“What Fact Are You Just Tired Of Explaining To People?”: 40 Things These People Wish Others Would Finally Understand
We live in a world where, whether we like it or not, we run into people with different views of the world, beliefs, and opinions.
Every now and then, we realize that not all of their claims are equally legit. That became especially true in the times of the coronavirus pandemic when anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theory believers were on the rise.
So imagine when someone asked a seemingly simple question “What fact are you just tired of explaining to people?” on Ask Reddit. It hit a soft spot for too many people and you could see that sheer fatigue left by making sure people get their facts straight is a real thing. Below we wrapped up the most interesting responses.
This post may include affiliate links.
Stella Liebeck, the woman who won a lawsuit against McDonald's over hot coffee, had every right to sue them. It's been mocked so many times over the past 20 years with people ridiculing this woman and making it out like she's some idiot who was surprised that coffee was actually hot and she was just attempting a money grab or something. In reality, the temperature of the coffee was f*****g ridiculous and there was no reason for it to be hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns on her legs when she spilled it. She had to have multiple skin graft surgeries and spent 8 days in the hospital where she lost 20 pounds. After that, she needed additional care at home and was partially disabled for the next two years. She had no choice but to sue to cover the cost of her surgeries. This happened a long time ago, but to this day, I still overhear people mocking this case or making references to it in jest.
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I cannot just decide to not be anxious about stuff. I take medication because I can’t stop. Telling me to just “not worry about it” and “mind over matter” is not going to work. This is a medical issue I am actively being treated for. If I could just choose to stop I would.
Telling me “it’s all in your head” is also useless; of course it’s in my head. It’s a brain problem. Where else is it going to be.
That giving people rights does not remove your rights. You don't get a free right to suppress people who are not like you.
BuT I dOn'T wAnT gAyS tO mArRy... Then don't marry someone of your gender. You can still freely stay married to your opposite gendered spouse. It isn't infringing on your rights. It bugs you that you can't force other people to do what you want.
Someone asked me why I WASN'T opposed to gay marriage because in their minds it diminished my het marriage. I just asked 'how so?' and watched then struggle. This is so silly. A modern relationship is about two people deciding to spend life together because it's easier than being alone and hopefully because they love each other, but in my mind that's optional. Marriage means taking responsibility for the well being of your spouse and making a commitment to each other to care for each other and help each other out. That's it. Another couple marrying has no impact whatsoever on my marriage and vice versa. Marriage is only between those married to each other
Many of our problems, whether at work or in relationships, stem back to communication issues. In fact, this Preply survey showed that Americans are becoming less effective communicators, and respondents say that being interrupted is the biggest communication problem of all.
Other communication problems that drive Americans crazy are being talked over (19%) and having to repeat themselves (18%). So why do people get so miserably frustrated when they are asked to repeat themselves? Well, apparently, it has to do with implying that the listener wasn’t paying attention to what they’re saying and as a result, that makes the speaker feel underappreciated and like they're wasting their time.
When out in public, I am not BABYSITTING my kids or GIVING MOM A BREAK. I am a dad and they are my kids. WTF is wrong with women over the age of 40 who say this s**t to men?
Its not a 'women over 40 issue'. It's an every demographic issue. When I go out without the kids I get asked if my husband is 'babysitting' or I get asked 'who?' is babysitting. The question is posed by young women, old women, middle aged women, young men, old men and middle aged men alike. When I reply that yes, my husband is at home PARENTING his children they usually reply how "lucky" I am.
Everything is made of chemicals. Not everything “natural” is good and not everything “man made” is bad.
Poison ivy is natural but I'm not going to rub it all over my body. Natural can be dangerous too.
Your opinion does not carry the same weight as an expert who has spent their entire life working on an issue.
Repeating yourself is far from the only annoying thing people experience while communicating. Many people are also guilty of giving unsolicited advice, guidance or information that wasn't asked for. Not only is it considered disrespectful and presumptuous to insert your opinions and ideas when they may not be wanted. It can also communicate a sort of superiority, since it assumes the advice-giver knows what's right or best for the listener.
Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Audrey Tang, a chartered psychologist and author of multiple books, including "Be A Great Manager Now", "The Leader's Guide to Mindfulness," and "The Leader's Guide to Resilience” who said that the one and only person we have a right to manage is our own self.
Being an introvert doesn’t mean I’m shy. It means having a social battery which gets run down and sometimes becomes empty if I don’t have enough peaceful alone time to recharge it.
My job is peopley enough but at least I’m paid to be there. I actively avoid crowds on my time off.
That migrants can't all be here to BOTH steal our jobs AND claim unemployment benefits.
That my lifelong history of depression has little to nothing to do with my relatively stress-free life. People are always saying, "What do you have to be depressed about?" Believe me, I wish it were that simple.
"Depression isn't real. There's nothing wrong with people who are depressed. They just want attention." -my mother to me whenever I try to explain my actual diagnosed depression
What’s worse, if you offer advice, Dr. Tang argues, the person takes it and it all goes wrong, they may blame you. “Or if you offer advice and they don't take it and it still all goes wrong, they may feel they cannot come to you.”
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is be a friend and wait to pick up the pieces,” Dr. Tang argues. In fact, Dr. Tang reminds us that this also applies to explaining truths you are tired of repeating: “You cannot save people from themselves.” Dr. Tang added that if you are trying to do so, then it’s fair to ask yourself “what are you avoiding looking at in YOUR OWN life?”
I'm a male and a nurse. No I don't want to be a doctor. No I'm not going to school to be a doctor. No I don't feel like less of a man because I'm a nurse and not a doctor. And stop calling me doc and doctor. I've told you 5 times I'm your nurse and my badge says NURSE in big letters.
"I'm just being honest" is not an acceptable excuse for being an a*****e.
It's couldn't care less, not could care less unless you mean to say you do care
Wish I could upvote this more. I see this written into films etc. Seems more of an issue in the USA.
While communicating with people, it often happens that people ask for advice, but that doesn’t mean they want to hear the truth. Dr. Tang explained that in these instances, they actually just want validation.
“And sometimes I feel the most empowering thing to do is to ask - what do you want me to say - do you actually want my advice or someone to agree with you?” Dr. Tang said. She argues that this will save you time in giving advice to someone who doesn't actually want it.
Dr. Tang concluded that ultimately, every person needs to make their decisions on their own. We can try to prove them wrong or repeat ourselves indefinitely, but at some point, all our effort becomes nothing more than just a waste of time.
How evolution works. Giraffes didn't stretch their necks. All the ones with short necks repeatedly died before reproducing. Evolutionary filters require mass death and/or overpowering reproduction of a mutation.
Also, science isn't a belief system. Its a method of repeatable testing.
Still there's sadly a growing crowd that treats science like religion and get really angry if you dispute anything that's 'scientifically proven' even when the last study is from the 70s and newer knowledge makes it very likely it might be obsolete and needs retesting or there was already an attempt to recreate the study that failed. One study can't 'prove' anything. It takes at least several studies to show if something is valid or not. One study with 30 participants is not statistically relevant and cannot make predictions for the whole world.
That disagreeing with someone's opinion isn't an attack on them.
THE AIR IS IN THE BAG TO PROTECT THE CHIPS.
YOU ARE BUYING WEIGHT, NOT VOLUME.
Yes BUT that doesn't change the fact that there's still less weight and same package size so more air than needed. It's called Shrinkflation and it's well documented. When I was younger there were 200g chps in the bag. The bag was full to two thirds when opened. Today there are 125g content in the bag, the bag is even bigger though and so it's barely half full. And no, you don't need THAT many air in the bag!
Don't get your mental health information from TikTok, facebook, or self proclaimed experts who aren't professionally licensed.
I no longer offer a professional opinion anywhere outside of work, and that includes reddit. I've learned that 95% of the time, people don't want to hear the facts, they just want to circle jerk about whatever reality they've conjured up in their heads, and if you correct them, they'll be pissed off and then it's a bad time for everyone
signed,
a psychiatrist
People HATE being corrected. People do not wish to have new information from which they may alter their views. Much of what people think about life and politics comes from a split in the population they decided to join waaay back. Since then they have looked for information to justify that decision..
Antibiotics will not help your virus. Even if you feel really crappy.
Just because someone doesn't always need their disability aids, that doesn't mean they're not disabled and faking it. Someone who needs a wheelchair to get around doesn't always mean they can't use their legs. They can still walk short distances.
I have a cane and no I don't use it all the time. When I do people tell me ai am too young to need it. I calmly reply that dieing twice and a back full of steel make it a necessity sometimes.
That Depression is a real disease
Yes, it is! And no i don't know what I'm depressed about. And I agree i have nothing to be depressed about. And both those facts are depressing. #ViciousCircle
Maintaining a safe following distance is the easiest thing to do to avoid accidents and yet most people aren’t doing it. It’s basically impossible to react in time to avoid an accident if you’re following less than two seconds behind someone. It doesn’t get you where you’re going faster. The accident will always be your fault. And finally, two seconds is way longer than most people think, most will count one second.
I'm a programmer. I write programs. I don't know why your computer won't turn on
We had a genius programmer in our company once (genius as in "needed a few days to completely program a new shop system, database interface and merchandise managing system FROM SCRATCH without using existing ones"). A real code wizard. He was helpless as a toddler if he had any computer problems. One time he called in an external computer technician because his laptop would not start (he had forgotten to charge it).
My adhd is an explanation, not an excuse
ADHD in the USA would be an interesting sociological topic. Diagnosed juvenile ADHD incidence is over 5 times the global average. For every medically diagnosed case there are up to three people who self-diagnosed ADHD, most of the times without any real basis. Why is it so prevalent in the USA vs the world, and why so much people who do not have it think they do?
Airplanes don't fall out of the sky when they lose an engine. A 747 can glide nearly 100 miles after losing all engines at cruise.
That just because I am bisexual doesn't mean I will have sex with anyone.
If I'm working at **night**, I need to *sleep* during some portion of the **day**
Hate against any race is hate; though not always systematic.
Hate against any sex is hate; though not always systematic.
If hate makes you feel good, you are part of the problem.
Yes, libraries still exist, and yes people still use them, and yes we have things other than print books. Like free covid tests! A weekly vaccine clinic! Classes that are free!
That I really don’t want to eat meat. I’m not against it. Really, eat all you want. I just don’t like it anymore.
I feel this. Sometimes I go on a no meat kick. I love meat but for months on end, I can't eat it. Don't give a crãp if you want to eat every cow in existence.
A hour long youtube video about something does not mean that it is true. It could just mean that some crazy or stupid person posted a hour long video about nothing and you are now dumber for having listened to it and may god have mercy on your soul.
The difference between type I and II diabetes, two completely different diseases
Being a healthcare worker and sometimes even having to explain it to my coworkers is tiring
Or the idea that diabetes is something you do to yourself. While being overweight is a risk factor (for type 2), so are a lot of other things like genetics.
Diabetes nurse here: there is a genetic predesposition to type 2 diabetes. But lifestyle is key. Thanks to a healty lifestyle type 2 can go in remission for years or never develop at all. However type 1 will develop regardless of your lifestyle choices. Allso there are more forms of diabetes than just type 1 and 2. For instace MODY or LADA are often misdiagnosed as type 2, but hardly respond to a healty lifestye. Hence the confusion.
Load More Replies...
Or the gazillion people who comment "Yum, diabetes!" on a video or pic of a sugary treat and think they're being so smart... you're not gonna get diabetes from an occasional slice of triple chocolate cake, idiot.
If one more person tell my Type 1 kid she can cure her diabetes with diet....
On a similar note, bipolar disorder. I have relatives who are both type one and type two, and they are very different, but my health teacher disagreed with me and said they're basically the same thing.
I'm 6'1" and weigh 185 lbs and am a type II diabetic, most likely due to genetics. People look at me and say How are you a diabetic you're not overweight
Somtimes I even have to explain the difference to patients who actually have diabetes...
How do you go about getting patients with Type 2 to actually take care of their blood sugar? I've got an old acquaintance who refuses to ever check, even though he has type 2. It's sad and weird. Any advice would be appreciated!
Load More Replies...
We need to get rid of the numbers because they are the confusing part.
And hypos are as bad if not worse as hyper. Yet nearly all medical personnel took no notice of husbands lows, and the damage it caused was ignored.
I'm sorry he's had to suffer. Most doctors seem to hold two universal beliefs: 1. Med school taught me everything I need to know; and 2. All patients lie. If they don't have an answer, it must be because the patient is making it up, looking for attention, or trying to get drugs. The US "heathcare" system (Our Motto: F**k Patients, Make Money) requires and rewards doctors for ordering fewer tests and spending less time with wallets. I mean, patients. As a grizzled veteran patient, I have learned that you have to keep pushing. Be your own advocate, because no one else will be. Get a second opinion, a third, a fourth. You know your body, so you know when something isn't right. Of a doctor refuses to run tests, ask for them to document it in your chart and give you a copy for your records; that alone will often get them to sigh heavily and scribble out an order for testing, and if it doesn't, you have, in writing, that they ignored you and refused care. Anyway, sorry for the thesis, I'm sadly passionate about this subject. I hope your husband's health issues are now under control. Good luck!
Load More Replies... That's why the are called type I and II. Wouldn't be necessary if they were the same
I have many morbidly obese family members and have had quite a few of them die young (in their 20s) due to Type II diabetes. On the flip side, my ex's dad has Type I and has managed it amazingly well and is 92 years old.
Something that gets little notice is that the standards for what is "Diabetic" is set by doctors employed by the American Diabetic Association. That is an organization that is primarily funded by the diabetes industry (those who make the lancets, drugs, test strips, etc.) Insulin is expensive because the formula gets changed every couple of years specifically to keep it under patent. The definition of what makes somebody "diabetic" has been lowered multiple times to include more and more people. Even the term "pre-diabetic" was invented to get more people on the drugs. Doctors have fought this every time the standards get changed but they get overruled by the folks with the money. Ask questions before you accept a diagnosis and push for options that don't use drugs. My "diagnosis" magically went away when said I didn't want to take the drugs but would eat better. I did somewhat, but not so much as to make that big of a difference.
All healthcare workers need to listen closely to people with type 1 diabetes. Do what they say to prevent their sugars found waaay out of wack.
Harsh sentencing doesn’t deter crime. Study after study, decade after decade, this has been confirmed.
The most significant effect on deterring criminal activity is likelihood of being caught. Harsh punishment has a negligible effect.
Also, education is usually the best way out of situations that are conducive to crime. So the money used on the "war on drugs" would have been better spent in the education sector.
You cannot reduce fat in a specific part of your body - none of those fitness influencer exercises to 'burn belly fat' or 'kill your love handles' do anything - to lose fat you must reduce your overall body fat % with a caloric deficit
That because i can usually figure out how to fix most things does NOT mean i want to fix everything that breaks for anyone else.
My dad worked for IBM, so he was the "fixit" for the entire family. After my dad's accident, I inherited the "fixit" position because I'm "just like him", apparently XD
Historic life expectancy is heavily skewed by high infant mortality. If you got past 4 or 5 years old you had a good chance of making old age. People weren't just dropping dead at 35!
Child bearing women also had very high mortality. But yes, living 60-80 years was not at all unusual as far back as roman times. Of course infections, violence and disease were very real killers so it was also common for people to die much earlier in life. People frequently had multiple spouses because they were widowed more than once. The big false narrative is that the regular life span was 30ish and that was considered old and that is just not true at all. There are a lot of ways to die which have been more or less erradicated in the modern world but anyone who avoided those things had about the same lifespan as we do today.
You cannot get a raise and wind up with a lower net income because of taxes.
Income taxes are *progressive*. The higher bracket does not apply to the money you make under the threshold.
(This is different from the welfare cliff, which is very real.)
Note: this post originally had 67 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Here's another one: Most homeless people aren't mentally-ill or addicts. The methodology used to count the homeless population is horribly flawed (mostly due to politics) and has been criticized for years. Also, there are a hell of a lot more homeless people in the USA than most people think (and that number is only increasing).
Thank you! We were homeless because my ex refused to pay cs after he threatened us when he found us at a Dv shelter- we had to get out because it brought possible danger to everyone living there- and I couldn't find a job because I had no address
Load More Replies...
That asexuality is real. And being aromantic. And agender while we're at it. Really people seem to have difficulties with A's.
That weather and climate aren't the same thing. Batman-Cli...b40a65.jpg 
Moving on is not the same as getting over. You never get over the loss of a child or pregnancy. My family has experienced both. Children have been born since then, but the loss of my nephew to SIDS, and my own child to miscarriage still haunts everyone of us, years later. And for the love of ice cream, don’t say “You can always try again.” Yeah, we can and did. We still notice the ones that are missing.
My daughter told me about a recent miscarriage and I cried. She said it was early and they didn't want to upset me. I'm sitting here crying for my little grandchild.
Load More Replies...
How vaccines work. Why homeopathy/chiropractice/snake oil doesn't. That the bible isn't evidence of anything. Taking vitamin C will not prevent colds or flu. There's no such thing as "stomach flu".
I guess I'm sick of explaining the difference between a "fact" and an "opinion," which is something this article mixes up on multiple occasions.
I'll add that people also confuse an opinion with dogmatic belief. Flat Earth isn't an opinion, it's dogmatic belief. It is a held belief in something for which there is ZERO evidence. This is also the case with believing that Jesus is a god, or that there is a heaven, or that American cheese tastes good. I don't have a problem with what dogma you choose to believe, and which you don't, but they don't even really count as opinions.
Load More Replies...
In most cases, hiring someone based on their gender/racist/sexuality is just as racists as not hiring them. Either way you are not basing it on the persons skills/experience. Exception would be support groups. Also why do we need to have a Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs anymore.
I would prefer to have none of them, but I will still choose Miss over Ms, because Ms just hurts my ears to hear lol
Load More Replies...
I feel like everyone would benefit from an Adam Ruins Everything marathon
That the bag of chips might be half full of air but is sold based on the weight of the chips. The air is trapped intentionally to minimize crushing of the chips during transport.
There is actually a right and a wrong way to coil a cable or power cord. I am a theatre and events technician and cable management is a big part of my job. Most people are never taught how to properly treat a cable (you should never wrap it around your arm). That is why you see so many extension cords and such in people's homes that have kinks and bends all over the place and do not lay nice and flat. Now you know.
It will be easier for me to maintain a healthy eating pattern and to drink more water once my school (where I spend almost half of my waking hours) starts providing clean water, sanitary bathrooms, and food that's safe to eat
Another: The best experts on a group are always the people in that group. The people who know the most about neurodivergent people are neurodivergent people. The people who know the most about queer people are queer people. You can´t be more knowledgeable about the experiences and traits of a specific type of people then those people.
I agree. But it’s also important to realize that no group is a monolith, and one person’s opinion is just one person’s opinion. To understand a group and the variance within it you need N > 1.
Load More Replies... "Theory" versus "Hypothesis", women don't pee out of our vaginas, childfree doesn't mean child-hater, polyamory isn't cheating, the right to free speech doesn't mean the right to an opinion. You can say any stupid thing. You only have the right to an informed opinion.
"yearly a flu" is not the same as "influenza", as a junior doctor: yes i had a first look at you, no i cant influence how fast i have your blood result and when you ct scan is done
It’s in the very first post, you are wrong and people are tired of explaining it to you.
Load More Replies...
Here's another one: Most homeless people aren't mentally-ill or addicts. The methodology used to count the homeless population is horribly flawed (mostly due to politics) and has been criticized for years. Also, there are a hell of a lot more homeless people in the USA than most people think (and that number is only increasing).
Thank you! We were homeless because my ex refused to pay cs after he threatened us when he found us at a Dv shelter- we had to get out because it brought possible danger to everyone living there- and I couldn't find a job because I had no address
Load More Replies... That asexuality is real. And being aromantic. And agender while we're at it. Really people seem to have difficulties with A's.
That weather and climate aren't the same thing. Batman-Cli...b40a65.jpg
Moving on is not the same as getting over. You never get over the loss of a child or pregnancy. My family has experienced both. Children have been born since then, but the loss of my nephew to SIDS, and my own child to miscarriage still haunts everyone of us, years later. And for the love of ice cream, don’t say “You can always try again.” Yeah, we can and did. We still notice the ones that are missing.
My daughter told me about a recent miscarriage and I cried. She said it was early and they didn't want to upset me. I'm sitting here crying for my little grandchild.
Load More Replies... How vaccines work. Why homeopathy/chiropractice/snake oil doesn't. That the bible isn't evidence of anything. Taking vitamin C will not prevent colds or flu. There's no such thing as "stomach flu".
I guess I'm sick of explaining the difference between a "fact" and an "opinion," which is something this article mixes up on multiple occasions.
I'll add that people also confuse an opinion with dogmatic belief. Flat Earth isn't an opinion, it's dogmatic belief. It is a held belief in something for which there is ZERO evidence. This is also the case with believing that Jesus is a god, or that there is a heaven, or that American cheese tastes good. I don't have a problem with what dogma you choose to believe, and which you don't, but they don't even really count as opinions.
Load More Replies... In most cases, hiring someone based on their gender/racist/sexuality is just as racists as not hiring them. Either way you are not basing it on the persons skills/experience. Exception would be support groups. Also why do we need to have a Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs anymore.
I would prefer to have none of them, but I will still choose Miss over Ms, because Ms just hurts my ears to hear lol
Load More Replies... I feel like everyone would benefit from an Adam Ruins Everything marathon
That the bag of chips might be half full of air but is sold based on the weight of the chips. The air is trapped intentionally to minimize crushing of the chips during transport.
There is actually a right and a wrong way to coil a cable or power cord. I am a theatre and events technician and cable management is a big part of my job. Most people are never taught how to properly treat a cable (you should never wrap it around your arm). That is why you see so many extension cords and such in people's homes that have kinks and bends all over the place and do not lay nice and flat. Now you know.
It will be easier for me to maintain a healthy eating pattern and to drink more water once my school (where I spend almost half of my waking hours) starts providing clean water, sanitary bathrooms, and food that's safe to eat
Another: The best experts on a group are always the people in that group. The people who know the most about neurodivergent people are neurodivergent people. The people who know the most about queer people are queer people. You can´t be more knowledgeable about the experiences and traits of a specific type of people then those people.
I agree. But it’s also important to realize that no group is a monolith, and one person’s opinion is just one person’s opinion. To understand a group and the variance within it you need N > 1.
Load More Replies... "Theory" versus "Hypothesis", women don't pee out of our vaginas, childfree doesn't mean child-hater, polyamory isn't cheating, the right to free speech doesn't mean the right to an opinion. You can say any stupid thing. You only have the right to an informed opinion.
"yearly a flu" is not the same as "influenza", as a junior doctor: yes i had a first look at you, no i cant influence how fast i have your blood result and when you ct scan is done
It’s in the very first post, you are wrong and people are tired of explaining it to you.
Load More Replies... 