The scientific community is constantly trying to expose its own mistakes — after all, what is a statement worth if it's never been the subject of scrutiny? However, no matter how hard it tries, some people just don't listen.
Recently, Redditor Jimbo_Jigs asked other platform users to share some myths and misconceptions that many still believe to be true, and they got what they asked for. Not just the classic "vaccines cause autism." Continue scrolling and check out the replies.
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That vaccines cause autism.
Personal carbon footprint or any green initiative which focuses on individual action. BP invented the entire concept during a marketing push to hide the fact that like ~72 companies produce 90% of pollution.
The earth being flat. We have literally done studies, taken pictures, boiled all of that down to the level that a kindergartener can understand it, and some idiots still don't get it.
The proof that earth is a globe is that if it were flat, cats would have pushed everything over the edge already.
To answer the question, vaccines being anything but safe and effective is a hoax that some people believe.
Vaccines are *by far* the medical intervention best-supported by evidence. Tens of billions of vaccines given to billions of people over the course of multiple centuries have proven them to be safe and effective. If you trust *any* part of medicine, you should trust vaccines.
I would hazard a guess that vaccines have saved more lives than every other medical intervention combined.
Vaccines are nothing but literally TRAINING for an individual's own immune system! Being anti-vaxx is like saying you don't believe in Training!
Detox.
B******t, b******t, b******t.
What do you think your liver and kidneys are doing all day? If they weren’t working you would be on a form of detox called dialysis.
edit: To clarify since it might not be obvious, I’m referring to pseudoscience detox teas and pills. Not medically justified detoxification like opioids, alcohol, acetaminophen, etc…
The case of the woman who sued mcdonalds because she spilled hot coffee on herself. The hoax was that it was a frivolous lawsuit, that she was driving while drinking and she spilled the coffee on herself and just didn't like it and sued mcdonalds and won a lot of money. But the reality was that she wasn't driving, the coffee was extremely hot, people had already complained it was too hot, I don't remember how she spilled the coffee, but anyway after spilling just a bit of it on her leg, she got severe burns on her leg and had to go to the hospital and go to the ER. If she had drunk that she could have suffered much more harm. All she wanted was for mcdonalds to pay for her hospital bill, they didn't, and she sued them and won. Then either mcdonalds or it was a corporation that represented a bunch of corporations spread the hoax that some clumsy woman sued and won a lot of money because she spilled her coffee.
The coffe was so hot that Stella Liebeck received third degree burns. She required multiple operation. Stella offered to settle the case for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses and lost income. Her injuries were absolutely horrendous!!! www.caoc.org/?pg=facts
It scalded not just her leg but also her genitals if I remember correctly.
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It was not a hoax, and she was not lying. I vividly remember how f*****g scalding hot that coffee, and coffee or tea from other similar places used to be. Plus, they always filled the flimsy cups they used right up to the damn brim, making it so easy to spill it and get burned on your hands, as well as your tongue (when you took the first sip). Making them turn the temperature down to a drinkable level, plus use sturdier cups with lids that stay on (better yet, allow us to bring our own reusable cups), was a GOOD result. She deserved every single penny of her settlement.
To top it off, she barely got anything from her settlement. McDs appealed the verdict, they settled out of court. Her daughter said she got enough to pay for a live in nurse and her quality of life was very low
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She spilled the coffee because it was so hot, the styrofoam cup deformed enough that the lid didn't fit. She needed multiple skin grafts. McD's refused to pay the hospital bills, originally all she asked for. That's why she sued. The myth was created by McDonald's PR department.
Plus news outlets reported the story poorly to sensationalize it
Load More Replies... The case is Liebeck vs. McDonalds, and as a licensed, practicing lawyer, I agree that this case is often misunderstood, the final outcome not as unreasonable as people think. The plaintiff, Liebeck, an old lady, did spill coffee on herself while driving, (was holding it between her legs while driving and hit a speed bump) and it went on her lady parts, which caused her to have a fused vagina! Ouch! She rushed to a hospital in great pain, then had almost $90k in hospital bills. Sued, and McDs execs admitted at trial that they knew this sort of thing could happen. Jury was pissed at McDs, gave Liebeck $6 million to say 'F*** you McDs!' That caused the headlines. No one paid attention to the next part: an appeal an appellate judge lowered the $6M to something like $400k, I believe.
I thought she was a passenger at the time? And that her grandson who was driving had pulled over so she could add cream and sugar to the coffee, and it spilled then. I did find that she spent 8 days in the hospital, and had two years of medical treatments.
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When the people sue companies, it's foolish money grabbing. But when corporations so it, it's good business
I've seen pictures of the burns she got . She needed skin graphs they were so bad. I remember thinking she was some idiot when it first came out but once I saw how badly hurt she was I felt awful
This happened to me once. Unbelievably hot coffee. I sipped it cautiously but my lips and mouth were blistered for a few days. There is hot coffee and there is hot hot coffee that shouldn't be that hot.
We did a mock trial case, and yes!!! The kid wasn’t sealed correctly and the coffee was at least (if I remember correctly) 120 degrees! the coffee caused third degree burns on her arms and chest, and first and second degree burns elsewhere on her body!
The burns weren't to her chest and arms. Her legs and genitals. Poor woman had 3rd degree burns on the most tender 6% of her body
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She was disfigured in her genital area by how hot the coffee was. She had no normal bodily functions for the rest of her life. Such a disservice to use her case to push the "frivolous lawsuit" thing.
Those f*****s! I really thought it was kinda BS for a long time too..oh those bastards I feel like c**p now
Really BP? You guys are editing out the word C R A P?
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The most damaging testimony against McDonald's was from McDonald's own safety experts. They had emphatically warned their employer for years about this ongoing danger, and McDonald's did nothing. Ignoring the advice of your own experts about a serious danger is the textbook definition of "negligence" under the law.
The galling thing about that case is corporations took the opportunity to sneak 'binding arbitration' into many consumer contracts. Basically, by signing you waive your right to take them to court. Instead an arbitration panel decides unilaterally, there's no appeal and it's often weighted in favour of the corporation's. In the EU there are consumer protections against this now thankfully.
Her grandson was driving but they had pulled into a parking space. She simply opened the over-filled boiling coffee and it spilled.
OHHH my ss teacher told us about that and said it was stupid, but not the true version, he believed the top one
That’s sad that a teacher didn’t bother finding out the truth and passed on lies to countless students.
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Where the HOAX part comes in is NOT from Ms. Liebeck's burn but from the copycats afterwards who tried to spill and burn so they could sue McDonald's for huge amounts, too. One such was a lawyer/politician from Ft. Smith Arkansas who did this with some hot chocolate. However, he over did the amount supposedly spilled, the extent of his burns and the melting of not only his pants but the carpet in his car. Because of this and other fake burns this has been called a hoax since them. NOTE: Yes, the coffee was too hot at the time of the original incident and Ms. Liebeck was driving. Her coffee was spilled as she left the lot...the drive to the street had too large of a bump causing the spill
The stupid thing is, the solution to this after was to label hot things as though people don't know they're hot. Pretty sure that wouldn't have helped in that situation.
Temp control issues is also why McDonald’s stopped selling fried apple pies. They were served two degrees below hell.
Am I missing the point here? Don't we all know coffee is hot and of course you shouldn't drive whilst drinking something hot?
She wasn't driving though. And the coffee was not supposed to be that hot. She suffered third degree burns and was hospitalized.
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The big result is that everyone serves their coffee and hot drinks within a tight temperature range. For her to have received those kinds of burns, the coffee had to be nearly boiling hot. And that is the part of the lawsuit that we all are benefitting from.
This is not true. Water can absolutely go higher than 100 degrees, and under the right conditions superheated water will not appear to be boiling. McDonald’s required its coffee to be maintained between 180-190 degrees, which will cause 3 rd degree burns.
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The Big Lie. The United States election for president was not rigged. There was no fraud in the voting process.
1. There is only one election referenced when using the term "Big Lie", and that's discussing 45 and his allegations that he actually won. 2. Notice that 45 only says he was impacted and not anyone else who lost the election that year. 3. There have been more recent local and state elections since then.
"Catching a cold" from cold weather. It's a pathogen. You catch it from people.
Though disease does increase in the winter. It's commonly thought to be due to close quarters indoors and less Vitamin D from the sun, important for the immune system.
Crystals. They are just f*****g rocks. There is no scientific evidence proving that they have healing effect. Any possible effects are due to the placebo effect. People will actually go against medical advice because they think holding a crystal will fix all their problems.
However, for some people believing in something will make them feel better.
Scientology
Edit: Scientologists are programmed to reply to this with "dOn'T yOu MeAn ALL ReLiGiOnS?" and try to do the all lives matter thing when someone says black lives matter to dilute the message.
It's the internet age, cultists. We researched your tactics to put yourself on equal footing with actual religions. You are programmed by NLP, get help.
Homeopathy. It's water.
Hey, it’s not just water! It’s at least 0.0000000000001% something else!
That using a tampon can take away a females virginity. It’s crazy that people still believe that myth even though it’s been busted many years ago.
There is not enough evidence that it can take away an individuals virginity. It shouldn’t even matter if your child is a virgin or not. You should love your child no matter what.
Your child should be able to have the right to use tampons when they’re on their period. Not everyone wants to miss out from a chance of going swimming, and not everyone wants to wear a diaper everyday for 7 days straight.
That cows just produce milk naturally without being impregnated and giving birth first.
they are simply mammals, and produce milk for the sole purpose of feeding their young.
MLMs, Boss babes, "be your own boss" scams.
I'm not sure how many documentaries need to be put on YouTube before people will stop buying into these companies and wasting their money.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They're all equally as important, Kellogg just convinced everyone of that to sell more cereal.
That MSG is bad for you.
I meet people regularly that think it's a super insta-cancer ingredient that will cause you to die or something based on 80s/90s false scares. Then I tell them "you do know it naturally occurs on tomatoes, yes?"
So I can keep my instant noodles. Was worried I'd have to toss the lot
That GMOs cause cancer. Literally no evidence to prove this. Everything that has gone through evolution or adaptation is GMO.
Now there are issues with monoculture, but that's a whole different discussion.
We'd be screwed if GMOs caused cancer because 99% of the veges we buy today have been genetically modified of the last 10,000 years...
People simply *giving away* drugs or edibles on Halloween. As if.
Now remember kids, if someone gives you drugs on Halloween, you say thank you. Because drugs are expensive.
That dogs can only see in black and white. This is false.
Wolf hierarchy with alpha on top and omega at the bottom.
Qanon
That NASA spent billions developing a pen to work in space and the Russians just used a pencil.
Actually pencils were a major problem on space stations - tiny bits break off and get into every system.
That Kitty Genovese was murdered as people heard her screams and did nothing. To this day people believe in the Bystander Effect.
In fact multiple neighbors called the police. One even went to her to comfort her believing police were on the way and was driven off by the murderer coming back to finish her off.
The New York Times asked the police about it in their reporting, and without checking, believed them that they didn’t get any calls. In fact the police were covering for them badly dropping the ball. If they’d actually responded when the first call came in, Genovese could probably have been saved.
The lazy reporter later became the editor of the New York Times, having eroded a large amount of humanity’s trust in itself.
Isn’t that whole Myers-Briggs personality test recognized as a complete fabrication.
Touching a baby bird will make its parents reject it.
Edited to add: Any baby animal. When in doubt, reach out to your local wildlife rehabilitation network/individual.
Blood in your veins is blue and red in your arteries. Literally every elementary school teacher I had kept this lie going.
Different parts of your tongue don't actually detect different types of taste. Your tongue is the same all over.
Using a cell phone a lot will give you cancer.
The radiation phones give off is harmless. They use radio waves to operate, which many of us here will have been exposed to our entire lives whether or not we use a phone. AM/FM radio causes radio waves to be going through us at all times.
SOURCE: Am currently studying the effects of different kinds of radiation on microorganisms in my microbiology class
Numerous studies on this topic have all come up showing zero evidence of this being a problem, even the ones not sponsored by cell phone companies. Physical models of the effect of this radiation on proteins and other organic chemicals show it's not even possible to have an effect.
A lot of cryptocurrency scams.
Majority of the suckers often either continue to hold their investments; that was worth less than dirt, or go on to invest in yet another scam.
Got a call a while ago. Scam: Do you want to invest in cryptocurrency? Me: sure Scam: go to Invest.com Me: how u spell it? Scam: I like in Italy ... (20 minutes later).. Me: no still page not found, I type "invest.comilikeinitalytlikeintomato" Scam: goodbye
That the Great Wall of China is visible from the moon. I swear I even had my history teacher in High School stating that it was true.
That people are “right” or “left” brain thinkers and that it has any bearing on her personality and level of logic or creativity.
The left and the right brain are definitely different. Watch this - https://youtu.be/wfYbgdo8e-8 - it might blow your mind but which one!
If you pull out a grey hair three more grow in its place, my sister still believes this one.
It's true, though not because you've pulled one out, it's because you're going grey! I know, lol.
That carrots improve your eyesight. I think it was used in the Great British blackout because there was a food shortage and carrots was the easiest thing to get. Don't quote me on that tho.
That Kennedy called himself a jelly doughnut in a speech to Berliners and they all laughed at him. Not true, he was fine using "ich bin ein berliner" there.
Essential oils.
Well, they don't treat or cure stuff, but can alleviate some symptoms. Some smell great. I usually put some mint oil on my pillow when i have a cold so I don't wake up every hour to inhale the minty stick or whatever it's called. Oils have benefits, but they don't magically heal, just like a massage doesn't cure my bad bones and muscles, but it sure helps with pain. I feel like people with too much time on their hands and money to buy the oils just have nothing better to do than spew s**t like this instead of listening to medical experts, but who knows what that disorder is called anyway? It's just certain that it cannot be "cured" by the oils.
It’s illegal to keep the light on in the car while driving.
Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.
Stop believing anyone's uterus is your business. You are killing women. That's all.
Cheetos make good presidents. The amount of people that still believe this is astonishing.
A few of these are just personal opinions of the author I think, however Myths and conspiracy theories sell well :D
I was hoping GMOs would be on the list. People think they are dangerous when they are not.
The thing with these post is that they just say a word or two but don't let us know why and/or why not. For ex. Essential Oils. Okay, what about them? The other thing is that nothing is supported with reports/facts, etc. either.
Well for one many are poisonous and any oil can cause pneumonia and death if ingested and accidentally inhaled into the lungs (like people do with beverages) because it disrupts surfactant. They can poison children and small animals when used in a diffuser. Just don't buy them.
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Why is/are god(s) not on this list? Just as much nonsense as anything else on the list.
One thing I have learned... and it's not universal and so it does not apply to everyone. Some people just have weak immune systems. Most of the people who always have sniffles, a cold, stomach flu and get the flu annually... don't wash their hands after using the toilet.
My immune system was just fine until I went through pregnancy and childbirth. After that, I catch everything that's going around. I haven't changed my hand washing policy.
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Humans are not the only intelligent species in the whole entire universe. There are other mutch higher intelligent species roaming around outer space. They just don't want to mingle with us because they look at us like the way we look at pond scum.
Not een the only intelligent species on this planet. :-)
Load More Replies... Stop believing anyone's uterus is your business. You are killing women. That's all.
Cheetos make good presidents. The amount of people that still believe this is astonishing.
A few of these are just personal opinions of the author I think, however Myths and conspiracy theories sell well :D
I was hoping GMOs would be on the list. People think they are dangerous when they are not.
The thing with these post is that they just say a word or two but don't let us know why and/or why not. For ex. Essential Oils. Okay, what about them? The other thing is that nothing is supported with reports/facts, etc. either.
Well for one many are poisonous and any oil can cause pneumonia and death if ingested and accidentally inhaled into the lungs (like people do with beverages) because it disrupts surfactant. They can poison children and small animals when used in a diffuser. Just don't buy them.
Load More Replies... Why is/are god(s) not on this list? Just as much nonsense as anything else on the list.
One thing I have learned... and it's not universal and so it does not apply to everyone. Some people just have weak immune systems. Most of the people who always have sniffles, a cold, stomach flu and get the flu annually... don't wash their hands after using the toilet.
My immune system was just fine until I went through pregnancy and childbirth. After that, I catch everything that's going around. I haven't changed my hand washing policy.
Load More Replies... Humans are not the only intelligent species in the whole entire universe. There are other mutch higher intelligent species roaming around outer space. They just don't want to mingle with us because they look at us like the way we look at pond scum.
Not een the only intelligent species on this planet. :-)
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