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Human memory is actually incredibly selective, and we often have no control over what we remember and how. Probably, each of you have had several cases when some completely unnecessary and petty nonsense crashed into your memory, but something really important left your mind almost immediately.

And this happens more than once or twice in life - even half a century later, we remember who made that silly fumble in a meaningless regular season football game, but at the same time, we can forget the date of our own wedding anniversary (God forbid doing this, in fact, it’s better to write down it somewhere, just believe me!) It's just how our memory works, and there's nothing to be done about it.

Moreover, such selectivity is typical not only for individuals' memory, but also for entire groups of people or even all of humanity. It is enough, for example, to recall the famous "Mandela effect," when after the death of the former President of South Africa and Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela in 2013, it turned out that many thousands of people around the whole world were for some reason completely convinced that he had passed away back in the mid-eighties, while in prison.

In fact, such phenomena of collective memory are not isolated, there are a huge number of facts and various things in life that are often not given attention, and people live as if they do not know this - although it is actually obvious to almost everyone. And so, a few years ago, a thread appeared in the AskReddit community, the topic starter of which asked people this question: "What fact is ignored generously?"

As of today, the original thread has over 66.5K upvotes and around 26.7K diverse comments, so there is a real danger of getting lost in this sea of information. Lucky for you, there is Bored Panda, who specially compiled this selection of the most interesting, unexpected and just extremely popular comments of the thread, so please feel free to scroll to the very end and we're almost sure that some submissions will surprise you at least for some reason. And of course, your own comments are highly appreciated as usual.

More info: Reddit

#1

Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because it's legally allowed doesn't mean you're not a douchebag for doing it.

Whaatthefuck , Hunters Race Report

Paulo Freitas
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Laughing histerically in " Portuguese " right now. ( Our actual governament motto, " yea it looks bad, its probably not ethic, but hey it is legal though " )

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    #2

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." - George Carlin

    Back2Bach , Ehimetalor Akhere Report

    Two_rolling_black_eyes
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never underestimate the power of stupid people. 1 guy sick with the symptoms of COVID decided since his son had COVID, he couldn't get sick since it had only been 4 days since his son's symptoms started. He was an UberEATS delivery driver and 8 people, including him, died because he worked 2 days maskless.

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    #3

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Giving birth to a kid doesn't make you an expert on raising them. Nor do they owe you for being born.

    Moral_Gutpunch , Lisa Fotios Report

    Paulo Freitas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bingo. I didn't ask to be born, honestly i would probably prefer never to be born in the 1st place ( no problems, no worried, no disapointments, no pain etc )

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    #4

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Admitting to a mistake is not a sign of weakness. Bending over backwards to cover it up and pretending like it never happened is.

    Skuffinho , Liza Summer Report

    Bec
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes! And a good boss or partner will accept your apology and work with you to move forward, not make you feel worse for messing up.

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    #5

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because i don't agree with you doesn't mean i hate you

    Absolute_Zero_EXE , Ketut Subiyanto Report

    Something
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And just because I agree doesn't mean I don't hate you.

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    #6

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver You have blinkers for your car so that you can tell other drivers that you're changing lanes. Fun fact: it's the law

    byunj , RLEVANS Report

    Bob La Capra
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    On the other hand, just because someone is using their turn signal it's no guarantee they're actually going to execute the turn. Make sure they've at least started the turn before you move.

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    #7

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Prevention is more affordable than treatment

    anon , cfarnsworth Report

    DennyS (denzoren)
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yep...would you rather wear $20 safely glasses or $2000 to treat an injury? I'm saying this from being someone who didn't wear PPE all the time to someone now that wears it all the time. Thankfully no injuries.

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    #8

    Being a celebrity does not automatically make someone a medical, economic, or political expert.

    yeetpotatopie Report

    Ba-Na-Na
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Or that they should have the power to sway a persons decision

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    #9

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Orcas and dolphins aren’t happy in those aquatic parks

    Boules_De_Plumes , Magda Ehlers Report

    Something
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People don't realize the extent to which this is true. It's not like animals in regular zoos. It's physically possible to give some zoo animals a habitat that matches the size of the amount of area they'd typically move around in in the wild. This isn't the case for large ocean-dwelling animals.

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    #10

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Human memory is extremely unreliable. We forget important details. We fabricate memories and convince ourselves that they're true. What we do remember is distorted to conform to our biases.

    squigs , Christina Morillo Report

    Steve Hayward
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And the amount of people in prison based off "witnesses accounts"??!!

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    #11

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Mob mentality doesn't mean you are right.

    anon , Josh Sorenson Report

    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As Ricky Gervais observed, just because you're offended, it doesn't mean you're right.

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    #12

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being at a job for a long time does not mean someone is good at their job.

    DMDingo , Nenad Stojkovic Report

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    #13

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That just because someone tells you something is a fact doesn’t mean that it is. (Make sure to do your research!)

    liveifUr3llyWt , Pexels Report

    Dan Holden
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't stress this enough, especially given the last few years. Know what doing your research entails! It does not mean find the first website/person online that agrees with your preconceived notion. Sometimes it means taking a long hard look at your worldview and letting the facts challenge that worldview.

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    #14

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver The number of people who die after a war to consequences of war (hunger, disease, etc) are not counted in the statistics.

    GreatMun312 , Lukas Report

    Jorie
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Kind of like the COVID statistics they kept throwing at us. The collateral damage caused by the mishandling of the pandemic is inestimable.

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    #15

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Older doesn't always mean wiser. Wisdom is obtained from what you do with your time, it's not about how much time you've had.

    IdentityTheft02 , James Frid Report

    Kathryn Baylis
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Older also doesn’t mean unhireable or not the right person for the job or someone who’s going to leave the company to retire in a couple years anyway. Some of us can’t afford to retire at 65, and need to keep—-or get—-jobs that are in our field, not the f*****g greeter at Walmart, ffs. Jobs we might have to stay at until we’re well into our eighties. Now, we may not work as lightning fast as someone younger—-though we’re not that f*****g slow—-but we make sure our work is done completely and correctly, instead of fast, dirty, and half-assed. Additionally, some of us got degrees or additional degrees as older adults, so have education and training that’s just as recent as that of someone in their twenties—-and we probably got better grades as well. So don’t ignore our resumes, and don’t let our age be the deciding factor for hiring us or not. We may be older, but we still have bills to pay—-often way more than younger people, including student loan payments for recent degrees we thought would help us but are now hindering us—so need a steady income too, ffs.

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    #16

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being rich doesn't mean you're great with money or someone who should be trusted with business decisions.

    The_Game_Eater , Shane Report

    #17

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Most people are not very smart

    5hot6un , Anete Lusina Report

    Luke Branwen
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Imagine how dumb is an average person. Now consider half of them is even dumber.

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    #18

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Concentration camps in china are still going on.

    CraazyGamerz , Yan Ke Report

    Paulo Freitas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes they are, however they are called " reeducation centers " now.

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    #19

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That colds and flu are caused by viruses, not by being cold or wet.

    lesters_sock_puppet , Polina Tankilevitch Report

    darqemm
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And being cold can compromise your immune system making you a little more susceptible. But overall, yeah, cold doesn't cause flu, etc.

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    #20

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver facts aren't opinions

    apexmedicineman , Imogene Huxham Report

    Luke Branwen
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Also racism, homophobia, transphobia etc. aren't "opinions", it's bigotry.

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    #21

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver The importance of getting 7-9hrs of sleep every single night.

    Kfbr392___ , Pixabay Report

    Benita Valdez
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know the importance but my body ignores it. Won't even listen to reason and insists it can do what it wants.

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    #22

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver TikTok is literally Chinese spyware

    etymologynerd , cottonbro studio Report

    A_Cat_To_The_Past
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why do they want to spy on some chav badly lip syncing to cringe music anyway?

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    #23

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Every single year, cruise ships dump 14 billion pounds of garbage into the oceans

    GravyxNips , Pixabay Report

    Ba-Na-Na
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Uh… why is this not making the news?

    Paulo Freitas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It was lol, it was also in the news that a Cruise ship uses a certain type of less refined fuel when in high waters that causes 4 Times more polution that the fuel they use when they come to port.

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    Bob La Capra
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I didn't search for hours but I did find a reference that stated that while it's true that 14-billion pounds of garbage ends up in the sea annually cruise ships accounted for 24% of that. Which is a lot considering how few cruise ships there are compared to merchant vessels.

    Emptycaketin
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ew. Cruiseships are an introverts nightmare in my opinion. They were never a good idea in the first place.

    AbsintheMinded
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never been on a cruise, never will go on a cruise. They are cess-pools.

    T'Mar of Vulcan
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Totally agree. Also, if something happens to you (general you) on a cruise (e.g. you go missing), trying to find you is a nightmare because the ship is usually registered in a different country, the place you went missing might have different laws; if you disappear in international waters, etc. etc. Hell to the no.

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    ALittleKnownGoddess
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I watched 'The Secret Life of the Cruise' and was absolutely horrified at all the waste. I never wanted to go on a cruise before watching, and this documentary has solidified my position!

    TurquoiseTzarina
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thank you. I'm downloading the movie right now. Will watch it this evening.

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    Two_rolling_black_eyes
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a lie. They produce a ridiculous amount of trash but not 14 billion pounds of trash. The 18.5 million people in the 5 boroughs of NYC produce 14 million tons (28 billion pounds) of trash a year. That's about 76,712,328 lb per day and 4 lb per person per day. 30 million people took cruises in 2019 so about 82191 people per day were on the seas. At 14 billion pounds, that means cruises would be producing 38,356,164 lb of trash a day at 467 lb per person.

    Aarya
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I need some proof. I can't believe I haven't heard of this.

    Stephanie Case
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And the US Navy has been doing it for decades, but that's never brought up either.

    John Boy
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fact is, it's not "garbage", it's mostly perfectly legal "grey water" and the fish LOVE it and THRIVE from it. Please quit posting untrue "facts".

    David Baylis
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Does that include untreated sewage?

    Josh Gilland
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't forget about the amount of sex assaults and other crime that goes unreported. Seriously one thing that needs to be stopped but it's to profitable and society too selfish and stupid

    Parriah
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Are you SERIOUS??!!. How is that not a criminal act?

    Tom Drummer
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah but that's only 7 million tons. What?

    Kathy Loman
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And there's a HUGE pile of the coast of California that's I think a mile or so long. And no one wants to clean it up 😡

    rodger coghlan
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some people make money on cruises by taping them dumping - there is a reward for this

    Marilyn Russell
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So disgusting. It shouldn’t be allowed. I’ve wanted to go on a cruise before but ever since I learned how much they pollute, I will never support that industry.

    CGZ
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Everybody seems so shocked and appalled. I don't hear all this fuss over China building coal fire plants as fast as they can.

    Colin Matthews
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    7 billion kilograms? 7million tonnes? really that's appalling

    Captain Kyra
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This drives me bonkers, the waste that these cruises cause.

    Dana Trahan
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Disgusting. How is this happening and why

    Beth D
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No, Over 1 Billion however, Not Acceptable

    censorshipsucks
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    so 6.36 billion kilograms, or 6.36 million tons.

    C C
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that’s horrifying

    Hypoxia Smurf
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Feeding the plankton -- is that the excuse?

    J Bo
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Every single year"? Did they in 2020?

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    #24

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Humans overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in an year

    purplefeather93 , Bich Tran Report

    #25

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Nearly every hand you shake has held a penis.

    AssholeIRL , fauxels Report

    Pedantic Panda
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And all have been inside a uterus. Edit; this is in reference to during pregnancy.

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    #26

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That you should really get off your phone and go to sleep. Edit: lol guys I meant at night

    Toxic_Button , Pixabay Report

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    #27

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver You are not immune to propoganda

    anon , JESHOOTS.com Report

    #28

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because a movie or a book is good, doesn't mean you like it.

    anon , Lucas Pezeta Report

    Paulo Freitas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If its good it means i like it, now if the sentence was " just because some One says a movie or a book is good, doesn't mean you Will like it " then i would agree.

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    #29

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That we all have confirmation bias

    sutree1 , Štefan Štefančík Report

    K W
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is true but I've had a lot of fun doing research papers during college where I look at all the info regardless of what my initial idea is. Some things do have overwhelming data for one side and some things are very complex and deserve nuanced discussions and conclusions. Not that social media or media in general are geared toward nuance or complexity.

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    #30

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Everyone is a huge hypocrite when it suits them...including me

    NearbyPlenty1 , Mike B Report

    Paulo Freitas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Na na na, i despise hipócrits with a passion, i rather face nasty reprocutions than being a hipócrite ( and i allready did )

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    #31

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Experience is not equal to competence

    abhi_wiz , Daniel Jiménez Report

    Pedantic Panda
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have experience of failing, I'm quite competent at it.

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    #32

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Just because some people are naturally talented doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard.

    anon , Ludwig Kwan Report

    Rilmar
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sheer talent can only carry you that far, after that you either put in the effort, or you fall behind. Actually being "gifted" often puts you in disadvantage because you don't learn to work for it from the start. I say it as a former gifted child and a current mediocre, depressed adult

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    #33

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver That (a+b) ^2 is not equal to (a^2 + b^2)

    Rodryrm , Deepak Gautam Report

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    #34

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver France didn't stop executing people by guillotine until 1977.

    Naweezy , Alice Triquet Report

    Kate Haslam
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And the US executed a prisoner by firing squad in 1996.

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    #35

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver Being well known doesn’t always make you popular, as you may be well known for pissing yourself in class.

    charlstarking16 , Taylor Flowe Report

    Pedantic Panda
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is kinda obvious, many of the most well know people, both contemporarily and historical are not well liked.

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    #36

    Depends on the agenda of the people doing the ignoring. People only care about the facts that agree with them.

    777Howl777 Report

    Powerful Katrinka
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is another way of describing confirmation bias

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    #37

    You shouldn’t have a child unless you are emotionally and financially ready, and have a stable partner.

    PhoneJazz , Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas Report

    Melody Johnson
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Welp..... I guess me being a single mom goes against your opinion, friend. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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    #38

    Person Asks "What Fact Is Ignored Generously?" And 30 Folks Online Deliver You aren't supposed to stick q-tips in your ears

    mattreyu , Jen Theodore Report

    Felicia Dale
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’ve been using cotton buds since my late teens to dry my ears after showering. Never, ever had a problem. In fact, last year my doctor checked my ears and expressed admiration at how clean and healthy my ears were. Your mileage may vary.

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    #40

    The government is trying to pass an anti encryption bill that could strip away any and all privacy given to US citizens.

    AJplayzsupreme Report

    Della
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Feels like we're already there or pretty darn close

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