauge how to represent your case. Doling out information piecemeal or immediately before a hearing is a sure fire way to lose."
- BriefausdemGeist
"Correct. When I was in private practice I always told my clients to share everything, even the embarrassing stuff. Also, just because you have dirt on someone doesn’t make what you did ok or mean it is even admissible in court."
- DildoBaggins82
Teachers
"As a teacher, I do not just stand there and read from a textbook all day as if the kids are engaged and behaving well. Believe it or not, some people actually believe that’s all we do."
- anr14
"Fellow teacher (US): that we will work for shit wages because it’s, 'for the kids' or 'our calling.' Yes, watching kids learn is a huge perk, but I need to support my family too."
"Oh, also: that we only work 9 months a year…way off…we are working, planning, and learning even when kids aren’t there."
"Also that we get paid for our 'summers off.' No, we get paid a yearly salary for working a set number of days. Most of us choose to have it distributed for 12 months so that we have a regular check. Many of us pick up a side hustle or two during the summer to make ends meet."
- clover_1414
The Strangest 'Wrong Number' Stories | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Before we all had caller ID, wrong numbers phone calls were commonplace. But now that almost everyone screens their calls, it's wrong number texts that have ...
Paramedics.
"We don't just drive the ambulance."
"We are degree level trained healthcare professionals who specialize is assessment, treatment, and signposting of urgent and emergency patients in the community."
- Bozzer999
"Also - being taken to hospital in an ambulance does not mean you’ll be seen quicker/first. The quicker you’re seen in hospital, the sicker you are. So if you can wait a bit, I'd count your lucky stars!"
- I-have-blue-eyes
"Why do paramedics get paid less than retail or fast food workers and why do they continue to do it if the pay sucks? Always been curious about this."
- cred_it
"They care. Same problem teachers have."
- frzn_dad
Pharmacists
"Pharmacy."
"We do not just count pills. We make sure the physician prescribed an appropriate drug/ dose and there are no interactions. Not to mention hospital, specialist, industry pharmacy and many other areas people have no idea exist."
"As an extension of (1), it doesn’t take 2 min to fill a script. We are doing 100 things at once and there are hundreds of patients a day. We also have to wait on physicians to fix any issues or insurance to approve meds before dispensing."
"We do not decide your copay so redirect your anger."
"Many others, but these ones in specific are huge misconceptions."
- AdAccomplished4386
"Furthermore to add, pharmacists are experts of drugs and medical devices; please do not yell at us when we ask you not to give oral decongestants to your 2 year old child."
- ddorsamo1013
Machinery operators.
"That machining is easy, like you just push a button. The shop I’m at is a whole lot more detailed than that. We machine close tolerance aerospace parts on exotic metals that love to fluctuate size. It’s always a challenge but I’ve always loved doing this work. It’s been a good trade and provides a comfortable living."
- 1980pzx
"I just tell people I drill holes lmao."
-Hawkwound
Geographers.
"I'm a geographer. People still think all a geographer does is learn the names and locations of cities and rivers."
- small_Jar_of_Pickles
"What do you do ?"
- waverly76
"It very much depends on what you specialize in university. I worked at an energy company for a few years as project developer. That includes mostly analyzing areas with mapping software if and where solar parks are possible. After that it was a lot about discussing with land owners and public offices. Nowadays I'm in my dream job, which is urban planner. I work for the city council and help design strategies to make individual neighborhoods more livable and more sustainable"
- small_Jar_of_Pickles
Account manager.
"I’m an account manager for a huge Water hygiene company. People think water is safe as we get it freely from a tap, but when people start storing larger volumes of it and at the wrong temperate it’s a legionella issue. I fight Legionella one day at a time."
- JollyLemon6173
Life guards.
"Life guards stationed at the German coasts are, in fact, oftentimes not from around and therefore cannot recommend tourists their favorite restaurant and/or know where to find the nearest ATM."
- BlueBox_42
"A lot of beaches in America are like that. Most the help is just seasonal work there for the summer and not an actual local."
- AmerisaurausRex
Accountant.
"Accountant. Everyone assumes we're all tax experts. In reality, there's a lot of different specialties including audit, accounts payable, forensic accounting, etc. I personally despise tax and wouldn't be in this career if it only involved tax."
- DeathSpiral321
"This was going to be mine, but I'm the bookkeeper for a CPA and he specializes in agriculture and tax. To add on to the assumption, people are always flabbergasted at the (reasonable) charge of $150 per person for income tax we charge. They think since there's organizations like H&R that'll do it for a percentage of the return/cheaper set rate if they owe, and you can do it online yourself, that it's just a quick simple process."
"They don't realize all the little ways they word the forms, and only someone trained in tax can actually get the most every year."
"It never fails, every year we have a few clients that try to argue our price. We just tell them to go to H&R, they're cheaper for a reason. You get what you pay for."
- BudsandBowls
Security guards.
"A lot of people have a distorted view of what security guards can actually do."
- Pennsyltucky-79
"Well, what can security guards actually do?"
- SecretSummerMidnight
"It all depends on where you work. Most security guards are there to call the cops if something crazy happens. Now, armed security is a bit different."
- Boop_BopBeep_Bot
"'Observe and report,' i.e. they'll watch you get beat up & robbed and call the cops afterwards. They absolutely will not step up to protect you in the heat of the moment."
- mcpusc
"This depends on a lot of things. Some places the guard is like a really fancy door, granting access to people that are supposed to be there, tells everyone else to leave. Some guards are there as an insurance write off. It helps to have someone who knows the grounds, probably knows first aid, has access to camera systems. Some are just there to call the cops (note, most people are terrible at giving police a report. This isn't hard, but guards are better at it than you are. I.e. make and model, direction of travel, sh*t like that). There are other posts that involve more hands on. Bouncers get into a scuffle pretty much every night. Guards at medical clinics and shelters are getting into some kind of altercation all day every day."
- perfunctory_penguin
So how do we combat these misconceptions?
We keep talking about them. We tell our own stories and listen to others.
And maybe we hit up more articles like this to hear from real people from around the world.
Myths have been around for centuries. As soon as humans were able to tell stories, we have had mythology.
Now with technology advanced far beyond the writing on the cave wall, we can more easily spread around information as well as misinformation. Some of that information can even be harmful.
Misconceptions about mental health, pregnancy, or any number of things are reinforced by social media, movies, or even word of mouth. Sometimes that can really make someone angry if they are dealing with the consequences of that falsehood.
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. It is a myth perpetuated TV and movies for the sake of drama, but not true in real like at all."
- tschris
"In many cases police will give missing people some kind of 'waiting period' after having checked for possible, (obvious) dangers. In many cases, because a missing person happens quite often because people make spontaneous decisions."
"But if you're sure something is really wrong and have good reasoning, they will be searching tediously even after just an hour."
- deterministic_lynx
"Yup, especially with children, the elderly, and disabled folks, those first hours are crucial. If you haven't seen/heard from a loved one when you usually would, that alone is grounds for reporting. Some cops might not take it seriously, but it's critical that you push them to listen to you."
- hayleybeth7
"Something like 1500 people go missing every day in the US. But the reason that number is so high is that most missing persons cases should probably not have even been filed in the first place. Stuff like a teenager deciding to go to a party instead of coming home at night without telling their parents."
- caninehere
An old and incorrect phrase.
"'Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.'"
"Lightning rods would be incredibly useless otherwise."
- gigglefarting
Gum doesn't stick around that long.
"Gum does not stay in your stomach for 7 years. Sure, swallowing a lot of gum isn't great and can cause problems in your digestive system, but it only takes a day or two to pass."
- usually-suspect
"What's funny about that is when I was kid n heard it, I took it as a challenge to only sh*t pink blobs of gum seven years after. I was quite disappointed."
- maverickmain
"Same but with the 'a watermelon will grow in your stomach if you eat the seeds!' I thought I was a genius cause I'd never go hungry again with a watermelon forever growing in my guts! I ate so many seeds lmao."
- NefariousAquarius64
Breastfeeding doesn't replace contraception.
"You can't get pregnant if you're breastfeeding. It lowers your chances but not to zero."
- Damn_Canadian
"I, a mother of two children ages 7 and 8, 100% agree with you. Doesn't matter if your baby hasn't had anything but breastmilk. Doesn't matter if you haven't a normal cycle. All of those things they say. It doesn't matter. I promise you absolutely without a doubt CAN get pregnant while breastfeeding."
"Source: my dumba** with 2 kids 12 months apart."
- Signal_Skill9761
A misconception about mental health disorders.
"That bipolar means you are 'happy one minute and sad the next minute.' It's a disorder where you have episodes of depression and episodes of mania/hypomania. These episodes last weeks/months/years. There's nothing about emotional lability at all. That's an entirely different disorder."
- 292to137
"True that! Plus manic phases aren't always happy."
- Bebe_Bleau
"Hell yeah that's for sure. I've been going to my local DBSA support group weekly for years and it seems like it's not a happy thing like for most people. Hypomania can be, but mania doesn't seem to be."
- 292to137
"Corollary: Depression does not mean you are sad all the time or can't express happiness or joy. I can bawl my eyes out for 20 minutes for no reason, and still laugh at a dumb sitcom joke before crying again."
- Forceflow15
"In my experience, Depression is more about a great feeling of emptiness than a lot of sadness, crying etc."
- Vladimir_Putting
"That OCD is liking things to be extremely neat, tidy or organized."
- clumsyumbrella
"As someone with diagnosed OCD who lives in a house that is actually a disaster, yes lol."
- wickedflowers
"This! I didn't realize I had OCD because of this and because it often overlaps with other mental illnesses."
- CapriciousSalmon
Just trying to keep the kids busy.
"'You can tell a ladybug's age by counting it's spots.' Even as a kid this didn't make sense to me. Why tell your kid this? What's the point?"
- Lvcivs2311
"Because it made kids shut up and sit still long enough to count the spots of a loving moving ladybug. 5 min to a kid, blissful peace and quiet for the parents."
- girlwhoweighted
There's no way this is true.
"We only use 10% of our brain."
- WarriorOfTheWord
"Ah, yes. The logical thing to do when you try to survive is to evolve a bigger brain, just to not use it."
- YouTube-r
Hopefully this shed some light on these important (and trivial) myths that we've continued to pass down over the years.
Some of the most common forms of misinformation stem from false beliefs that have been passed down. One huge bit of terrible information taught as fact was the traditional food pyramid millennials grew up having drilled into us in school. It's almost like there might be a reason so many 90s kids have struggled with relationships with food.
GabeGecko wanted to thrash through some major misinformation they asked fellow Redditors:
“What is the most largely believed piece of misinformation?"
“That red yellow and blue are the primary colors for painting. It's actually magenta, yellow, and cyan - those are the real primary colors. Also, the only thing special about primary colors is that they map to the inverse of the colors our eyes see (our eyes actually see red green and blue unless you have another type of color vision).” ebray99
The biggest contributors to the climate crisis isn't you, it's industrial waste and meat production….
“Recycling. Corporations are wasting millions of tons of resources, and severely damaging the environment. Kurzgesact has a really good video on this. But to summarize: corporations have successfully shoved the climate change problem onto consumers.”
“So to elaborate: This problem isn't quite that black-and-white. The amount of waste varies a lot between countries, as well as the providences/states within countries.” Dot957
Zeus just really sucks at apologies.
“Hercules is his Greek name. It actually isn't and I think more and more people are finding out about this now but its actually Heracles/Herakles. He was named as a 'tribute' for Hera because she was upset that Zeus cheated (again).” Akane_Hyuga_2359
Much to the heartache of the horror genre…
“Inverted crosses are satanic. It is actually the St. Peter's Cross. When he was crucified, he requested to be crucified upside down because he didn't feel worth to be crucified the same way as Jesus.” EngineerMinded
You are entitled to your wrong opinion however…
“That all opinions are valid. Everyone may have opinions. Everyone may speak their mind. Everyone should pursue truths and understanding.”
“However, when debating a topic, there's a big difference between somebody who has spent their entire professional career and education on the debate's subject matter versus someone who saw a post on Facebook.” sMc-cMs
Lack of humidity means less insulation so temperatures easily rise and drop dramatically.
“Deserts are hot. Many are, but not necessarily so. The requirement is that they get less than ten inches of precipitation a year. Antarctica is a desert too.” 8dogsinatrechcoat
"She was an elderly woman who suffered from third degree burns…”
“The other day someone corrected me about the McDonalds coffee incident. I firmly believed the lady did it on purpose, but it was clear that it was accidental and McDonalds had spun a story with the media to make it look like it wasnt their fault. Kind of insane how me and most people around me were fooled by that.” Dead-HC-Taco
“She was an elderly woman who suffered from third degree burns on her thighs and vagina and had to be hospitalized. The McDonald's had been warned that their coffee was kept too hot as well, just under boiling. She initially sued them just for medical expenses because when she asked politely they refused.”
“The judge was so incensed by their behavior that he awarded her the big settlement which was so widely mocked. And anti-government regulation/pro-business groups spun it into this testimony to frivolous lawsuits. Really a shocking piece of misinformation.” ofBlufftonTown
Please call emergency services immediately and follow their guidance, not googles…
“EMT here! Boy are there a lot, but the one that comes to mind is that of someone is having a seizure you need to put something in their mouth so they don't swallow their tongue. This is false for a few reasons:
1) It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue. Go ahead and try, it's attached on pretty well.
2) Putting something in a seizure patients mouth will only introduce a choking hazard. Now the patient has two problems.
3) Seizure patients bite and they bite HARD! So if your fingers are in the patient's mouth when that bite happens, your patient will again have two problems and medical staff will have two patients.” puizunman206
The other 90% is just random facts and Tim Gunn quotes…
“The whole "we only use 10% of our brains" thing. Nonsense.” JToTheGlock
Although best practice is to leave nature alone your mama was wrong on this one.
“If you touch a baby bird, their mothers will reject them.” SinisterBootySister
Many of these were considered just plain facts back in our day. Brings us back to some of the best advice one can give: “Question everything, then question the answer."
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Serayah McNeill, who plays Tina Brown on Fox's Empire, recently posted a video to her Instagram story criticizing Dwyane Wade for being supportive of his daughter Zaya's transition.
Wade has been very loving and supportive of his daughter's choice to be honest with herself and everyone else about who she is.
McNeill questioned Wade's support of his daughter's coming out, saying that the decision was "premature."
She also described coming out as a "life-changing decision that can never be undone." McNeill went on to criticize other supportive parents as well.
She claimed her suspicion was coming from:
"the age of the child, and I think it's not only his kid. There are plenty of kids and their parents are letting them do this."
“I think everything is a little bit too much premature. I don't care if you're boy or a girl, for me, there's things we need to be worried about."
McNeill wasn't the only public figure to slam Wade for loving and supporting his daughter. Rapper Young Thug recently tweeted a criticism of Wade and misgendered Zaya.
He excused the offense by saying:
"God don't make mistakes."
Recent research by a group of University of Washington researchers has shown that transgender kids are just as sure of their gender identities as cisgender kids. Making trans kids wait to transition, and putting barriers between them and gender affirming care, isn't doing them any favors.
The video, and McNeill's statements, were widely criticized by Twitter users.
McNeill also falsely equated being transgender to being gay, in an apparent attempt to sound more accepting in her rant.
"I'm accepting of my child being gay, that's OK, but there are so many others things around that in society that is pressuring children and parents to be a certain type of way."
Trans kids are who they say they are. One of the best things a parent can do is believe them and love them unconditionally.
The Wades are doing the best they can for Zaya by loving and supporting her.
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