# Common Misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094 "2018-05-13T17:28:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/1 "2018-05-13T17:28:23Z")
As the title says, what common misconceptions are out there? My suggestions. The Luddites, its easy for us to look back and roll our eyes at them for trying to halt the inevitable tide of progress, and yes while there is an element of truth to that the advent of machinery and automation really _was_ taking away their livelihoods and it wasn’t irrational to fight against it. Although from our historical perspective their attempts were obviously doomed. King Canute ordering back the tide, commonly related as a tale of hubris it actually has events backwards, he was making the point that royalty _does not_ have unlimited power or as the wikipedia article puts it: “that he has no control over the elements (the incoming tide), explaining that secular power is vain compared to the supreme power of God.” The Island of Dr Moreau, its actually a story about turning animals into people and not people into animals. The Simpson’s episode probably didn’t help in this respect. 😛 Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/2 "2018-05-13T18:47:21Z")
“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” —It was originally a metaphor for being expected to do something impossible —you _can’t_ pull yourself up by pulling on your bootstraps. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/3 "2018-05-13T19:19:24Z")
This seems like a rather broad topic. A random selection of low hanging fruit: Frankenstein was the monster. Vaccinations cause autism, and an infinite variety of other medical woo. Virtually any diet advice other than: _eat food, not too much, mostly plants_. That evolution involves one _organism_ changing into another. That evolution by natural selection is a random process. MSG causes headaches. An undercover cop must identify himself truthfully when asked. That black holes suck objects in like vacuum cleaners. A duck’s quack has no echo. That a scientific “theory” means an unproven or untested hypothesis. That eating before swimming is dangerous. That we only use some small proportion of our mental capacity. A couple of more interesting ones: That there was once a word spelled or pronounced “ye” that meant “the” in old English. > **[Ye (pronoun)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_(pronoun))** > > Ye (/jiː/) is a second-person, plural, personal pronoun (nominative), spelled in Old English as "ge". In Middle English and Early Modern English, it was used as a both informal second-person plural and formal honorific, to address a group of equals or superiors or a single superior. While its use is archaic in most of the English-speaking world, it is used in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and some parts of Ireland to distinguish from the singular "you". > "Ye" is also sometimes used to repr... Ignorance of the sensible original meaning to “[the exception that proves the rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule#Original_meaning)”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/4 "2018-05-13T20:54:10Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Frankenstein was the monster. That’s the point of the story, yes. (Secondly: Children generally take their father’s surname, even if the father is otherwise negligent.) > [@](#): > > Virtually any diet advice other than: _eat food, not too much, mostly plants_. And the third part is debatable. > [@](#): > > Ignorance of the sensible original meaning to “[the exception that proves the rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule#Original_meaning)”. There are a few possible sensible meanings of that little phrase, and none of them can displace the patently idiotic one. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/5 "2018-05-13T22:20:23Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > The Luddites, its easy for us to look back and roll our eyes at them for trying to halt the inevitable tide of progress, and yes while there is an element of truth to that the advent of machinery and automation really _was_ taking away their livelihoods and it wasn’t irrational to fight against it. Although from our historical perspective their attempts were obviously doomed. The Luddites were led by [Ned Ludd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Ludd). (Nope. Ludd was a legendary figure who supposedly lived several decades before the Luddites were active. It’s doubtful if he existed at all.) The Luddites wore a type of clog called a sabot. They would damage the machinery by throwing their clogs into the works. This was known as sabotage, and the people doing it were saboteurs. (Nope. The word [sabotage](https://www.etymonline.com/word/sabotage?ref=etymonline_crossreference)does derive from the clogs. But the original implication was clumsiness rather than deliberate damage. It is unconnected with the Luddites, and is unattested in English before about 1907.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/6 "2018-05-13T22:23:07Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > The Luddites, its easy for us to look back and roll our eyes at them for trying to halt the inevitable tide of progress, and yes while there is an element of truth to that the advent of machinery and automation really _was_ taking away their livelihoods and it wasn’t irrational to fight against it. Although from our historical perspective their attempts were obviously doomed. **Popular belief: The Luddites were led by Nedd Ludd.** (Nope. [Ludd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Ludd)was a legendary figure who supposedly lived several decades before the Luddites were active. It’s doubtful if he existed at all.) \*\*Poppular belief: The Luddites wore a type of clog called a sabot. They would damage the machinery by throwing their clogs into the works. This was known as sabotage, and the people doing it were saboteurs. \*\* (Nope. The word [sabotage](https://www.etymonline.com/word/sabotage?ref=etymonline_crossreference)does derive from the clogs. But the original implication was clumsiness rather than deliberate damage. It is unconnected with the Luddites, and is unattested in English before about 1907.) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/7 "2018-05-13T22:25:30Z")
The whale is not really fish, it’s an insect. A relative of the grasshopper, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/8 "2018-05-13T22:27:17Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > **Popular belief: The Luddites were led by Nedd Ludd.** > > (Nope. [Ludd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Ludd)was a legendary figure who supposedly lived several decades before the Luddites were active. It’s doubtful if he existed at all.) > > \*\*Poppular belief: The Luddites wore a type of clog called a sabot. They would damage the machinery by throwing their clogs into the works. This was known as sabotage, and the people doing it were saboteurs. \*\* > > (Nope. The word [sabotage](https://www.etymonline.com/word/sabotage?ref=etymonline_crossreference)does derive from the clogs. But the original implication was clumsiness rather than deliberate damage. It is unconnected with the Luddites, and is unattested in English before about 1907.) You mean Spock was _wrong?_ _recoils in horror_ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/9 "2018-05-13T22:43:09Z")
My favorite misconception is the belief that “The immaculate conception” refers to Jesus being conceived by Mary without benefit of a physical father. The actual conception being referred to is the conception of Mary by her own mother _without original sin_, thus creating the perfect vessel for Jesus to be conceived in later. You can win a lot of bar bets with that tidbit. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/10 "2018-05-13T22:55:19Z")
In English grammar: -You’re not allowed to end a sentence with a preposition. - A double negative makes a positive. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/11 "2018-05-14T00:14:31Z")
The white “smoke” you see from a teapot, iron, etc. is not steam. Steam, by definition, is invisible. What you’re seeing is a mist. Many people believe the way to lose weight is to “hit the gym.” But for most people, exercise won’t have much of an impact on weight. Water does not freeze at _exactly_ 0 °C. The explanation of how a plane flies often goes like this: “Due to Bernoulli’s Principle, the air over the top of the wing has lower pressure (due to the longer path) than the bottom of the wing. This pressure difference is what keeps the plane in the air.” The last sentence is incorrect. It’s commonly believed gold is the best electrical conductor. But silver and copper have higher conductivity values than gold. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/12 "2018-05-14T00:41:15Z")
Butterfly larvae don’t spin silken cocoons, but moth larvae do. Larvae is pronounce lar-vee. All -ae plurals in English are properly pronounced -ee for the last syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/13 "2018-05-14T00:55:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > - A double negative makes a positive. This is not untrue. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/14 "2018-05-14T01:03:32Z")
It’s called ‘tough love’, NOT because it’s tough on the kid/Addict but because it’s incredibly tough to get an enabler to stop what they are doing. Mostly because what they are doing is for their own benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/15 "2018-05-14T01:11:10Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The whale is not really fish, it’s an insect. A relative of the grasshopper, in fact. And it lives on bananas. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/16 "2018-05-14T01:12:41Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > And it lives on bananas. That’s silly. There’s not enough room on most bananas. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/17 "2018-05-14T02:22:26Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > You mean Spock was _wrong?_ _recoils in horror_ [**Your faith is re-established**](http://www.moviequotedb.com/movies/star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country/quote_22237.html). > [@](#): > > Valeris: Four hundred years ago on the planet Earth, workers who felt their livelihood threated by automation flung their wooden shoes called sabots into the machines to stop them. > [Chekov and Uhura look confused] > Valeris: Hence the word sabotage. > Uhura: We are experiencing technical malfunction. All backup systems inoperative. > Chekov: Excellent-I mean, too bad. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/18 "2018-05-14T02:33:14Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > This seems like a rather broad topic. Ya think? Maybe I’ll start a counterpart thread: “Things that are true.” Or perhaps just a thread called: “Ideas.” ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/19 "2018-05-14T02:43:39Z")
Going outside without a coat/hat causes colds. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094/20 "2018-05-14T02:47:35Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > [**Your faith is re-established**](http://www.moviequotedb.com/movies/star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country/quote_22237.html). But it was not deliberate according to **Peter Morris’** cite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions/814094.md?page=2)