No one’s safe from lies, for they lie everywhere. Some of those lies might be innocent, some deeply covered, and others, while glaringly obvious, are still kept alive by people who choose to believe in them. Now, this is no conspiracy theory, not at all! We’re talking about things people believe that they know are trash, like the ‘hang on, your phone call is very important to us’ line that is supposed to make us feel seen and heard, while they know and we know that it just isn’t true. And thanks to the people who shared their expertise on this Reddit thread, we can learn all about these common lies people believe in and be, well, smarter than that.
Most of these silly lies originated like honest niceties; however, we soon got smart enough to understand that those using them don’t really care and don’t really mean it. And while we still keep some of these woeful niceties around, maybe it is time to be a bit more honest. After all, honesty is the best policy, and lies get you nowhere, am I right? Another category of these everyday lies is something people choose to believe in because it’s just so much easier than listening to the truth. And lastly, we get businesses and government entities lying straight to your face without blinking, and in our opinion, it’s right about time to stop believing in all the things they say blindly. Besides all that, you’ll find a ton of other crazy things people believe that do not fall under any category we could try to even come up with.
But, for more concrete cases of the most common lies, you’re gonna have to read the submissions we’ve plucked from this cool AskReddit thread. And since they’re from Reddit, they are basically as true as straight from the horse’s mouth. Be sure to give the most interesting notions your vote, comment if you’ve encountered such lies that didn’t get an honorable mention here, and share this article with your friends.
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"That if only people would switch to reusable straws, bags, and rags, stop all single-use items, and abide by zero-waste philosophies, we can ~make an impact.
I do all of these things, but I’m not under the illusion that it will be a significant impact. Nothing much will change if big corporations continue to get away with massive tonnes of plastic waste, carbon emissions, oil spills, etc."
Thank you! Such BS to push climate change on us. Yeah, my 7 mile commute is the problem, not the private jets.
"Practicing a religion makes you a good person."
Nor does it make you a bad person, though. Religion in and of itself isn’t inherently good or evil, it’s people’s interpretations of it that do so. That being said, I’m an atheist and think the world would be a better place without religion.
"Addiction is a choice."
"Depressed people are just sad."
"ADHD kids are just misbehaved, and adults can't have ADHD."
"Bipolar disorder just means wild mood swings."
"OCD is about organization and cleanliness."
"There are so many around mental health that it's impossible to count."
"That someone else having a worse life than you magically make YOUR problems go away."
God I hate this. Just recently, I was having a very rough time. I turned to my group of friends, seeking comfort and aid. One of the people in the group (a friend of a friend) immediately responds with the whole "you think You have it bad, well I..." thing. Naturally all of my friends rushed to provide support. To her. Completely ignoring me.
"Vaccines cause autism."
"The whole belief that small animals like reptiles, fish, and rodents have no intelligence and function on instincts alone.
This belief is very harmful in the pet trade due to misinformation including the idea that they don't benefit from any enrichment/stimuli and do best in a tiny empty box given the bare minimum or borderline neglectful care.
These animals are far smarter than people realize. They can recognize faces, can be trained, capable of problem-solving and so much more."
"Your children are not rude if they don’t want to hug insert relative here and their ‘no’ should be respected."
"You no longer get zits when you get older."
"Adults know what's going on. I'm 32 and I haven't got a clue."
"That when you're related to someone, particularly in regards to parents, all things should be forgiven and forgotten."
Yep. My mom wants me to forget all about how one of my dad's night-caregivers videotaped me in the shower and used to peek through the windows into my bedroom at night to try and see me naked/changing. My sister FOUND the videotape of me in the shower in the caregiver's room (he rented a room in one of my mom's other properties), and my mom still pretended like it was no big deal. She's still friends with my dad's caregiver even now (my dad died two years ago.) I have not forgiven nor forgotten, and I never will, that my mother chose our employee over her daughter.
"That you should stick it out in a marriage for the sake of the kids. Sometimes it's healthier, to be honest, and leave."
"That your vote doesn’t matter."
Remember that a mere 43,000 votes in three states was all that prevented Trump in 2020 from being re-elected
gruffi said:
"Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line."
larryobrien replied:
"Due to higher-than-normal call volumes."
No, the reality is ; ' we only have 3 people answering every call in your country'
"That every mechanic is out to take your money.
Please. I beg of you. Some of us do simply want nothing but the best for our customers. For us smaller shops, getting customers to trust is important. One way we do that is by making sure our customer's vehicles are safe to drive. So if we notice a leaking hose or notice a funny noise that shouldn't be there, we'll let you know so that way you're aware of the problem. We aren't just looking for more money. We leave that for the dealerships."
Agreed, however, my local garage, who I use regularly BTW, charge me £50 an hour in labour ; that's more than a fcking doctor earns ffs !!!
"There is the 'one' for all of us.
There are several someones for every individual. You just gotta find one of them to be compatible with."
"Just because you personally haven’t experienced something doesn’t mean it’s not a widespread or systematic issue."
"That mama birds won't take their babies back after humans touch them. Put that baby back."
I don’t mind this one so much, I think it’s mostly to keep dumb kids from hurting birds by mistake.
"That only 1% can beat that 1 mobile game."
"Stranger Danger. We taught young children to be afraid of strangers in trench coats. Meanwhile priests and scout leaders were hurting kids all over the place."
We had a church in our street as kids and priests were definitely on the danger list according to our parents.
"Hard work makes you rich."
"That people eat 8 spiders in their sleep over the course of their lifetime."
"That social media personas are relevant or important."
Just discussing this with a colleague.YOU CAN'T BELIEVE ANYTHING ON FOX,ETC
"That having no sd-card slot and no headphone jack in your iPhone is something positive. Apple and all the others just want to sell you cloud space and headphones with degrading batteries in them."
"Trickle-down economics works."
Bwaaaaahahahahaahhahhahhahahhahhahhhahahahahahhhahha -- oh sorry, Bwahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahaahahhhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahah. If it wasn't such a big lie that is still adhered to it would be funny, as it is, in reality, it's a crock of s**t.
"Tear here to open."
Just use scissors. Or bite it. The amount of agony this has caused me isn’t worth it, no matter how cheesy and delicious the snack or useful the item.
"Getting a raise that puts you into the next tax bracket does not mean all your income is taxed at the higher rate, only the small piece over the threshold."
"That HR is there for you. Generally speaking, HR is there to keep the company from getting into trouble."
On another note, the security guards in the stores are not there to protect customers and employees. They're there for loss prevention, protecting the merchandise. However, they have no real power in stopping thieves or stopping deranged people from causing damage and hurting people. The most they'll do is call the police or herd disruptive people out of the store. They're not allowed, at least where I am, to touch anyone.
"That having an opinion on a subject (and taking a “side”) is more important than having knowledge about it."
How on Earth can you even formulate an opinion on a subject you know nothing about? It's perfectly ok to NOT have an opinion on something.
"There are hot singles in your area"
"That having kids will necessarily make you happy. It might, but it might not."
"That playing by the rules 100% of the time will get you ahead in life. The good guy doesn’t win by a long shot."
"Corporations can regulate themselves."
People don't regulate themselves without laws. Corporations are just groups of people.
Jormungandr91 said:
"That Marilyn Manson had his bottom ribs removed so he could suck his own d***."
Any-Manufacturer-795 replied:
"The true miracle was that teenagers around the world were able to spread that rumor without the internet or cell phones."
"That just because a popular celebrity or athlete endorses a product, that means it’s worth buying."
Companies don't pay celebrities to endorse a product because it's worth buying, but to influence people to buy it regardless of its worth.
"Chocolate milk comes from brown cows.
It is shocking how many people actually believe this."
driago said:
"That everyone gets a happy ending."
drivelhead replied:
"You've got to pay extra for that."
"That nine out of ten people can't solve this simple math problem!"
If you get 9 specific people I know to take part in the survey, this statement would be true
Reverse_savitar1 said:
"That love is unconditional."
FiddlerofSticks replied:
"Love can be unconditional, relationships not so much."
"Carrots help with eye sight."
MrStrype replied:
"This particular gem came about during WW2. Britain spread the rumor that their pilots were getting better eyesight by eating a LOT of carrots. They spread this rumor to try to keep the Germans from knowing about the new invention of radar... in order to cover up why so many targets were being hit."
zeugma888 replied:
"And it's true in that a vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, and carrots (like many other vegetables and fruits) are high in precursors for vitamin A. So a cover-up based on a tiny pinch of truth."
They just keep your eyes healthy. don't eat too much, or you'll turn orange
SuvenPan said:
"We use only 10% of our brain."
Mechasteel replied:
"Like we only use 33% of each traffic light."
wtcshh said:
"It’ll be easier if I get gas in the morning on the way to work. Lies."
Chodezbylewski replied:
"Lmao, that and just the whole phenomenon of people having a really common, no-brainer idea and then being shocked when other people had it too.
"If I get lunch 30 minutes early, I'll beat the lunch rush!" Meanwhile, 300 other people had the same idea and you are now stuck in the lunch rush."
"Plastic recycling."
"That you just ‘big boned’."
People can be different sizes while still having the same percentage of body fat, but I think that's definitely more related to your body proportions and (most importantly) amount of muscle. Someone can be mostly muscle with a bit of extra fat and end up looking overweight, while someone with no muscle and the same percentage of fat looks average.
Oh and here's another lie "Boys will be lining up around the block when you reach High School." Lining up for what? What boys? And also "He's picking on you because he likes you." Wow. What a way to coerce little girls into thinking abuse is normal and a sign of love.
"Having wide hips means men find you fertile and that makes you attractive." Tbh, even a narrower hipped woman will still be found attractive by men, because not all men are interested in starting a family.
Oh and here's another lie "Boys will be lining up around the block when you reach High School." Lining up for what? What boys? And also "He's picking on you because he likes you." Wow. What a way to coerce little girls into thinking abuse is normal and a sign of love.
"Having wide hips means men find you fertile and that makes you attractive." Tbh, even a narrower hipped woman will still be found attractive by men, because not all men are interested in starting a family.
