What are the worst misconceptions you know of?

[P.Tsunami]

Just at rest you are using about 15% of your brain. Beyond that your sense are going off like crazy.

No, we use about one hundred percent; this is easily proven by putting the average person into an fMRI machine. Just, you know, we don't use all of it at the same time. Kind of like how we don't use all our muscles simultaneously.

 

[Steven True]

Only an atheistic-normative perception results in the default position of 'no god', an objective view has no default position for complete uncertainty to return to.

There is your misconception. The definition of an atheist is not one who beliefs that there is no god, but one who lacks a belief in a god. These are two different things.
Simply put, if you have no position whether or not a god exists then you do not hold a belief in a god. Therefore you are an atheist.

 

[Jonluw]

Just at rest you are using about 15% of your brain. Beyond that your sense are going off like crazy.

No, we use about one hundred percent; this is easily proven by putting the average person into an fMRI machine. Just, you know, we don't use all of it at the same time. Kind of like how we don't use all our muscles simultaneously.

You have to wonder though: Would using your entire brain at once have the same effect as using all your muscles at once? i.e. Cancelling out the effects and just stiffening stuff out.

 

[Purple Shrimp]

That Napoleon was a midget. He was 5' 7", which is hardly a shrimp.

wasn't that actually above average back then, due to lower levels of nutrition?

i only posted this because you said shrimp

 

[CleverCover]

I don't know if this has been mentioned already but...

Any type of animation is for children.
'cue nerd rage'

 

[moretimethansense]

Which is ridiculous, there are plenty of people out there who have no opinion one way or the other.

Then those people are called agnostic atheists.
Atheist: They lack a belief in any god(s).
Agnostic: They lack knowledge of any god(s)

You are wrong there pal,
Agnostisism is the belief that it is impossible to know ehether or not there is a(are) god(s) an agnosic atheist is somone that strongly believes that there is no god but knows thaty they can't know for sure.

 

[moretimethansense]

When people think that Jesus was white. So stupid.

When people think Jesus was black, one of the most annoying things in the world is when people hear that Jesus is white and then start trying to argue that he was black because they cant think sensibly.

Also all sorted of stupid misconceptions about nearly every single religion there is, if anyone ever brings up any religion in a conversation you can be pretty certain that 90% of whatever being said are misconceptions unless you have someone of that religion around.

When did he claim Jesus was black?
Jesus was not white, he would have been an Irealite, ie middle eastern.

 

[crudus]

Just at rest you are using about 15% of your brain. Beyond that your sense are going off like crazy.

No, we use about one hundred percent; this is easily proven by putting the average person into an fMRI machine. Just, you know, we don't use all of it at the same time. Kind of like how we don't use all our muscles simultaneously.

I think you are nitpicking here. The whole argument wasn't "you only use 10% of you brain, period" it was "you only use 10% of your brain at once".

 

[Trildor]

That Napoleon was a midget. He was 5' 7", which is hardly a shrimp.

wasn't that actually above average back then, due to lower levels of nutrition?

i only posted this because you said shrimp

5' 7" was about average height. It isn't anymore because we have better nutrition.

I only reply to this because you acknowledged that I said shrimp.

 

[Silver_Hammer]

That Napoleon was a midget. He was 5' 7", which is hardly a shrimp.

wasn't that actually above average back then, due to lower levels of nutrition?

i only posted this because you said shrimp

5' 7" was about average height. It isn't anymore because we have better nutrition.

I only reply to this because you acknowledged that I said shrimp.

If I recall correctly... It was all down to some good ol' propaganda. It was the English press who often used cartoons depicting Napoleon as vertically challenged, and the image stuck.

 

[Trildor]

That Napoleon was a midget. He was 5' 7", which is hardly a shrimp.

wasn't that actually above average back then, due to lower levels of nutrition?

i only posted this because you said shrimp

5' 7" was about average height. It isn't anymore because we have better nutrition.

I only reply to this because you acknowledged that I said shrimp.

If I recall correctly... It was all down to some good ol' propaganda. It was the English press who often used cartoons depicting Napoleon as vertically challenged, and the image stuck.

I've also heard it was because the doctor doing the autopsy measured him wrong, or he measured it right and the conversion from French to English measurements was screwed up.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Ala Carte' Misconceptions

-That anime is the epitome of entertainment, and if you don't like it, you obviously lack culture or hate Japan.

-Religion/Faith is for the weak-willed, and you clearly are a mindless sheep who is holding back social progress if you believe in any of it.

-FF7 was the best game ever made. (this one is for you, Internet)

-Motorcycles are only for loud, obnoxious meatheads who get drunk and beat women (more of a locally held stereotype than plain misconception, but stereotypes are misconceptions as well)

-Eating fish/seafood will give you mercury poisoning. (depends on the fish and where it came from. Not all seafood is created equal)

 

[Silver_Hammer]

United States of America:

- That we actually like the Hollywood culture.

Fair enough. Could you inform your press please.

- That Black Americans have it rougher or to a higher degree of less fairness than the rest of the majority/minority population.

You're wrong, as others have pointed out, African American's on an average have it much tougher.

- That modern day governments are extensions of past governments and are in essence, the exact same people as the previous rulers, bodies, etc.

Doesn't that depend on how far you go back?

- That warfare is immoral, wrong, and has no contributed to humanity in any positive way, shape, or form.

I could happily debate that warfare is very, very immoral and very wrong. But in our endless endeavour to kill each other, we've certainly had many positive contributions to our way of life.

- That John Lennon was a good person and a moral human being.

He wasn't?? I think this is your personal opinion, not a common misconception.

- That not believing in gay marriage or being opposed to gay marriage and being against gays are the same thing.

Its not?

 

[Abengoshis]

Theories have no real proof.

Well, this is true in one sense of the word. However, I hate it when it's used as an argument against SCIENTIFIC theories. If you do so, you clearly know nothing about science.

Err.... if somethings a theory its as close to fact as you can get in science, scientific theories have lots of proof

(does that read as bad as I think it does?, fatigue is messing with my brain)

Theories are models to explain facts.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

That Napoleon was a midget. He was 5' 7", which is hardly a shrimp.

I'm that size, and I'm 13, I mean, he must have been relatively small.

And that real life military is like CoD, just no...

 

[queenorivers]

[deleted]

 

[queenorivers]

[deleted]

 

[EllEzDee]

White people ruined the world through colonization. I'm of Swiss origin and this really gets at me because what the hell did the Swiss do to Africa? What did the Swiss do to the Native-Americans? Blame the British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Germans if you really feel like blaming someone. It's like saying brown people caused 9/11 (another stupid misconception).

Also that bisexual people must have sex with both genders at least once in their lives, or that they crave threesomes, or that they're more likely to cheat.

Yea, Switzerland did nothing besides trade with them.

 

[blind_dead_mcjones]

Australia is populated by the descendants of convicts: while it is true that it was used as adumping ground for convicts it wasn't until people started going there willingly to set up settlements that things really took off, australia is actually populated by the descendants of migrants,

australia is entirely 'the outback' and everyone talks like either paul hogan (crocodile dundee) or steve erwin

the refugees in boats shouldn't be allowed in australia because there might be terrorists among them: puh-lease, if a terrorist group was going to send people to australia, they wouldn't send them in a leaky boat that has a 75% chance of sinking

all criminals are evil dastardly cruel masterminds who want to break into your house to rape/kill you for teh lulz: the average criminal is by any standard not particulary bright, and just looking to make a quick buck the fastest way possible

if you don't have a gun, you are 100% defenceless from the evil criminals (see above) breaking into your house: funfact, there is a very effective way of detering anyone from trying to break into your house without relying on a gun, it also serves as an early warning system, it can guard the house when you're not there, and you can take it in public to most places without a concealed carrying permit, its called a dog

 

[Silver_Hammer]

- That not believing in gay marriage or being opposed to gay marriage and being against gays are the same thing.

Its not?

I think it is!

Its debatable theory. Far from a common misconception based on fact.