# What fact is most obvious to you that you hear frequently denied? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009 "2010-01-30T07:31:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/121 "2010-02-01T14:30:57Z")
The Big Bang theory makes just about as much sense as Genesis. Seems obvious to me, but people seem unwilling to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/122 "2010-02-01T14:39:12Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Relative humidity is not the fraction of maximum possible humidity. It certainly is. It’s the fraction of maximum possible humidity (at any given temperature). ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/123 "2010-02-01T15:01:32Z")
No one should ever be forced to have a baby they didn’t want. It’s been said before in this thread but there’s very little I believe stronger than that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/124 "2010-02-01T15:15:18Z")
The terrorists don’t actually hate us “for our freedom”. ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/125 "2010-02-01T18:05:26Z")
- First, I’ll have to +1 evolution. - Bottled water is a HUGE waste of money and resources. - PETA is actually evil (I’m an animal lover, FWIW). - Marijuana should be legalized. - Allowing gay people to be married won’t hurt you. There are more, but those are the ones that jump immediately to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/126 "2010-02-01T18:57:24Z")
I think this OP was worded badly; it seems to me like people are posting things they believe are true and also things they believe aren’t true. I’m quite confused by some of this thread, and not really interested enough to try to straighten it out. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/127 "2010-02-01T19:00:26Z")
“Gentlemen, you can’t opine in here! This is **In My Humble Opinion**!” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/128 "2010-02-01T19:00:43Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think this OP was worded badly; it seems to me like people are posting things they believe are true and also things they believe aren’t true. I’m quite confused by some of this thread, and not really interested enough to try to straighten it out. Which reminds me of another obvious truism: no matter what you say, some people will get it all exactly backwards. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/129 "2010-02-01T19:02:32Z")
No, you were NOT “just about to” do the thing I asked you to earlier, when I reminded you of it just now. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/130 "2010-02-01T19:52:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It _does_ violate that rule, because everybody believes that they are merely “correcting” the other person. > The correct thing to do in this particular thread, because it houses so many different beliefs that would normally be posted in Great Debates, is to post a response to the OP, _and leave the others alone._ Does it really surprise you though that a thread called “facts that are obvious to you but not others” is full of non-facts that some people want to question others about without necessarily starting 100 new threads? Seems like you guys chose an uphill battle from the outset with this one. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/131 "2010-02-01T20:29:55Z")
The flat tax probably isn’t an inherently better and fairer way to apply taxation. There are some things that women can’t do that men can, and vice versa. We’re not alone in this universe. Not all Americans are born equal. Same-sex marriage is a good thing and should be encouraged. To continue to deny it is discrimination, no two ways about it. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/132 "2010-02-01T20:31:03Z")
People believe what they want to believe, regardless of the evidence presented. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/133 "2010-02-01T20:35:18Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Does it really surprise you though that a thread called “facts that are obvious to you but not others” is full of non-facts that some people want to question others about without necessarily starting 100 new threads? Seems like you guys chose an uphill battle from the outset with this one. I had (perhaps misplaced) hope that most of you could stay on topic and leave the “Waddayou expect? I _hadda_ correct that shlub!” mindset at home just this once. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/134 "2010-02-01T20:54:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Which reminds me of another obvious truism: no matter what you say, some people will get it all exactly backwards. Yeah, and chances are one of them will be me. ☹ It has occurred to me that I don’t think like Jane Average. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/135 "2010-02-01T21:21:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I had (perhaps misplaced) hope that most of you could stay on topic and leave the “Waddayou expect? I _hadda_ correct that shlub!” mindset at home just this once. Isn’t the board supposed to be about fighting ignorance though? If that’s the case, we shouldn’t call them facts. Perhaps the thread title should be changed to “Things that you believe but others don’t”. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/136 "2010-02-02T00:15:16Z")
Guys, guys–I’ve got a solution to all this. [Debate here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12064840#post12064840). Anyway: capitalism is an inherently unstable system, requiring never-ending growth. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/137 "2010-02-02T00:48:40Z")
+1 evolution, and specifically [ul] [li]We and the other apes have a common ancestor[/li][li]The Great Flood never happened[/li][li]There was no Garden of Eden, and no original sin[/li][li]There was no Exodus[/li][li]Our universe started with the Big Bang around 14 billion years ago, and is expanding. The details are far from obvious[/li][li]Tax cuts for the rich do not trickle down[/li][li]People make choices that are not in their best interest, even with all the facts at their disposal[/li][li]The local community college and Harvard do not offer equal educational opportunity. One of my daughter’s high school teachers thought this was true.[/li][li]There is such a thing as coincidence, and they mean nothing[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/138 "2010-02-02T02:10:56Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No one should ever be forced to have a baby they didn’t want. It’s been said before in this thread but there’s very little I believe stronger than that. Quoted for truth. Also: [ul] [li]Adoption is not an alternative to abortion, adoption is an alternative to _parenting_.[/li][li]Some pro-life _people_ honestly believe that abortion is murder and that women and their babies deserve better and want to help women avoid abortion because they truly believe that it’s harmful physically and psychologically for women beyond the loss of fetal life. The pro-life _movement_, however, is not based on those principles in any way, and is not altruistic at all.[/li][li]The rich are _not_ more charitable than lower income earners in terms of percentage of earnings given.[/li][li]Correlation does not prove causation.[/li][/ul] > [@Wallenstein](#): > > Despite the best efforts of literary theorists to persuade otherwise, Freud’s notion of the human psyche is a phallacy. True fact: I see what you did there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/139 "2010-02-02T02:29:25Z")
I find Freud’s notion of the human psyche is rather fellatious, as well. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009/140 "2010-02-02T04:33:27Z")
Not knowing the answer to a question does not make all possible answers equally likely. And it’s corollary: folks who disagree with generally held, data-driven scientific consensus are not anywhere near 50% likely to be right, historically. The vast, vast majority of them are nutcases. The existence of a few counter-examples (yes, yes, science was wrong to discount continental drift) does not change that fact, and in fact usually illustrate that the system is self-correcting (continental drift _is_ the generally held, data-driven consensus now, _because_ it could explain things that steady-state could not, and was not killed by a vast conspiracy of scientists). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fact-is-most-obvious-to-you-that-you-hear-frequently-denied/527009.md?page=8)