50 Facts People Are Getting Tired Of Explaining To Others
You probably learned the difference between an opinion and a fact in the second grade. No matter how strongly you believe that tiramisu is the world’s best dessert, you won’t be able to get that printed in a scientific journal as a fact. Someone is always going to argue that gelato is superior!
But apparently, even if you are only stating facts, there will still be people out there who aren’t fully convinced of your case. Redditors have been discussing the facts that they’re tired of having to explain to other people, so we’ve gathered some of their replies below. From dietary information to knowledge about climate change that we should all be on the same page about, enjoy scrolling through this list. And be sure to upvote the things you can’t believe some people are in denial about!
Vacines work, there is countless information on it and its well studied. People always find these obscure aspects of vaccination to attack and it takes a bit to debunk but they are always wrong. I find this week in virology (podcast) episode 496 is useful to explain most answers but they just keep looking for s**t that isn’t there.
Edit: get your flu shot, 80,000 people died last year from the flu, in america alone. The flu shot isn’t perfect but it does decrease the chance you get the flu. Even if you still get the flu the flu shot help shorten the duration of the illness, and makes it a lot less contagious. The shorter and less contagious it is mean the less people will die from the illness. You Getting the flu shot protects the elderly and the young by preventing you spreading it to them directly or indirectly. Save a life get the flu shot.
Climate Change / Global Warming is not about ‘Saving Planet’ its actually about saving Humanity. Our planet will be fine.
anonymous: That and explaining the difference between climate and weather. Every time we have subzero temps I hear people say things like “how can anyone actually think the earth is getting warmer”. I don’t even bother to explain anymore. Trying to educate the willfully ignorant is silly.
Astrology and Astronomy are not the same thing. Astrology is an archaic form of divination, Astronomy is a science.
My SO and I are not having kids because we don’t want them.
That’s it. I’m sick of explaining why to people. Now we just repeat “We don’t want them”.
> But everyone has them!
We don’t want them.
> But who will take care of you when your old
We don’t want them.
> But lifes purpose is to reproduce
We don’t want them.
> But you’d make such good parents
We don’t want them.
That when you earn more money that puts you “into a higher tax bracket” only the amount above that bracket gets taxed at the higher rate, not your entire income.
[edit] in the U.S.
pasaroanth: I dealt with this when I was a paramedic. We worked 24 hour shifts and were constantly offered overtime, but people would refuse to take two in a pay period because they said their check would be less than if they had just taken one because “it put them in a different tax bracket”.
Yes, the second shift may not bump the check to the same degree as the first…but you’re not f****ng making less money. Regardless, it all comes out in the wash when you file. It was even more infuriating because these were people who filed 0 (no dependents, no personal exemption) so they could get a bigger refund.
Yeah it’s totally cool to give the government an interest free loan by filing no exemptions but god forbid you have to wait a couple more months to get that extra $15 you got knocked off for a few bucks seeping into a higher tax bracket temporarily.
Everything is a chemical. Food is made of chemicals. You are made of chemicals.
panoramicjazz: And just because we use the word radiation, doesn’t mean you will get cancer.
Kreos642: But tomatoes have carbon in it and carbon is in household cleaners so if I eat this I might die because household cleaners can kill you!!
Every time I hear someone say something like that I’m proud to know I am not as stupid as they are, but saddened that they are that stupid this day and age.
haddock420: What really p***es me is the whole “If it’s difficult to pronounce, it’s not good for you” thing that was popular a while ago. What an arbitrary way to choose your diet.
That you can’t specifically lose belly fat by doing sit-ups. Yes, the sit-ups will strengthen and tone your abs, but the definition won’t show through the fat. And you’ll still have a belly.
You shouldn’t fully drain batteries to make them last longer. That was old info that only applied to nicad and not modern lithium batteres or nimh.
Explaining that there is no meaningful distinction between “natural” and “artificial” when it comes to chemical compounds.
We’ve known this since 1828, when Wöhler synthesised urea out of some minerals, that was identical to urea extracted from urine. Aspirin can be made from the bark of the willow tree, but these days it’s actually made from petroleum. It’s still the same molecule.
And speaking of chemicals, explaining that “it’s full of chemicals” (about a food or such) is a completely meaningless statement. And that a “chemical” is not somehow inherently harmful.
Or explaining that “it was made with battery acid” is not a bad thing. Sulphuric acid is a very useful compound that was likely used in making quite a few things you consume. Your Drano drain cleaner (the pure sodium hydroxide stuff), that will eat through your skin, can be drank as an antacid instead of your Pepto-Bismol if dissolved with enough water. Or mix it with hydrochloric acid, and you’ll just get a bit of salt and water. Just because a chemical is nasty in some form of concentration, doesn’t mean it’s evil.
And finally, that “detox” is not a thing. Your liver and kidneys will get rid of anything your body deems harmful without your help. Anyone who tells you about the “toxins” in your food or body is speaking out of their a*s.
That gluten isn’t actually the devil for people without celiac disease or an allergy.
Also, what gluten is.
That per unit of energy produced, nuclear power is one of the safest forms of energy production.
Wrestling fans are well aware that it is not real.
That air thermals cause airplane condensation trails. Not chemicals being spilled into atmosphere by “them”.
Obesity is not a character flaw. It is a far more complex health issue than many people realize.
That antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viral ones. No, antibiotics won’t help your cold.
Beluga_Snuggles: This drives me crazy! Every time I get a cold someone tells me to go to a doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics as if it is some magical panacea.
meowseehereboobs: Some people are even dumber. I had a coworker (an adult male with a degree) tell me I shouldn’t take ibuprofen at all ever, and that my migraines would stop if I went to the doctor for antibiotics. Dude’s like 50.
Hair does not grow longer and thicker because you have shaved it. It grows longer and thicker because you are no longer 11 years old.
That just because an opinion is popular doesn’t mean it is correct.
U.S. Specific:
1. You are not getting money from the government when you get a tax refund. You are getting your own money that you just lent to the government at 0% interest.
2. Freedom of speech does not mean that you can say whatever you want and not face consequences. People who call you out on your b******t are not violating your first amendment rights.
Edit: People are absolutely correct in pointing out that in some cases low income families have refundable tax credits that exceed the amount they paid in payroll tax throughout the year. The people I’m tired of explaining this to, though, are the people in my office with six-figure household incomes, bragging about getting a $5,000 tax refund.
For the last time people, there *is* gravity in space! It’s amazing how many people don’t understand this.
GMOs and MSG are not bad for your health.
Bipolar disorder is deeper than being mad 5 minutes ago and now being perfectly fine. Sure, some people do rapid cycle but it just isn’t that simple. And the weather can not have bipolar disorder. And bipolar disorder is not the same thing as PMS, though symptoms can get worse while menstruating, they are completely unrelated. Also OCD can be obsessive intrusive thoughts, not everyone with OCD is ~so totes obsessed~ with cleaning. You can have OCD and be a slob, it is about obsessive behaviour that interferes with your life. Mental disorders are not cute and quirky, they are literally the worst.
Aspartame is one of the best studied food additives in the world. It’s not dangerous, it doesn’t cause cancer. And it’s not some mysterious “chemical” (whatever it is that layman health nuts think that word means), it’s a peptide: An itty bitty protein. Our body is perfectly able to digest it, our tongue just thinks it’s insanely sweet so we don’t need much of it.
All that said, it’s still not good for you either. It encourages your appetite so you eat more and as a result still gain weight while consuming it.
That we’re actually more or less safer nowadays than ever before. Crime rates have dropped quite a bit in the last few decades. We only think that there’s been an increase in crime because of the 24 hour news cycle reporting this stuff all the time, thus keeping it fresh in our memories.
Metabolism rate doesn’t vary by more than 15% between people. you’re fat because you eat too much for your activity level..
[source – study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15534426)
[source – article](https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/)
From the article
_”for resting metabolic rate (how many calories are burnt by living), 1 standard deviation of the population (68%) was within 6-8% of the average metabolic rate. Extending this, 2 standard deviations of the population (96%) was within 10-16% of the population average.”_
_”Extending this into practical terms [if the average expenditure were] 2000kcal a day, then 68% of the population falls into the range of 1840-2160kcal daily while 96% of the population is in the range of 1680-2320kcal daily”_
_”Metabolic rate does vary, and technically there could be large variance. However, statistically speaking it is unlikely the variance would apply to you. The majority of the population exists in a range of 200-300kcal from each other and do not possess hugely different metabolic rates.”_
The article summarises that the far from there being some inevitable debilitating curse of “low metabolism”… just “moderately active living” (deliberate activity but without breaking a sweat) is sufficient to overide the inherent difference in metabolic rate in the vast majority of people. (the outliers being those with hypothyroidism – a diagnosable condition)
“Eat less, move more” in within everyone’s grasp. And everyone’s responsibility.
edit: changed quote from article to one more representative of my point.
I have PTSD and you won’t believe how many times I have to say that people with PTSD don’t always have flashbacks. It’s not a Vietnam war movie.
You DO NOT have to “alpha” your dog. They’re not wolves. Wolves don’t even do that. Stop it.
“Alternative medicine” doesn’t exist. If it works, we just call it “medicine.” If it doesn’t work, it’s at best stupid and expensive and at worst dangerous or deadly. Homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, autism “cures,” reiki, on and on and on…they confer the placebo effect. But the placebo effect won’t treat your f*****g cancer. Don’t be dumb.
Evolution. It exists, it works, and yes, we’re related to apes (as well as cats, dolphins, spiders and amoebas – if you dig deep enought).
Flamingos don’t have “backwards knees”, those bits are their ankles.
Just because it’s your belief doesn’t make it any less homophobic.
That old people aren’t technologically illiterate. We invented the stuff.
That losing weight really is just calories in vs calories out.
No fad diets or gimmicks are going to work in the long run.
I’m not a “househusband” because I’m lazy and don’t want to work. I chose to stay home and support my wife while she brings in the bread. I’ve accepted this and you should look past societal stereotypes and stop with the condescension.
Cows are female, male cattle are bulls or steers (if castrated). I am an agriculture teacher and this is the hardest thing to get students and some adults to understand. Not every bovine in a field is a cow. Wow, I feel better now that I got that off my chest….
Edited: I am teaching the proper names to my students, as part of our curriculum.
The Electoral College was not created because they didn’t have the technology to have an informed populace or to run an election. They could have had national elections where the President was elected by popular vote back then, if that’s what they wanted to do.
It was created so that the smaller states would have a say in the presidency.
To be able to suck it up and forget about it is physically impossible with PTSD.
Chrome and IE are just browsers, like cars that are used to drive on the internet. Neither of them is “the internet.”.
Schizophrenics do not have multiple personalities. That would be Multiples Personality Disorder or as it is known now in the DSM, Dissociative Identity Disorder. TV shows and movies seem to have trouble with this one a lot.
Climate change is not a hoax, it’s been proven over and over again, it is a real, impending danger that needs to be taken seriously.
Freedom of speech only protects you from the government, not other people.
Wasps are important pollinators aren’t aren’t just stinging jerks. Some plant species are pollinated exclusively by single wasp species.
Just because you were spanked as a child and “turned out ok” does not mean you should spank your child. There is a ton of hippocracy in telling children not to hit and then spanking them when they make a mistake. Explaining something to kids is much more effective in the long run than spanking is.
Freedom of speech means you can’t be arrested for what you’re saying (within reason – you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.) Freedom of speech doesn’t mean you can say what you want without other repercussions.
