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35 Things That Sound Common But Are Extremely Rare In Real Life
We learn about the world through our experiences and people that surround us, which is a normal process. Nobody’s experiences are completely the same, which leads us to having different perspectives on certain things.
That means that we might think something is quite common as we hear about it or see it often, but in general, it’s the opposite. Plane crashes happen less often than perceived, as well as many other things netizens pointed out in this Reddit thread.
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#2
Being transgender. I saw a news reel once where the anchor was interviewing people off the street, all political affiliations. Conservatives thought 30% to 40% of kids were identifying as Trans. Liberals a bit closer, guessed 10%-20%. The real number revealed at the end of the segment? 1.4% 💀
#5
Stranger abductions of children represent less than one percent of all missing child cases (in the US, at least). They're mostly runaways or family abductions.
#6
Casting director here. Having a career in acting, I don't mean being famous. I mean paying your bills with acting alone. I would hazard being an exclusively working actor is about 1% of actors. But the amount of people still going into acting tells me people think otherwise.
#7
Pearls. Of all the fine stones(I know it classifies differently, but for jewelry, it’s basically a stone), it’s the one that has to happen in an oyster, which only exist on Earth. Other planets are literally raining diamonds, they’re so common. But, pearls are probably one of the rarest substances to exist
#10
Successfully suing a company for millions. Some Redditors will have you believe that any minor inconvenience should earn you some kind of massive payout. And the comments will assure you that the company will do anything to avoid bad PR.
#13
Walking into an alley in Manhattan. Happens all the time in shows/movies, in reality there are like 1 or 2 in the whole borough.
#14
Drag Queens at the local library. I go to my library at least twice a week, and I've yet to see one.
#18
Amnesia. It's common in fiction because it's convenient in ways that makes things easy for the writers, for example explaining why someone's dark past is a secret which can be revealed later at the climax of the story. In real life it's very rare and doesn't work like people think it does.
#20
Razor blades or poison in Halloween candy. It's zero. Never happened. And now every single kid out trick or treating has to have every candy inspected by mom and dad, and Halloween itself has been hollowed out to a safe boring joke where kids collect candy from one block of stores or from the trunks of a circle of parent's cars.
#22
Making a living off just your art alone. Musicians, Artists, Film makers, Dancers -- that whole lot, what we see on TV and Movies are the cream of the crop (not that they are necessarily the best, mind you, they've just risen up somehow) and are a very small percentage. Most Artists of whatever medium will stay in relative obscurity -- i.e. you're a regional act, you gained some glint of fame, and yes admiration, even inspiring others -- but when you're not on tour, when you're not in the studio, you're working a job that pays the bills. I think the key to success here is that you find a job you like, are good at, and allows you to do your art without interference. That way, when you're 45 and your band still hasn't "broke through" or your art isn't commanding tens of thousands, you're not just stuck stocking shelves at the grocery (not that there's anything wrong with that, it just pays p**s-poor).
#23
Plane crashes. I know your lizard brain doesn't like it, but flying is THE safest mode of transportation Edit: because a lot of people mentioned it, I am specifically referring to commercial jets and the like. Small planes and helicopters are *way* less safe.
#24
Savant abilities in autism. We have Rain Main to thank for that, largely, but there are big questions as to whether the guy this was based on actually should have been diagnosed with something other than ASD.
#25
Being awake during a surgery under general anesthesia. Patients worry about it all the time, but I’ve been doing this 19 years and never seen a real case of this.
#27
Soft teeth. I've been in dentistry for 20yrs & I can't tell you how many times I've heard patients say "I just have soft/bad/weak teeth." Actual weak teeth caused by gene abnormalities resulting in malformed enamel occurs in approx 1/15,000 people in the US. I've literally never seen it in person. I've seen cases where a few teeth are involved, but never an entire mouth full of teeth, it's that uncommon. Bad diet, bad hygiene, smoking, drugs, meds, dry mouth, inhalers, acid reflux, etc are all wayyyyyy more likely to be the cause of decayed teeth. People just don't want to hear that.
#28
A business becoming profitable within 2 years. Be patient, it takes time (years). Businesses only fail if they have to be shut down. Keep them alive, ride out the time factor, and enjoy success down the road.
#35
Toxic shock syndrome from wearing tampons. When tampons were first made women were told that one tampon can last her whole period which was causing toxic shock syndrome and even then it wasn't super common now we are more educated and don't wear tampons for that long so it's very rare for toxic shock to happen unless you forget to take a tampon out for weeks.
Sometimes the humor in everyday observations can bring as much clarity as traditional research. Just as the right joke or card at the perfect moment can illuminate the truth about life's absurdities, the internet is filled with perspectives that challenge our assumptions.
For a humorous take on everyday experiences that may resonate with your awareness of unspoken truths, visit these hilarious e-cards.
You might also like: 49 funny photos of people just trying to survive the summer heat
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