“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.
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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.
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.)
The president doesn't control gas prices.
People in the US think the president has way more power than he does. The president gets more blame when things are bad than he deserves and too much credit when things are good.
“Share if you agree” on social media will never bring about any form of sweeping changes or reforms, and never will.
Changing your profile picture to a flag/person/KEY WORKER to show solidarity can sod off as well.
“Sending thoughts and prayers and positive energy”
That type-1 diabetes isn't caused by your diet, and it cannot be cured.
That chronic illness is chronic, like permanent, like forever. Still sick. Not getting better. Get it?
This is wrong. Chronic doesn't mean it is forever. It means it has lasted for three months or longer. But it does NOT mean you won't ever get better.
I need ur effing identification information because we are at a bank. I don't care who you say you are, you aren't the person you're claiming to be until I have proof.
You can't just walk into the bank, ask for 10k and not expect to be verified. Stop giving me a hard time for protecting your money for you.
Not a bank worker, but I deal with this too when people pick up orders. Look, there's 20k people in this town. I don't know you from Adam, so I'm not handing over this 1000 wedding set just t because you know a name. But I'm the bad guy because apparently no one likes to carry id or keep receipts. Oye.
We didn’t “evolve from monkeys” we share a common ancestor
Blow someone's mind by informing them that, from a taxonomical point of view, they are a fish.
That we are short staffed and you’re just going to have to WAIT.
People do not like to wait even a couple of minutes. I've had people interupt while I'm currently helping another customer. Just wait your turn.
How algorithms are built to feed you only what you want to see and hear creating a bubble of ignorance toward everything else.
Gets job at NASA
All extended family asks is if moon landing was real
Pain
Just stare at them for a few seconds and then say "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but the moon isn't real."
Poison is not the same thing as venom. People call snakes poisonous when really they mean to say venomous. Venom has to be injected into the bloodstream (like a snake bite). Poison has to be ingested to enter your bloodstream. You could drink rattlesnake venom and your stomach acids would kill it, but if you put that same rattlesnake venom on an open wound or injected it for whatever reason- that’s gonna be a problem
That I don't drink alcohol (any kind) simply because I don't like how it tastes, I even find disgusting the smell
Celiac is a real disease that millions of people have, including myself, and no it cannot be “cured” by eating bread.
The trouble is that people keep confusing gluten allergy, trend gluten-free eating and celiacic disease. If you skip gluten because you have read in a magazine that it is bad for you, that's a personal lifestyle choice. If you are really allergic (most people are not); then avoiding it is the smart thing to do. But if you have celiacic disease, it actually gives you serious health troubles, so eating "normal" bread is not even an option.
All media is biased. Even the one you're watching.
The best media is the one that at least makes a conscious effort to not be stereotypically biased.
Comic Sans isn’t a bad typeface. It’s a well-made typeface that gets misused. Saying you hate comic sans is like saying you hate hammers because they can’t turn a screw.
When it's winter in the northern hemisphere, it's summer in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. Do you really think it's winter all over the world at the same time?
Another thing that bemuses Europeans, Asians and Africans is when Americans (USA) ask why we don't celebrate 4th July or Thanksgiving or Superbowl etc. Guys there is a whole other world out there that is not United States-centric. Does the US celebrate Bastille day or Dia de Liberdade etc
When you’re adjusting the temperature on a thermostat, you’re not changing the temperature of air that blows out. You’re just changing how long it’ll stay on for until it reaches that temp.
Shaving doesn't make your hair grow back thicker
An explanation for those who aren't sure: naturally, hair on your limbs grows tapered, meaning that the ends are thinner than the roots, making it seem finer/more sparse. If you cut off those tapered ends, the hair continues to grow at the thickness of its root, with a blunt, often scratchy end, making it appear thicker, darker.
Wheelchairs aren't cheap, and "cheap" wheelchairs are not suitable for everyone, not suitable for hardly anyone in fact. It's not a choice of a £30k wheelchair or a £300 wheelchair, it's a choice between sitting in a chair that fits the needs of the user that enables them to be active in their life, or sitting in an unsupportive seat on wheels that physically harms the person until they're out of it again.
That many Chinese people have my surname, but we're not all related to Jackie Chan, just like how not every person with Johnson as their surname is related to Boris Johnson.
However, they are all related to Boris Johnson. They're probably his children.
Basic financial math. I have had to go through and show people that they did, in fact, spend too much money, and that's why they are broke.
As a twin, no I can not talk to my twin through our minds. And yes we were born on the same day.
I mean, you can technically be born on two different days if born around midnight.
Just because I work in IT, doesn't mean I KNOW EVERYTHING TECHNOLOGY RELATED. IT IS A VAST FIELD
"You work in IT, what phone should I get?"
"You work in IT, do u know why this app isn't working"
We're not all helpdesk or some sort of phone tech support, I promise.
Rule of thumb: nobody should know you work on IT. Exception: your parents (maybe)
Tax brackets, no Jenny making an extra 5k does not mean the other 50,000 gets taxed at a higher rate. Only money in the higher bracket gets taxed at that rate not all previous money.
... People who barely exceed minimum wage still will vote for someone who "reduces taxes" only for the last bracket there is, because they "get more of their own money then". And just don't get it. That stupid trickle-down scam would not have worked a single day if only those profiting from it would have voted those advertising this betrayal. Crawl-up-economy, OTOH, does work, did so every time it was tried, and even makes sense in theory.
Wifi does not equal internet, I'm mostly telling this to my kids lol. We frequently lose internet connectivity, but the wifi will be working fine. They will never understand.
I explained it that way: it's like the faucet and the water. The WiFi is the faucet, the internet is the water. Just because the water is off, doesn't mean the faucet vanishes. The WiFi network is generated by the router in your home. As long as the router works, there's always WiFi. But the water, aka the internet comes to it through the line in the wall, and if there's a disruption, you'll have no internet connection, because the water ran out even though the faucet aka the WiFi net is still there.
Evolution isn't about "becoming better", it's simply change over time.
Evolution is not specific to living things either, even though that is often the intended context. Designs also tend to evolve over time, as new information is available, so the 'next generation' of a product offers features or corrects issues learned from the 'previous generation' of product. Computer CPUs, as an example, have evolved dramatically over the past 40 years. Many companies refer to their products by generation, even.
That feelings you have about your thoughts are still feelings and can make or destroy you equally to feelings about non imaginary situations.
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 
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
