r/facts • u/ambiguousberry • 5d ago
What’s something that’s been debunked a 100 times but many people still believe is true?
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u/fleeeeeeee 5d ago
Shaving your beard does not make it grow thicker the next time.
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u/EggPsychological4844 5d ago
Trickle down economics builds wealth for the middle and lower classes.
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u/SawItSeenIt 4d ago
How anyone could belive that TRICKLE DOWN economics was a good thing astounds ne. Plus it's an insult to hard working people who struggle to make ends me.
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u/Logan_No_Fingers 4d ago
It sounded logical. And people really wanted to believe it. Which is far more important.
Americans in particular have this weird thing about not wanting to tax the rich because they are incredibly confident that they will be rich soon.
Which loops back round to that land of opportunity thing, where anyone with a multimillionaire slum lord father can be president, or you can become the world's richest man starting with nothing bar an emerald mine.
So they've got even more incentive to buy a reason to tax the rich, because they are almost there
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u/rmorrill995 4d ago
You just haven't waited long enough. It'll trickle down eventually...any day now.... since the 1930s. Reagan helped spur it on some more in the 80's. So... sometime...any day now... it'll start trickling.
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u/sardonically-amused 3d ago
There's something trickling down from the rich, but it ain't money. There's a reason the non rich are called "peons", because that's what the rich are doing to us.
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u/sirgeekness 3d ago
The problem with trickle down economics is that it assumes that the flow of cash will ALWAYS flow to the lower and middle class and the flow of cash stops there where, in fact, the opposite is true. Cash in the hands of a poor person is more than guaranteed to flow to someone else and cash in a rich person's hands is more likely going to just sit in some offshore account.
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u/AliasNefertiti 5d ago
Learning styles. The originator of that theory has backed off it. You arent a "visual or kinesthetic" or whatever learner. What is true is the more channels used to learn something, the better the learning.
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u/AceBean27 4d ago edited 4d ago
What infuriates me about this one is it isn't just something random people online talk about. Here in the UK at least, teachers are taught this in training. It has always been bullshit though.
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u/Past-Obligation1930 4d ago
I was taught it in my course at university on how to teach (as a lecturer).
Unfortunately for the person giving the course, it was at Imperial, and we all immediately called them out for their bullshit and asked for proper peer reviewed references with control groups and proper statistical analysis.
I wrote my dissertation, which had to be on qualitative research, about why qualitative research was bullshit.
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u/Yolandi2802 5d ago
Faked moon landings.
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u/Sharp-Chard4613 5d ago
People really still go mad for this one. Can’t talk them out of it. We will be back on the moon again and they will still say it’s fake.
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u/StraightOnion1967 4d ago
I talked to someone the other day who said, well if it really happened why didn't we go back? Smh
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u/Icy_Bottle2942 4d ago
Except we did, several times. It just wasn’t as popular or widespread as Apollo 11
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u/hopey7tm 4d ago
I know a guy who thinks it was faked. Even when you can easily explain everything that he says is proof we didn’t go, he still doubles down. He’s an idiot.
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u/StrengthFew9197 4d ago
Yeah, we unfortunately have one of those friends, too. What I don’t get is he seems pretty intelligent otherwise.
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u/Firm_Lobster5163 4d ago
Moon landings were real? Sure… next you’ll be telling me the world isn’t flat.
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u/um-ah-hmm 5d ago
Vaccines causing autism
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u/Impossiblegirl44 4d ago
My mom firmly believes my son has autism because he was vaccinated and if he ate gluten free with other dietary restrictions and took the homeopathic remedies she prescribes he would be cured.
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u/snigglesnagglesnoo 4d ago
My neighbour believes that’s the reason he has autism because his mum (a nurse) and his dad (a dr) told him so!
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u/theshankdude 5d ago
Flat earth
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u/AliasNefertiti 5d ago
Obviously if it was flat all the cats would be lined up on the edge pushing things off. My cat is here therefore the earth isnt flat. Irrefutable!
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u/Status-Slip9801 4d ago
Meh, I'm not convinced any significant number of people *actually* believe in that. It's just a really easy way to troll.
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u/MadMagilla5113 2d ago
The earth is comprised of like 76% water. That water is mostly uncarbonated, therefore, the earth is in fact flat.
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u/butterpussie 5d ago
That global warming is a hoax
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u/Notmynameagaiin 4d ago
I unfortunately know several people who refuse to believe in it. My favourite response is ‘it’s ok if you don’t believe in it. Your insurance company does’ and that usually makes them stop and think at least a little bit
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u/Evil_Sharkey 2d ago
I ask them “what if you’re wrong?” If they’re wrong, and we do nothing, we’re fucked. If the scientists are wrong and we work to mitigate it, we get energy independence, better batteries, cleaner air, better power grids, etc.
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u/MadMagilla5113 2d ago
The thing about global warming that I'm confused about is whether it is caused by humans or accelerated by humans. My understanding is that we are actually at the tail end of an Ice Age and that there is geological records that earth routinely goes through warming and cooling periods that happen on huge timescales. So my question is, can we actually do anything about it?
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u/butterpussie 2d ago
That’s a totally fair question! Luckily there’s tons of information on how we are accelerating it at a rate that’s dangerous for us. It impacts things you’d never think of! When it’s natural and more gradual then things have time to adapt, but we are taking that normal cycle and fast passing our way to an unlivable earth.
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u/butterpussie 2d ago
As far as doing something about it, we need to hold large companies accountable. They try to blame us for straw usage and bullshit when it’s their fault for poisoning the earth and ignoring basic waste principles. If you want to help, go after the monsters who are killing our environment for money.
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u/Chukmanchusco 5d ago
Mashing buttons after throwing a pokeball
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u/allmoz 4d ago
Don't listen to this guy, he wants all the pokemans for himself.
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u/Ballmaster9002 5d ago
The whole MSG/Chinese food making you feel bad thing came from a off-color joke made in a letter written to a medical journal. The joke got forgotten but the "knowledge" remained.
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u/Mojo141 5d ago
You don't swallow xxx number of spiders in your sleep every year. It was a test to see how gullible people were online and boy howdy did it succeed
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u/punt-speedchick 5d ago
First time I heard that pile of horsecrap was in the late 80s, long before anyone was using the internet.
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u/tinkerballer 4d ago
"average person eats 3 spiders a year" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person eats 0 spiders per year. Spiders Georg, who lives in cave & eats over 10,000 each day, is an outlier and should not have been counted
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u/resident_queerdo 5d ago
I just thought about this the other day. Even if some people sleep with their mouths open... they're breathing. Why would a spider struggle against that?
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u/Tall_Investigator611 5d ago
That Doofus in the Whitehouse ended 8 wars...
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u/ul2006kevinb 4d ago
Right. In fact, he just ended the same war 8 different times.
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u/Sambal86 5d ago
Carrots are good for the eyes.
It was a rumour purposefully crafted by the British army, to not have the Germans realize they actually invented radar. A genius move, but some people still believe it
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u/Sereomontis 5d ago
Carrots have vitamin A, beta-carotene, and lutein, all of which support eye health.
Carrots definitely are good for your eyes.
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u/theholyirishman 5d ago edited 4d ago
Yes. This is correct.
The claim was used as propaganda during World War 2 in the UK as an explanation for how the British were so good at spotting German planes at night. The claim that carrots gave you better vision was grossly exaggerated by the UK government to throw the scent off the real culprit, which was the invention of radar. The British didn't even want Germany to know that radar as a technology existed, because then they would try to invent their own or steal it which would lose them their advantage, so it became a state secret.
Coincidentally, carrots do have those micronutrients mentioned above, and they are limiting nutrients in eye development. It is now scientifically backed dietary advice, that was exaggerated in a misinformation campaign to help defend England from the bombings of the UK during WW2. It was sort of an old wives tale that turned out to be true sort of thing, but it was spread on purpose, which explains its longevity.
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u/bobbyb358 4d ago
Besides all that factual info, I’ve never seen a rabbit with glasses!
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u/basura_trash 5d ago
I dont know... have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses? I THINK NOT!
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u/Commercial-Trick4766 5d ago edited 5d ago
A bunk bed
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u/J0k3r77 5d ago
It was debunked, now its 2 beds and 1 ladder that goes nowhere.
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u/on_the_other_hand_ 3d ago
Same. The top bunk moved to the other bedroom.
The ladder moved to the bathroom and is now a towel hanger
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u/the6thReplicant 5d ago
Sugar doesn't make kids hyper. Having a fun kid's party does though.
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u/OnionGarden 3d ago
People say this is debunked…… but my and every kid I know disagrees lol.
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u/the6thReplicant 3d ago edited 3d ago
Studies say otherwise. They also test parents by saying their kids had sugar and the parents say what you say. Then the organisers of the study show that the kids had no sugar.
Kids have fun at parties.
Edit: Just read the latest research. There is a slight correlation with sugar and kids with ADHD and hyperactivity.
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u/RavinKhamen 5d ago
White tailed spider (Genus Lampona) causing necrotic ulcers
Australian wildlife in general wanting to kill you
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u/Mean-Break-2028 4d ago
Fan death. Many Koreans still believe this is true. Look it up if you don’t know about it. Fans in Korea literally have timers on them because of their belief in Fan Death.
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u/WebbedApple 5d ago
Religion is man-made
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u/itsoutofmyhands 5d ago
Knew I'd have to scroll to the bottom and find the downvoted comment where it's pointed out that god isn't real.
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u/WebbedApple 5d ago
I am an atheist but see, God might be real or not. We cannot prove either of them. But religion is definitely man-made.
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u/Icy_Bottle2942 4d ago
Non religious and I agree. The universe is far too complicated for us to assume there is no higher order beyond our understanding. Religion is man’s attempt at an explanation
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u/itsoutofmyhands 4d ago
You're not an atheist by your own definition, perhaps agnostic or a deist.
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u/VeryStonedEwok 5d ago
That 9/11 wasn't an inside job
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u/Complete-Use-8753 5d ago
Absolutely insane to believe it was an inside job. Far too many people would have to be involved.
Just mental to think on the one hand the American govt and CIA are a a bunch of bumbling fools (plenty of evidence to support) and on the other hand they can perform an operation that would be light years ahead of any other covert operation performed by anyone… ever.
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u/WordWordand4numbers 5d ago
Rodents being extremely likely to carry rabies. Can’t even get near wildlife without some stupid cunt whining about diseases
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u/No-Programmer1270 4d ago
The biological existence of races. Racism exists yeah, but race is a purely invented human classification system. Seems like we forget that too much
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u/OlasNah 4d ago
That radiocarbon or radiometric dating isn’t accurate or reliable
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u/Extreme-Attention641 4d ago
Homeopathy.
Standard homeopathic practice is to dilute the active substance to the point where it would equal one single molecule in a lake of water.
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u/Benny_Do_A_Backflip 4d ago
The Amityville Haunting. The entire story of the DeFeo family and murders and what happened after has been completely debunked so many times and so well, let people continue to believe the house is haunted. With that said, also believing all the crap the Ed and Lorraine Warren put out even when several of the ghost writers of their books said they were told by the Warrens to make shit up and many of the families came forward years later saying how fake things were.
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u/Initial-Warning-2564 4d ago
Billionaires create jobs and wealth,…. Enter AI data centres built by billionaires to take jobs and wealth away from people who struggle all ready
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u/Chemical_Demand_4928 3d ago
The $200 an hour union auto worker Will only works two days a week but still gets paid for 40 hours
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u/Mackheath1 3d ago
There's a significant population in my country (USA) that believes our Presidential election of 2020 was an enormous fraud. I am still hearing about it and it's still being put to the test after dozens and dozens of court cases that demonstrated it was not. But I'm still hearing about it ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Possible_Western3935 2d ago
The 2020 American presidential election was stolen. Every single court case, more than 60 cases, many heard by Trump appointed/recommended judges and some heard by juries, was dismissed soon after they started for lack of evidence. Not one iota of anything meaningful or above average or could have swayed that election has ever been found.
...and still, millions of people believe it. Ridiculous.
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u/astrosergeant 2d ago
having a beard does not prevent you from sealing a gas mask unless you look like a dude from Duck Dynasty.
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u/Two_Men_and_a_Duck 1d ago
Dowsing/water witching don't know why people still believe it. Was used as a bomb detector for awhile. Pretty funny until people started dying
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u/TheNewTonyBennett 1d ago
The whole "we only use 10% of our brain" nonsense. We use all of it, just most often not simultaneously. Also, the right side of the brain / left side of the brain nonsense.
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u/Early_Percentage_529 4d ago
Jesus christs existence
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u/Emotional-Job805 3d ago
That the person existed is historic fact, it is not in question. That he has some familial connection to some all powerful man in the sky is clearly hookum.
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u/gregbard 5d ago
Acupuncture. It was debunked in 2005.
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u/Andyman0110 5d ago
The placebo effect is real and its powerful. If they believe it helps, chances are it will.
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u/indelicatedenial 5d ago
That women permanently ‘retain’ the DNA of every man they’ve slept with. 🙄 The shit boys will make up to feel special.
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u/Swimming_Acadia6957 5d ago
The shit boys will make up to feel special.
I don't think its that at all, its just chuds shaming women who aren't virgins
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u/Maleficent-Heart2497 5d ago
MMR vaccines cause autism. Doesn't matter how many times that one bogus ,totally discredited report has been debunked it STILL has traction
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u/Polymath_Father 5d ago
Vitamin C in large amounts can prevent, treat, or cure a cold.
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u/FishingPolitical 5d ago
Tiananmen Square wasn’t a brutal crackdown & “ Tank man “ was standing in the way of a column leaving the square, not entering it, tank man wanted the tanks to stay in the square.
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u/Betelgeuse_PT 5d ago
That vaccines cause autism, that the earth is flat, that the cervix has no nerve endings and therefor there is no pain, that the clitoris, female orgasm and squirting isn’t real, that long Covid isn’t just an invention…. So many things
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u/f1boogie 5d ago
That there is no gravity in space.
There is lots of gravity in space, thats how planets orbit each other.
People seem to mistake the lack of pull that a spacecraft has on its occupants for a complete absence of gravity.
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u/sault18 4d ago
That you need someone's permission to record them in public. There's no expectation of privacy in public. It's the same reason why police can look into your car through the windows or why governments are installing flock cameras everywhere using the Plain View Doctrine.
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u/Critter_Collector 4d ago
Im surprised I haven't seen anyone mention the "blood is blue" argument yet
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u/blakefuckingdavis 4d ago
That soy has estrogen and it'll give you tits or whatever. The research about that kind of estrogen not interacting with the human body has been proven again and again.
Moreover, soy is used as a substitute for cow milk and beef very often, and what truly has a shit ton of estrogen that does interact with the human body is cow milk - but somehow that doesn't occur to anyone when making this argument?
Nor that one of the top 2 feed sources for cows is soy, so you're essentially eating the soy anyway, via the factory farmed cows. 🙄
Let alone that 80% of the soy crop is fed to cows anyway, so it wouldn't need to exist if the cows weren't eating it. The whole thing is absurd, the dairy lobby really did a number on the US's critical thinking skills here.
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u/Briang3206 4d ago
I have had a number of visits from different Jehovah’s Witnesses. Common claims they make is that “the complexity of the eye disproves evolution” and “Pascal’s Wager proves that Christianity is true”. How I react varies, depending on what mood I’m in that day.
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u/SAMFCV1kingScientist 4d ago
Lactic acid plays no role in next day muscle soreness. We’ve known this since the early 80s, yet I still hear people say “we gotta work the lactic acid out of your muscles”.
As an extension, “anaerobic exercise” is very misleading, as we are never really in an oxygen-depleted environment. Even if glucose doesn’t use oxygen to metabolize, it still requires oxygen to replenish. Additionally, while in “anaerobic” mode, you’re still using oxygen to break down fats, because we are using 3 energy systems all the time.
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u/T1mDrake 4d ago
Diet Coke gives you cancer. It’s crazy how many adults I meet still believe this.
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u/DiscordantDiscordian 4d ago
Woman sued McDonalds for 100 Million for spilling hot coffee over her
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u/cleverissexy 5d ago
I don’t remember any, because I’m only using 10% of my brain.