35 People Who Noticed An Alarming Number Of Individuals Not Knowing Basic Facts Share What They Were
Common knowledge isn't that common. Sure, you can't know everything, and excelling in one area often means neglecting another, but things like first aid and the definition (and use) of free speech should be universally understood. At least, in the perfect world — it's in everyone's best interest.
But, again, they're not. So when Reddit user CasualBeers made a post on the platform, asking its users to share basic facts that they've noticed a surprisingly large number of people don't know, folks immediately started listing their suggestions. Here are some of the most popular ones.
This post may include affiliate links.
that freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want without consequences or other people giving you s**t about it. it just means you can't go to jail for criticizing the government.
How vaccines work. If they “make you sick,” it’s because they’re working! Your body is mounting a defense and creating antibodies to help fight off infection. A lot of really smart scientists have devoted their entire lives to keep us safe against life-threatening infection and people who have no medical training refuse them. It seems pretty idiotic and cavalier to me
Just because it's natural doesn't mean it is automatically healthy.
Just because it is artificial or synthetic doesn't mean it is automatically bad for you.
Blinkers aren't for you; they're to warn other road users of your intentions. Blinking a fraction of a second before you turn, or worse, start to turn then activate the blinkers does f**k all.
It's why it's called a signal: it signals your intention to slow down and turn. Do it. Do it before you put on your brakes. Give people that warning.
Antibiotics do not work on a virus.
Edit: I did not expect this to blow up this much. Thank you so much for the awards and the shared information!
#DON’T BOTHER WILD ANIMALS
I’m sure it’s just natural selection at this point
but the amount of stupid people I see walking up to wild creatures for video footage is irritating tbh.
Bonus points if the human gets hurt haha
It is very easy to not block the whole aisle with your cart at the grocery store.
But what if you, your spouse, and kids run into another family of five who you haven't seen since last Sunday and you have to spend 20 minutes catching up? /s
Don't just pet someone's dog. Always ask first!
Related: if my cat escaped and I’m struggling to get him back in the front door, this is not the moment to walk up to us with your massive dog and go “look doggie, it’s a kitty! Let’s say hi to the kitty!” while the kitty is clearly not loving this introduction.
How long it takes a semi truck to stop
Don’t dive in the water to save a drowning person. They WILL kill you. Throw them a flotation device. Hand them a broomstick and pull them to safety. Do NOT get in the water with a panicking person. Wait until they are unconscious and then dive in to retrieve them.
Source: years of swim lessons and unfortunately knowing somebody who has died trying to rescue somebody
That you should wait for people to get off the elevator when it arrives at your floor, instead of cramming yourself in when the doors open, blocking their departure.
This one is for my fellow men out there. Washing your booty hole DOES NOT make you gay. I have seen comments being made by a plethora of males stating that. It’s basic hygiene yo.
You can pick the better of two evils and still not like either choice.
Related:
You don't need to be 100% for one thing and 100% against something else.
So many people don’t seem to understand grey area or nuance. I see it a lot with politics and opinions. I learned early on growing up with my siblings that sometimes you can both be kinda right or wrong and that just because someone did something hurtful doesn’t necessarily mean it was their intent to hurt, but so many people are so quick to vilify others for deeds or opinions (obviously this isn’t counting objectively wrong stuff like most crime or bigotry)
Woman is singular, women is plural. Hate seeing inspirational comments that are intended to be moving start off with “As an independent women, I feel xyz”
Also that being a feminist doesn’t mean you hate men
That not all internet news is real ….
The Earth is not flat.
I had flat-earthers neighbour. He was a pretty good artist so I got him to do a mural of the solar system for my son's bedroom. Did a good job but he left out the Earth. Just couldn't bring himself to do a sphere, or a pancake so totally at odds with everything else.
A guest requested their chicken to be cooked medium rare this week. I don't understand why I have to stress that chicken only leaves the kitchen when it's completely cooked
That the scientific meaning of “theory” isn’t what the colloquial sense means.
That epipens and narcan do not stop reactions/overdoses. They slow them down so getting a person to proper care is still a necessity
Frankenstein isn’t the name of the moster. It’s the name of his doctor who created him.
Completely worthless information still.. I thought it may fit here. :|
Frankenstein entered the body building competition only to find he had seriously misunderstood the objective.
How you should vote in elections. Just because your parents were one side or the other, doesn't mean you have to be. You don't have to tell anyone how you voted. Do your research and vote smart.
Any soap is antibacterial, You do not need soap labeled as such to kill germs effectively
And most of all: friction is more important than the soap... So when you wash your hands rub accurately...
How to tell if food has gone bad. When I worked in a meat department, we got like one call a day from people saying “I bought this X days ago, is it still good?” Lady, I’m not there with you. This ain’t a smellophone. You’re going to have to use your own senses and brain on this one.
How to merge in traffic.
Evidence based reasoning and what evidence means.
Fact checking.
Most of people are prone to fake news and propaganda nowadays.
fact checking is easy. 1. Is it exciting or outrageous? 2. Does it make you angry or scared? 3. Does it contain exclamation marks? 4. Does it threaten your personal ingroup/identity? 5. Does it refer to, or imply, a massively powerful cabal controlling everything? If the answer to any of the above 5 is "yes", then it is likely fake news.
How to spot an obvious scam. Look how many people fall for those clickbait articles and chain posts and propaganda and stuff
I will teach YOU how to avoid scams. Just send me your bank account info to get started.
First Aid
Not really a fact so much as a body of knowledge. Or knowledge of body.
It's better to use water that's not quite boiling when you're making your tea.
Yes, you should "hot the pot", but not put the kettle back on the boil. The few minutes it cools is perfect to make the tea. So, warm your tea pot with a small amount of water after the kettle boils, swirl the water in the pot, pour out that water, put the tea in the pot and add the rest of the water. Then enjoy!
This is just barbaric madness. Not only should the water be boiling, you preheat the pot and you bring the pot to the kettle so you lose as little heat as possible.
It depends entirely on the tea itself. Some tea will have compounds destroyed if the water is too hot and that will change the flavor. Most teas are actually recommended to steep just below boiling point, and a lot of herbals recommend even lower than that
Load More Replies...
I have an electric teapot that stops at certain temperatures depending on what kind of tea I'm going to drink.
Stop microwaving your tea, you stupid Americans! It needs to steep!
We don't microwave the tea, just the water. The teabag goes in the mug after the water is hot.
Load More Replies...
I think that I am going to stay out of this thread. I'm more confused now than ever over the proper way to make tea. This calls for a cup and further contemplation - and I'm not going to say how I make that cup. Divulging that information seems kinda scary.
It entirely depends on the kind of tea you're drinking. As far as I know, green or white tea shouldn't be brewed with boiling water, but nobody's ever criticised my father for boiling water for his peppermint tea. Do what you want, and don't divulge your secrets!
Load More Replies...
Nope. I actually want to say b%$$÷r off but I'm a little old lady who's made tea for about 70 years and too much nitpicking finesse ruins everything. So Nope will have to do.
Thank you. It's like people forget how many kinds of tea there are.
Load More Replies...
I set my kettle to 90 for tea and 95 for coffee. Electric kettles are the best
Most people I know in the UK don't use boiling water, only just boiled water. Boiling water can scald and scorch the tea making it taste bitter!
Load More Replies...
NOOOoooooooooo. Tea brews best in Boiling Water, wait until your tea has brewed before adding the Milk.
Oh my Scottish grandmother would definitely (respectfully) disagree! She liked her tea "HOT"! So hot she was sipping it once in a restaurant and someone getting up behind her accidentally bumped her chair and she spilled her tea on her leg. She had a second border-lining third degree burn! My cousins and I used to tease her and say her mouth was like leather because she could drink such hot tea. I couldn't even hold her cups they were so hot I always had to give it to her with a saucer if I made it for her.
I prefer my tea brewed at 293 K. Better taste, less oily, less caffeine, etc. It takes a bit longer but it fits my palate.
People also tend to have their tea bag in waaaaay too long, or tend to poke/squeeze it. It can make your tea quite bitter.. Generally you are only supposed to have a tea bag in for 3-5 min.
Says the instructions on the tea. Different teas require different water temperatures, otherwise it can ruin the flavor.
Load More Replies... British people know to use just boiled, not boiling water. If you use boiling water you are going to ruin good tea. Look up the flavour of tannins and how boiling water makes the tea bitter and sour.
Load More Replies... It depends how you like your tea. For delicate flavours the not-quite-boiling method is best, leaving it to steep for several minutes.Most Brits prefer it really strong and dark, AKA builder's tea, and many blends sold in the UK are formulated for the boiling water, prewarm the pot method of brewing.
No, if you want builders' tea you leave it to steep. Boiling water doesn't make it stronger; it just releases tannins that make it astringent and unpleasant. You use just boiled water and let it sit if you want a good strong cup of tea. That's how builders would make it. None of them are going to be standing over a kettle to grab it the minute it starts boiling.
Load More Replies... Depends on the tea. Some require boiling water, some need to cool off (or not get heated to 100°)
It’s not “loose” weight, it’s “lose” weight. Drives me nuts.
Turn signals
* They're not optional on cars for a reason. Use them.
* A turn signal means you're intending to change direction and let other around you know this intention. It does NOT give you the authority to change direction.
Whenever you feel useless, remember there's a guy whose job it is to install turn signals on BMW cars.
Sit properly in any vehicles. Leg injuries are no joke and you can even dislocate/break your legs easily in a car crash because your legs where on the dashboard.
I know someone who does this AND they have already been in a near fatal accident and they still do it.
Sharing someone’s personal images, whether they’re an adult or a minor, whether you are an adult or a minor, can still end you on the sex offender registry. Revenge porn is real, even for adults. Keep your NSFW pics to yourself
That pretty much every machine requires maintenance. Think dishwashers, washing machines, cars, mowers, etc.
They aren't magic boxes. And they will last longer if you know how to maintain them.
My mother in law is in her 80s and until recently didn't know that the dishwasher needs its filters cleaning every so often.
Edit: since this blew up a bit, for those that would like to locate their dishwasher's filters, they're different for every make and model. You'd do well to Google the make and model of the unit and see if you can find a manual. Maybe even YouTube will have some information (YouTube is a great resource for learning about things). Taking my dishwasher as an example, there are some reasonably obvious plastic pieces in the bottom of the washing area that can be slid out/unscrewed (there are 3 parts to my filter). Rubber gloves when touching them might be a good idea. Cleaning them is as simple as taking a brush and some soapy water to them to remove all the gunk before reinstalling. You can also buy a plastic bottle full of chemicals that you put into the dishwasher. You run a cycle and the chemicals clean throughout the unit.
I do both because I like a clean dishwasher. I do it every month or so, or whenever I notice that dishes aren't getting as clean as they should or some 'not clean' smell.
Edit: thanks for the awards. Now clean your dishwashers!
Dishwashers are not so bad. It's clothes dryers that will catch fire and burn the house down if not cleaned frequently
How a 4 way stop works. Every hurricane in Florida we've several traffic lights go out. People are supposed to treat it like a 4 way stop, but instead they do this nonsense, "oh, he went? 10 more of us will go! It's fine!!"
I actually saw ONE light where people were doing it correctly after Ian and I nearly s**t myself I was so shocked.
No in South Africa our traffic lights are out so often that we know how to do this. Only people who disrespect the rule (sometimes) are minibus drivers.
That mixing bleach and pine sol creates toxic fumes that can actually kill you if they build up too much in a room. A scary number of people actually do this though in their laundry or when cleaning their homes.
Basic knowledge of electricity and electrical safety.
Ohms law should be taught, explained and known by everyone.
- Sincerely, a student learning Electronics
Former electrician here: yes everyone should learn some basics, like what constitutes a circuit. And that if one is unsure one should leave anything electrical alone and get assistance. Like my first boss would say “ electricity isn’t your friend, you can’t see, you can’t hear it, and if you taste it then it’s already too late. “
Tax brackets. You only pay the higher rate on the portion above the threshold amount
Edit: great example video [here](https://youtu.be/VJhsjUPDulw)
In the UK it used to be the case that stamp duty (a tax on property purchases) did NOT work like this. If you exceeded the threshold, you paid a percentage of the full purchase price, and not the amount over the threshold. I got stung by this when I bought my first apartment, as I opted to have carpets, tiling and alarm installed, and it pushed me over the threshold, and my idiot solicitor neglected to tell me about it until afterwards. Thankfully things have now changed and it works the same as income tax banding now.
that light bulbs burn out. now that one might seem like common sense, but i'm telling you, when i left for college i made a friend who had his own apartment. after a few months, the bulb in his closet burnt out and when i came over the next day he was telling me he has a power outage only in one room. i was confused and asked him to show me what he was talking about. he told mw how the light wasn't working and some of his other friends said it must've been a power outage from the rain the week before. i explained to him that it doesn't work that way, and i went out and bought him some lightbulbs that he could use for next time
How to talk to people. Like, in general. Stuff like basic phone etiquette (greeting, ending a conversation)...
ASD people find this difficult. If you have someone in mind who does not understand this stuff, get them to take an online ASD test like this. https://www.idrlabs.com/tests.php
Not to pour water into hot oil
Edit. Damn, this blew up! (Lol)
I’ll also add that that this may not be basic knowledge - but it should be. I myself only found out from one of my science electives in year 11/12 and even then it was a topic that only came up after a student asked my teacher about an incident that popped up on the news so chances are it would never have been mentioned otherwise.
Schools should at least have a lesson/program highlighting the common risks at home and the methods to avoid/contain them. Homeroom class would have been a perfect time - we spent the majority of that twiddling our fingers until the bell rang
there was a story at my old school that a mad science teacher set off the fire alarm displaying it. thanks for the relaxing lesson Mr. V, I'm sure they've replaced the ceiling tile.
There is an arrow on the fuel gauge of cars that tells you which side of the car the gas cap is on
How to perform CPR.
How to change a tire
PS for those outside USA, the spelling used is "tyre", because "tire" means "to become weary"
That the health of your teeth, gums, and mouth, is directly related to the health of your heart and how much inflammation exists in your body.
There is *some* relationship between the health of your teeth and gums and the rest of your body (not necessarily your heart). Saying "direct relationship" is overstating it because it is saying that your tooth/gum health is always in proportion to the health of your heart, which is clearly not true (I currently have an ulcer on my gum and a perfectly healthy heart).
Unsolicited advice is generally going to be taken as criticism. Criticizing the people in your personal life creates distance.
Butting in where you aren't wanted is going to harm your relationships with other people, and they're going to take your opinions and advice less seriously over time because they'll think of you as a noodgy know-it-all.
Overbearing people get tuned out.
Instead, first ask yourself if your advice is even needed. Does this affect you? Is this an emergency? Is anyone going to be harmed if you don't put your oar in?
Are you being asked for advice? Or is this person just sharing information about their day and building their relationship with you?
And if you do need to weigh in, try leading with, "May I make a suggestion?" Otherwise, you're going to rile the other person up.
And on the flip side, if you have a noodgy know-it-all in your life, it's best to simply pause them with a calm and polite, "thanks, but I didn't ask." If you try to explain your life to them, they see it as an invitation to be even more overbearing.
My way of giving advice is to say "this happened to me and what I did was X, but obviously your situation is different."
That in a lot of vehicles, when you turn on your hazard lights, it disables the brake lights. This is bad because I have seen in rain storms people will drive with their hazards on. They think they are being extra safe but in reality they are making it more dangerous, because now the person behind them won't know when the person in front is stopping.
EDIT: spelling
Basic computer knowledge. If you don't even know how to extract a zip file you better leave this job.
The average person is chronically dehydrated. Drink more water.
Stay hydrated. This is a threat.
The average person is absolutely NOT dehydrated! This is complete hogwash. "According to the lay press, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. While this is not supported by medical literature, dehydration is common in elderly patients." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/)
Freedom to believe anything you want, including nothing if someone prefers.
Load More Replies...
How to navigate the city/town/area they're living in without GPS. GPS is great, especially when going somewhere new, but it's very useful to have an internal map of your own town in your head.
My sense of direction is...shaky, at best. Although I live on the West Coast, because of the weird coastline shape the fastest way to get to the beach from here is to head directly south; you'll arrive in 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour going due west. This kinda messed with my whole N/S/E/W perceptions. Additionally, I have to envision the living room of the home I grew up in, and orient it in my head to match where I am to figure out directions. "OK, it's early afternoon and I'm pretty much facing the sun, which means it would be shining in the side window, not the front, so behind me is roughly North."
Load More Replies...
that's what it is. But at least it's curated and neat. I find Reddit impossible to follow because it's such a mess, and the tiktok reposts save you the nusance of watching a moronic video.
Load More Replies...
Birds are real! They aren't mini drones that the govt put out to spy on us
Easy life hack:: always make your bed when you wake up. Climbing into a nicely made bed at the end of a long day is PRICELESS!!
I learned the hard way to make your bed and tuck in the sheets. Climbing into a bed with a snake in it is mildly uncomfortable at best.
Load More Replies... 
I wish everyone learned how to understand statistics and research. It's not enough to just say "well this study demonstrated X" like... What's the sample size? What's the population? I can say "100% of people surveyed think I'm super cool and smart" if I only survey my friends and family.
Many (most?) studies cite n, confidence intervals, distribution, etc.
Load More Replies...
Freedom to believe anything you want, including nothing if someone prefers.
Load More Replies... How to navigate the city/town/area they're living in without GPS. GPS is great, especially when going somewhere new, but it's very useful to have an internal map of your own town in your head.
My sense of direction is...shaky, at best. Although I live on the West Coast, because of the weird coastline shape the fastest way to get to the beach from here is to head directly south; you'll arrive in 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour going due west. This kinda messed with my whole N/S/E/W perceptions. Additionally, I have to envision the living room of the home I grew up in, and orient it in my head to match where I am to figure out directions. "OK, it's early afternoon and I'm pretty much facing the sun, which means it would be shining in the side window, not the front, so behind me is roughly North."
Load More Replies... that's what it is. But at least it's curated and neat. I find Reddit impossible to follow because it's such a mess, and the tiktok reposts save you the nusance of watching a moronic video.
Load More Replies... Birds are real! They aren't mini drones that the govt put out to spy on us
Easy life hack:: always make your bed when you wake up. Climbing into a nicely made bed at the end of a long day is PRICELESS!!
I learned the hard way to make your bed and tuck in the sheets. Climbing into a bed with a snake in it is mildly uncomfortable at best.
Load More Replies... I wish everyone learned how to understand statistics and research. It's not enough to just say "well this study demonstrated X" like... What's the sample size? What's the population? I can say "100% of people surveyed think I'm super cool and smart" if I only survey my friends and family.
Many (most?) studies cite n, confidence intervals, distribution, etc.
Load More Replies...