It may sound counterintuitive that when outside threats decrease, we manipulate ourselves into finding new ones, even if they are completely benign. However, researchers found exactly that; we are often tricked by our own perception and see threats that aren't actually there.
So in an attempt to explore our misconceptions, Reddit user ThexLoneWolf made a post on the platform, asking everyone to list the things that society portrays as dangerous but in reality are pretty safe. From animals to medical procedures, here are some of the most popular replies they've received.
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Vaccines. They are extremely safe and effective despite what a very loud few say.
30 years ago, nobody was afraid of vaccines. So enraging to see erradicated diseases reappearing
The same anti vax arguments were around when cowpox vaccine for smallpox was introduced to the public (1797). The issues and misinformation were mostly thanks to the press. Ignorance means history repetition.
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People are no longer aware of how unsafe the actual diseases are, thanks to the efficacy of vaccines
That's an extremely good point.
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We're experiencing a huge increase in whooping cough cases in young children in the UK. Guess why?
When I was around K or 2nd grade, remember going to the fire hall and eating sugar cubes (Polio vax)
In the US, anti-vaxxers think that vaccines are a radical leftie liberal commie plot to implant microchips so the Government can control them.
Never mind that the technology needed to inject microchips via a vaccine doesn't exist. 🙄 It boggles the mind how so many people believe this claptrap.
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65% of anti-vax tweets were originated by TWELVE people. All you need to know.
Zero regrets not getting the Covid jab. None. Sorry for all those that fell for it.
Except for the AstroZeneca shot that was just recalled world wide... https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/astrazeneca-removes-its-covid-vaccine-worldwide-after-rare-side-effect/ar-BB1lZved
Yawn. This is a real but very, very rare side effect that was identified back in 2021. It didn't stop the vaccine being rolled out because it was a considerably lower risk than that of getting covid. But now (partly thanks to fear-mongering about this tiny risk, partly because no one cares about COVID any more, partly because new variants mean this old vaccine had had declining value for a while) demand is low. This is click bait c**p from the Daily Mail.
Load More Replies... If you have the time, sure. It was always said that developing a Covid-vaccine would take three years. The people worked their a*s off to get it done faster without cutting corners, and were ready within a year. If they had needed three years, hodpitals would have collapsed and many more people died
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Vaccines don't seem dangerous. A few tin-foil hats may claim they are and the web has given them space to spread their nonsense, but yeah, stop listening to bs and start listening to science. That would at least bring us back to the level we were at 20 years ago.
If nobody belive in science or thought that all science was bad, we would be still be in the dark ages.
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The article that much of this vaccine phobia is based on was retracted from The Lancet by the author, who admitted that he made up the data. Andrew Wakefield has lost his license, admitted to the fraud, and yet this vaccine phobia persists and is magnified by the likes of RFK, Jr., and others. I agree that people who have never seen measles, mumps, rubella and other "childhood" illnesses are giving themselves the opportunity to see these illnesses in their own children thanks to this insanity about the alleged dangers of vaccination. Bizarre and discouraging.
And the "study" that this vaccine phobia is based on was fraudulent. the claim was that MMR vaccines caused autism. Andrew Wakefield is the former physician who admitted he made-up the "data", got it published in The Lancet, and then had to retract it when he was confronted with his falsification of data. He lost his license to practice due to this fraud and the whole association between autism and vaccines has been thoroughly debunked. Unfortunately, that has not stopped people like RFK, Jr and others from screaming from the rooftops that vaccines are dangerous. So now we are seeing the re-emergence of childhood illnesses that were virtually eradicated by vaccines.
My 1st thought when these idiots rant about vaccines causing autism is just how open they are about preferring their kid die or suffer a lifetime effects from a preventable disease than be AUTISTIC. Not that its even a valid concern, but even if it was, EXCELLENT priorities people 👏
Don’t minimize the struggle parents can have with an autistic child.
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Ignorance personified; 2 companies have pulled their Covid vaccines because of the severity of the side effects.
Vaccines are awesome. But I very much understand the uproar regarding hastingly computer-simulation tested recent ones. I applaud the effort, but those really need to go back to the drawing board now that that virus has mellowed a bit and the biggest urgency has passed.
You guys seriously don't understand how medication side effect are reported. When it is said that a vaccine "may cause" blood clots, this actually means that it happens very rarely (1 in a million), but is still a non-zero possibility. This doesn't mean, in any way, that the vaccine is dangerous or that you will definitely get blood clots. What you're doing here is blowing a minor risk out of proportion, presenting it as some unavoidable menace. The vaccine was withdrawn not because it's dangerous, but just to avoid further legal complications.
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Wolves. Wolf attacks on people are so rare they have individual entries on the Wikipedia page.
Foxes. For some reason my local fb group ALWAYS seems to post about when they see a fox in town like “careful on your walks”
Do you think foxes EAT PEOPLE????
Sending your kids outside to play. Go. Outside. It’s good for them.
We weren't allowed back in the house until the streetlights came on!! Exploring the woods, eating fresh vegetables and fruits from gardens and orchards, all the kids in the neighborhood playing (baseball, football, basketball...etc). Something I'd like to bring back from my childhood...... penny candy 100 PIECES OF CANDY FOR ONE DOLLAR!!! Childhood would've been unbearable if I couldn't have spent most of it outdoors!! (Edit for boo-boos)
Quicksand. We were misled by '80s action films. It's pretty hard to actually die in it.
(Conversely, regular old riptides in the ocean are WAY more dangerous than people think).
I do risk assessment for a living.
Humans are terrible at assessing risk, in general.
Being terrible at assessing risk of course carries risks of its own.
Movies really do sharks dirty. Wouldn’t say they’re completely safe, but definitely no where near as dangerous as perceived to be.
Black bears are pretty harmless. They *can* [harm] you, but usually would rather leave you alone.
Using a sharp knife in cooking. It's actually far more dangerous to use a dull knife.
A dull knife is a poor tool as it causes you to apply excessive pressure at improper angles to achieve the desired result and that's how most people end up getting cut
Small bubbles in an IV line aren’t going to [unalive] you like the movies. The amount of panicked patients I’ve had is wild.
When injecting syringes they usually flick at it to remove air bubbles even though they’re relatively harmless because they’re too small to do anything
Bees and wasps. I used to get stung a lot when I was a kid but I learned that if you don't wave your arms like a lunatic they'll leave you a lone. Also don't throw rocks at their nest and you should be okay.
I’m sure other people have said, but trick or treating. Any danger in d***s or razor blades in candy is wildly overblown in actuality I think there have been only one or two instances of someone actually being malicious with their candy handouts.
Flying on a plane. You are more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.
Those are pretty words, until your airplane is the one in bad turbulence
This is kind of a meta answer, but I’ve injured myself a lot more doing stupid projects around the house than I have while on duty in an actual dangerous industrial jobsite. Universally because I didn’t do a proper pre-work analysis and ensure I was using PPE.
Alligators. They are big and look scary but don't generally attack humans and don't consider us prey. Florida has millions of gators but only averages like 8 unprovoked attacks per year with about one fatal death every 3 years. They are dangerous to small pets, however, and I'm pretty sure many of those attacks are from trying to save a pet. But alligators are everywhere is Florida so it's quite surprising how few attacks there are.
A lot of 3rd-world travel destinations; just because a country is poor doesn't mean that the people are robbers/murderers.
My step mom is convinced that if a steak has any pink in the middle (I'm talking about anything less then well done) that its raw and will give you Salmonella.
Chicken is the one you need to cook thoroughly. You can eat beef raw if you like.
Silica packets say ,'Do not eat' on them because they are a choking hazard, not because they're poisonous.
Note that some of them have a coating of cobalt chloride - a moisture indicator that turns from blue to pink when moist - and CoCl2 is toxic and allergenic. However, the concentration is so low that it isn't going to poison you unless you ingest large amounts. You're much more likely to either choke on it, or if it is CoCl2 coated you could get a reaction if you are allergic (it is a surprisingly common allergen).
Nuclear waste, specifically the high-level spent fuel that needs to be dropped in cooling ponds for years. Make no mistake, it can absolutely [unalive] you if you’re exposed to the neutron emissions, but once it’s cooled off, it’s melted down into glass and sealed away in concrete casks. For all intents and purposes, these casks are indestructible; you could hit them with a runaway train and they wouldn’t break open. They can also be sealed away in deep boreholes underground for billions of years, more than enough time for the radioactive elements to decay to harmless amounts. When it’s handled correctly, nuclear waste may be the safest kind of waste there is. Ash from coal power plants emits far more radioactive particles than a nuclear reactor ever will, and it’s handled way less responsibly.
Living in Chicago, I did it for 10 years, still don't own a bulletproof vest.
The conservative media wants everyone to believe that every large city is an urban hellhole where daily life is like mad Max. Crime rates and small towns are basically the same, the keyword is rate instead of total. Of course how seriously can you take a party when they claim to be tough on crime, and then nominates a candidate for president who has 91 felony charges against him.
My dad is an electrician, and he taught me when I was pretty young how to fix electrical things, so I am always amused at how terrified people are by anything to do with electricity.
As the daughter of an electrical engineer, I tend to be amazed by how un-terrified people are by electricity.
Going in the ocean. Talking to those people afraid of seaweed.
Jellyfish, stingrays, saltwater crock's, blue ringed octopus, sharks, megalodon, piranha, alligators, creature from the Black lagoon. This is why hotels have swimming pools 🤣
Anxiety/Panic Attacks. you'll feel like you're having a Medical Emergency, but you're not.
Changing the brakes on your car. They're trivially easy to do, don't require any special tools outside of a torque wrench, and dealer and mechanic prices are outrageous (parts can be found online for a fraction of the dealer price at places like AutoHausAZ, and shop rates for labor are super expensive). It's pretty hard to screw up, and can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Roller Coasters and Amusement Park Rides: While these rides may seem scary, they are designed with strict safety regulations and are statistically very safe.
If it's a permanent park, there are regulations and inspections. If it's a moving fair, there's both wear and tear and less oversight.
Tandem Skydiving - strongest safety statistics of any type of jump, with only 0.003 fatalities per thousand jumps over the past 10 years. You're more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery than to die on a tandem skydive. Only done it twice, but such an incredible experience and rush....
Good. So much perceived risk is overstated. And so much real risk is understated.
I have to stress this, unless you are handy with repairwork with vehicles and did extensive research do not mess with the breaks, engine, electrical systems. You will get hurt. Jackstands, proper equipment, do your research and understand that if you screw up you will have to take it by the shop anyways.
A lifetime ago i used to live in low income housing and i did pc repair work for a buddy of mine. Real good guy but he had issues since he was a weed dealer. Had to protect himself. He had an ak behind his door and a pretty big pit. He was like, "normally i don't let people just knock on my door" and his big pit came right over to me and started licking me and quite happy to be around me. He was just shocked and i told him i had no ill will, I'm no cop i just was an ol school pot smoker that wanted to enjoy some extended payed time off. He said, "she's never done that before man... you're cool people". After that we became great friends and he was really trying to turn his life around and to my knowledge he did, has a sweet little girl, the pit is still quite happy and sweet with everyone now and he's actually got a really good job doing something he loves.
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The only thing dangerous about vaccines was that the Fauci-ites thought it made them invincible.
I lost count of the number of idiots I had to tell to back off and get out of my face. "Oh but I had the shot".Yeah, well that doesn't make you bulletproof. Keep your distance.
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Good. So much perceived risk is overstated. And so much real risk is understated.
I have to stress this, unless you are handy with repairwork with vehicles and did extensive research do not mess with the breaks, engine, electrical systems. You will get hurt. Jackstands, proper equipment, do your research and understand that if you screw up you will have to take it by the shop anyways.
A lifetime ago i used to live in low income housing and i did pc repair work for a buddy of mine. Real good guy but he had issues since he was a weed dealer. Had to protect himself. He had an ak behind his door and a pretty big pit. He was like, "normally i don't let people just knock on my door" and his big pit came right over to me and started licking me and quite happy to be around me. He was just shocked and i told him i had no ill will, I'm no cop i just was an ol school pot smoker that wanted to enjoy some extended payed time off. He said, "she's never done that before man... you're cool people". After that we became great friends and he was really trying to turn his life around and to my knowledge he did, has a sweet little girl, the pit is still quite happy and sweet with everyone now and he's actually got a really good job doing something he loves.
Load More Replies... The only thing dangerous about vaccines was that the Fauci-ites thought it made them invincible.
I lost count of the number of idiots I had to tell to back off and get out of my face. "Oh but I had the shot".Yeah, well that doesn't make you bulletproof. Keep your distance.
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