People share B.S. myths all the time. In fact, they get spread further if the people actually believe the myth they’re telling people. Our search for truth in this godforsaken world depends on being able to spot B.S. Sadly, it’s tough to do.
Forget the adage “don’t believe everything you read.” People barely read anymore. Now, the adage is “don’t believe everything you heard someone repeat from a podcast they heard two years ago.” People have faulty memories. Yet, people still want attention. We want to sound smart. We want to sound like we are in the know.
Unfortunately, that sometimes means spreading a lie we heard from a friend who saw it on Discovery as a child. One Reddit user wanted to know: “What myth is still widely circulated as truth?”
Here are some myths people still seem to believe are true even though they’re clearly not true:
1.
“That you have to wait 24h before you can report a missing person. If someone is missing, go get help!” –radiusmcfly
2.
“If an HIV positive person has sex with another HIV positive person, they don’t have to worry about protection. They do, because there are 140 different strains of the HIV/AIDS virus, and getting infected with another strain, especially a potentially-deadlier one, could be dangerous. Also, pregnancy is still a very big risk for HIV positive women. If you are considering a sexual relationship, get tested, and talk to your doctor about birth control.” –PaulfussKrile
3.
“People in general thought the world was flat until Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
No, the Ancient World figured that out a long time before. People just thought that it wasn’t possible to sail across the ocean to Asia because sailors would run out of food by then, while Columbus thought that wasn’t case because he thought Asia was bigger than contemporary estimates.” –Penguator432
4.
“Lemmings commit mass suicide.” –quarkspbt
This is untrue and probably spread by the people who made a 1958 Disney film.
5.
“The white on blue roundel in the BMW logo represents the white blades of a propeller against the blue sky, alluding to BMW’s history as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. This myth was popularized in BMW’s advertising for aircraft engines. (And perpetuated by the movie Finding Forrester.)
In truth, the blue and white come from the Bavarian flag, presented as a circular coat of arms in reverse order to avoid a trademark law prohibiting the use of symbols of state sovereignty in a commercial trademark. It was only in later marketing for aircraft engines they overlaid the logo over spinning propellers, as coincidentally it could be taken to look like a propeller against the sky. They made all sorts of engines for land vehicles as well.” –waffle911
6.
“That you can reduce fat from a particular body part.” –AAAARRRGGGGHHHH
7.
“Bulls hate red. They are actually colorblind and are reacting to the movement of the cloth and the asshole behind it.” –pumperthruster
8.
“That shaving makes your beard grow better.” –antrophia
9.
“That the US spent over a million dollars and two years to develop a pen that could work in space…whereas the Soviets decided to just use a pencil.
In the early days, both used pencils, but since pencils are made out of graphite, and graphite is conductive, snapped graphite particles are dangerous in a pressurized space capsule….to put it lightly. Fisher, the owner of the pen company, spent his own money to develop a pressurized ball point pen. And cost only about $3.00 per pen.” –harvestgobs
10.
“Urine neutralizes jelly fish stings.” –HonorablexChairman
11.
“That Marylin Manson removed 2 of his ribs to blow himself.” –Husbandaru
12.
“Gum takes 7 years to digest.” –Snoo48391
13.
“That goldfish have a 6 second memory. I mean it’s still not great, I think like a couple months. But still…. Get your fish a bigger damn tank.” –SilverRabbit1
14.
“Daddy Long Legs are actually the most poisonous spiders in the world but don’t have long enough fangs to bite you.” –Noreferal
15.
“Undercover police have to tell you they are policemen when you ask them.” –kevicuni6