What is a common myth that you know is false, but a lot of people you know believe it is true?
I’ve heard that Daddy Long Legs, i.e. the Harvestman insect has the deadliest poison of any spider, but we are safe from it because it doesn’t have fangs long enough to bite you. It amazes me the number of people that believe this obvious fallacy.
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Obama is a Muslim
And about the Daddy Long Legs, I’ve heard they can’t kill you with their poison because our skin is too tough for them to penetrate, but that they can still kill babies.
That it is illegal in this country to test makeup and household products on animals.
Oh, and that not paying for movies or otherwise obtaining them illegally does not adversely affect the film industry.
Cold weather makes you sick.
There were “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq.
Any chain email or text message.
you have to wait 20 minutes after eating before you swim
That you can’t get pregnant the first time.
Cellphones used near gas stations cause explosions.
That Obama will save America.
You will damage your eyes by reading in poor lighting conditions.
Oh, that vegetarians only eat tofu, sprouts and veggie burgers.
You don’t get high the first time you smoke pot.
It takes seven years to digest a piece of gum.
Sitting too close to the television will cause you to go blind.
@supermouse: Those are some good ones! Lurve to you!
That men have one less rib than women because of the creation story in Genesis 2 (the woman created from the man’s rib). Yeah. Not true.
That all Republicans are idiots and mindless followers of the administration as posted here on Fluther. ;)
That in English, you can never end a sentence in a preposition.
Someone told me that they will only bite if you get them angry. Apparently if you get them angry, then they won’t even be big enough to bite!
They aren’t any danger to people, even if they had mouths big enough. Their toxicity is very low.
The stories in the Bible.
I’m probably going to get shit for this. People are sensitive when it comes to their myths.
That we only use 10% of our brains.
In my case, it may be less.
The five-second rule doesn’t prevent bacteria from getting on your food.
I thank Mythbusters for that one.
The idiotic ideal that pirates would be customers if not for the fact that pirated material exists. It’s an utter fallacy, wishful thinking from many industries. Many people who pirate material never intended to pay it. Just because I’ve downloaded 500 albums online doesn’t mean I would’ve bought them otherwise.
Off topic, @Vinifera7:
That’s short-sided. I’m not Christian, but you should respect each other’s beliefs, even if you are an apparent atheist. Although this isn’t aimed directly at you, I’m tired of atheists being just as snooty in their arguments as the religious folk they tend to insult.
That rattlesnakes will always rattle first before they strike. Not true.
@shadling: Actually there was a study that held that for 4.something seconds bacteria doesn’t even notice it, but then afterward it will begin to move in on the new feast. And it evens out. Like if an elephant landed in your living room, you’d stare in surprise for a moment, then start handling it. I’ll try to find it, I think I read it on CNN a year or so ago. :)
If I can’t find it, disregard. :-p
That mail order products will make your penis larger.
That coffee will sober you up.
That gay people started the AIDS epidemic.
@uberbatman
how long will it take to get the world to recognize that the cold disease isn’t caused by the cold.
Fact: the harvestman is NOT a spider, it is closely related to the crab. Fact: The harvestman has no fangs, because, it doesn’t eat live prey, it eats dead vegetable matter. Fact: The harvestman has ten legs, not eight. Fact: a venomous creature with no venom delivery system is not only idiotic, it is evolutionarily impossible. Another urban legend bites the dust.
More fun facts: Rattlesnakes and black widow spiders are NOT poisonous. Before you scream foul, think about it. I’ve eaten rattlesnake meat, I didn’t die. You could eat black widows all day long, and it wouldn’t kill you. Maybe gross you out, but wouldn’t prove fatal. Rattlesnakes and black widows are venomous, but they are not poisonous. A rattlesnake isn’t poisonous, but certain mushrooms are.
I have plenty more spider myths to disprove, and will probably spread that cheery thought at a later date.
@evelyns pet zebra while its not a spider, it is still an arachnids making it more closely related to the spider than the crab(which are malacostracans). But yes they are both arthropods.
I dont really think i agree with your snake spider thing either…. I mean sure their venomous but what is venom? Its a poison is it not? And yea you ate rattlesnake, but you didnt eat the venom gland. If you did, i dont think we’d be having this conversation. Your nitpicking by saying the animal isnt poisonous because not all of its body contains the toxic, just some. Fact is, it can still kill you.
please dont go eating spiders.
uberbatman, saying a venomous creature is poisonous is not nitpicking. There is a difference, and if we are going to be correct in our speech, then let’s be correct across the board. Saying a venomous spider is poisonous is misleading and nonsensical. Trust me, I have it on very good authority. spider myths” Explore that site for more spider myths.
As for eating the venom gland, people who eat snake meat usually do NOT cook the head, so that response is nonsensical. When I cook venison or other game animals, I do not eat the intestines, which are known to be full of harmful bacteria. I didn’t say that rattlesnakes weren’t dangerous, just not poisonous.
Also, antivenom is made from venom, and taken in the wrong dose, can kill you. But then, taking anything in the wrong dose can prove fatal. Even something as innocuous as water, which is the stuff of life.
vinifera7 up there was correct, people are so sensitive about their myths
epz, it good to see you again. How’re Evelyn and her 6-pack? :^>
You seem to have a spider thing like I had a rattlesnake thing for many years. I lived in Tucson for more than 20 years, and I’m an avid solo hiker. So, of course I wanted to know everything I could about rattlesnakes and what I really need to worry about and what’s pure bullshit.
Now that I’ve been in Seattle for almost 2 years, rattlesnakes and carrying enough water aren’t the big focus for hikers here. What are the dangers when hiking in the pacific northwest? What are the myths and the realities? Maybe I’ll go ask a question. :^>
the true harvestman is NOT a true spider, and while I was mistaken about its number of legs, here is more expert testimony about harvestmen from here. The creatures most correctly called daddy-longlegs are in their own separate Order which is Opiliones. Common names for this Order are 1) daddy-longlegs, 2) harvestmen and 3) opilionids. They are characterized by having one basic body segment which shows segmentation on the posterior portion, at most 2 eyes and all 8 legs attach to the pill-like body segment.
That Mt. Dew reduces sperm count.
Ha! I never heard that one. What did you do after your Dew? Or did someone do you? Sorry, I’m stopping myself now.
The dye’s used in Mt. Dew supposedly reduce sperm count.
epz, you’ll like this one. That you can trap more flies with honey than with vinegar. My ex and I tested this with my kids once. You can actually trap way way more flies with red-wine vinegar than with honey.
cyndyh, see, that’s what I like, people who don’t accept everything they hear as fact. Skepticism and experimentation are the way to truth, not repeating the same old babble that everyone does.
I also know from experience that if you want to catch a LOT of flies, put cow’s blood in big aluminum pie pan saucers and set them out in the sun during warm weather. You’ll catch billions that way. Stay upwind though, if you know what’s good for you.
Question everything or believe anything.
You guys rock. I’ll see if I can think of some more.
There was a rumor years ago that smoking Marlboro makes you sterile. Smoking anything isn’t good for you, but I know lots of NASCAR fans with a three pack a day Marlboro habit and enough kids to start their own Little League team. Visiting my relatives that have kids made me sterile. Haven’t had a single kid since then. :-)
That a duck’s quack doesn’t echo (bald faced lie, sorry guys – despite the “proof” on the internet)
I’ve heard that, and wondered what boob came up with that. I used to hunt, ducks quacks do echo. More BS from the uninformed unwashed masses, I guess.
Here. Let me test that.
QUACK!
I swear I heard something…
Honk? Okay, who goosed the duck?
@uberbatman You always have a link for everything, don’t you?
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