Reddit Asks, “What's The Dumbest Myth People Today Believe?”
Louise Peralta
Myths have been around since before humans learned how to write. Every culture also has its own set of myths that may be boggling for some, while it’s treated as just common superstition, sometimes even treated as fact, where it originated from.
A popular example of a universal myth involves black cats and how they’re supposedly a sign of bad luck. It’s popular, and some people still believe this, but it’s totally false.
Fearmongering is one of the reasons why people started fearing black cats before – read more about how this cat myth started here. Now while we’re already talking about fearmongering, the birth of the internet boosted the spread of other myths that targeted people’s health. Some are harmfully misleading, and others are based on facts but are simply blown out of proportion, like how giving kids sugar leads to hyperactivity.
But what about now?
Reddit asks, “What's the dumbest myth people today believe?”
One of the best answers comes from Redditor UnvwevweOsas, who probably hasn’t seen a particular Mythbusters episode that tackled this certain myth.
1. ”If you drop a penny off a skyscraper, it will eventually fall fast enough to puncture someone’s skull.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJkdNnHhaoI
The Mythbusters devised a gun that was able to shoot a penny at 64 miles per hour, and the penny still wasn’t able to penetrate flesh. So no, “even at supersonic speed, a penny weighing just 2.5 grams simply doesn’t have enough kinetic energy to break through concrete or bone,” the show said.
Another myth that people still believe today was shared by an estate lawyer. The media probably contributed to the idea that this one is real.
2. "The one I, as an estate lawyer, deal with constantly is the idea that there needs to be a 'reading' of the will, where the family all gather and the lawyer reads it aloud to them for the first time.”
I’m looking at you, Knives Out.
https://twitter.com/boygeniusfilm/status/1593442596839428100?s=20
Oh, the drama of it all! Imagine experiencing this in reality though. It’d make for an interesting day indeed. But a will doesn’t have to be read in front of relatives for it to be official. Wills are just mailed to anyone who wants a copy, clarified the lawyer Redditor.
This next answer made me laugh, and I can only wish that this one were real.
3. Black belts have to register their fists as weapons…
A Redditor commented under this answer and asked, “...if you walk around with your hands in your pockets, do they become concealed weapons?”
The complexities of registering your hands as a weapon and how authorities are going to handle all that is what's funny to me. Sorry, let's continue the list.
The last answer I’m gonna share is one I used to believe when I was a child.
4. I remember the myth that gum takes 7 YEARS to fully pass through your digestive system.
Did you also know that I used to believe that when you swallow any kind of seed, it would grow in your stomach eventually?
I can’t believe I tried eating watermelon seeds in hopes of getting an unlimited supply of my favorite fruit.
Read more answers in the original post below.
What's the dumbest myth people today believe?
by u/JoeyDotnot in AskReddit
