# What Urban Myths seem to hold on for years or decades even when disproven **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852 "2026-06-12T19:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/201 "2026-06-16T18:35:47Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > That’s not true. When I was a kid in the 1970s, you could buy Marino’s Italian Ices from the ice cream trucks. Carnation also had Red, White & Blue ice cream ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/202 "2026-06-16T19:13:57Z")
I thought the blue drink ban was so kids wouldnt think antifreeze or something similar was drinkable. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/203 "2026-06-16T19:19:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Carnation also had Red, White & Blue ice cream And let’s not forget Superman ice cream. Every kid ever: I’ve got to have that! Every adult ever: verily, what abomination masquerading in the name of ice cream is that hideous-looking substance that hurts the eye to even look upon? [![](https://icecreamfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Superman-Ice-Cream-1.3-540x720.jpg) ](https://icecreamfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Superman-Ice-Cream-1.3-540x720.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/204 "2026-06-16T19:39:51Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Every adult ever: verily, what abomination masquerading in the name of ice cream is that hideous-looking substance that hurts the eye to even look upon? Except for those adults who used to be kids and who therefore still love it. Especially with hot fudge. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/205 "2026-06-16T20:29:35Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > That someone found a rat or spider in their elaborate hairdo. When I was a kid, and dinosaurs roamed free across the face of the Earth, I remember being told that Tarantulas hid in banana bunches, got transported into ships, traveled to America, got bagged up with said bananas, and could at any moment crawl out as you were opening the bag of bananas, to bite and kill you instantly. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/206 "2026-06-16T20:41:29Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > It doesn’t have to be ±10 days; ±5 days covers most of the month - the 5 days before yours, yours, the 5 days after, that’s at least 15 days. Throw in the “you don’t notice the lack of sync”, … and it seems to happen a lot more than it doesn’t Yes, especially when you consider the difference in length of each woman’s cycle - it might be anywhere from 25 - 32 days, for example. So sooner or later, some people are going to sync up for a month or so just because of that. And they won’t notice when they go out of sync again. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/207 "2026-06-16T20:46:33Z")
Yep, but that’s why people insist that’s what’s happening at holidays, parties, field trips, etc., confirmation bias. We had more than one teacher that banned “sugary snacks” for school parties because of this. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/208 "2026-06-16T20:56:02Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > I never got a hostile vibe from anyone, though people were reluctant to talk about an unpopular war. > > My father, who was a teen at the end of WWII, said every returning vet was greeted with confetti and laurels. He said his father, who was a little better off then most people coming out of the Depression, but by no means wealthy, a few times walked into a bar after the vets returned, and bought every overseas vet there a drink. > > He said one of his uncles, a war vet, often went into a restaurant, and if he was in uniform (which he often was, because he was still in service for a couple of years after the war), someone would pay for his meal without even saying anything. > > I think things like this didn’t happen to Vietnam vets, and a lot of people were aware of it. To some people, who just had an idea of how to treat a vet, ignoring their status amounted to abuse. > > But I think Vietnam vets still in service didn’t tend to wear their uniforms when off-duty, which people did in the WWII era. Norms and military regulations also change. Both my son and DIL are active duty in a branch of the US Military. They are instructed NOT to wear any type of uniform when traveling. Both within the US and without. They obey their instructions. There are excellent reasons WHY you don’t want everyone knowing you are in the military. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/209 "2026-06-16T21:12:47Z")
Well, the evidence for ‘killer spiders in bananas’ is somewhat confused. See > **[Killer spider found in family’s supermarket shopping](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/19/killer-spider-supermarket-shopping?CMP=twt_gu)** > > Family flee house after finding lethal Brazilian wandering spider in bunch of bananas in their Waitrose groceries delivery Although the ‘Brazilian Wandering Spider’ has been found in some shipments, most of them are the much less dangerous _Cupiennius._ I remember an imported spider causing some consternation when I worked in a UK fruit market; no deaths resulted, however. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/210 "2026-06-16T21:58:40Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > > > But I think Vietnam vets still in service didn’t tend to wear their uniforms when off-duty, which people did in the WWII era. > > Norms and military regulations also change. > > Both my son and DIL are active duty in a branch of the US Military. They are instructed NOT to wear any type of uniform when traveling. Both within the US and without. They obey their instructions. There are excellent reasons WHY you don’t want everyone knowing you are in the military. Exactly. When I was an NROTC midshipman in college in the late ‘80s, I got orders sending me to a submarine base in Scotland. My orders specifically told me to travel in dress uniform on a commercial airline. But that was apparently a mistake, because I was told when I arrived that nobody in the military was traveling internationally on commercial airlines in uniform anymore because of fears of terrorism against service members traveling alone. A few years later, when on active duty, I visited my ailing paternal grandfather who I hadn’t seen in years. He asked what I was doing after college, and I told him I was an active-duty submarine officer on leave. He then said the reason he asked was because he didn’t understand why I wasn’t in uniform while on leave. A few years after that, when I was teaching as an active-duty officer with my own office, I didn’t even commute to work in uniform. I’d go to work in civilian clothes, put on my uniform in my office, and change back to civilian clothes as soon as the official workday ended. That is, unless I had the overnight duty, in which case I stayed on duty and in uniform (and also spent the night at work). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/211 "2026-06-16T22:27:23Z")
Correct. For more detail see Unca Cece’s 2002 column on the subject. Linked a couple of hours upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/212 "2026-06-16T23:10:51Z")
> [@robby](#): > > He then said the reason he asked was because he didn’t understand why I wasn’t in uniform while on leave. I can understand that. Used to be that there were military air fares that were dirt cheap. The only caveat was that you had to travel in uniform and be under orders. I remember flying from CA to NYC for about $50. That was in the late 60s, but still very cheap. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/213 "2026-06-16T23:45:23Z")
> [@solost](#): > > _Of course_ there is a record-- at the very least it’s called a report card; with sections for grades as well as short descriptions of behavior… In kindergarten, I flunked Nap Time. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/214 "2026-06-16T23:46:56Z")
> [@digs](#): > > In kindergarten, I flunked Nap Time. I got chastised for bringing in my B58 toy plane NOT on show and tell day. I still carry the scars. I also think someone switched my nap mat. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/215 "2026-06-17T00:34:06Z")
I passed “Knows Left from Right” in kindergarten, even though I didn’t. They asked me to raise my right hand, and I guessed. Then they asked me to raise my left hand to confirm it, and I knew enough to stay consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/216 "2026-06-17T01:16:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I had heard a similar argument against lap belts, but the argument wasn’t about the head, it was abdomen. The argument was that wearing a lap belt alone with no shoulder belt would result in great force distributed into a very narrow band-space in your abdomen, which could injure your intestines badly. As an aside, your Member name is plus perfect for this thread. 🙂 Now then, the Lap Belt problem. Good science reveals that [use of lap belts or improperly used three-point belts so that only the lap portion is in play causes spinal cord injury. Lots of it.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2031975/). ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/217 "2026-06-17T01:55:40Z")
I remember my daughter insisting she wanted it when she was about four. I’m not sure she got past one bite. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/218 "2026-06-17T01:57:01Z")
I’d include referring to body temperature as “98.6°F” a persistent myth. Real human body temperature is nowhere close to that precise, and that number is just 37°C translated into Fahrenheit, with an extra sigfig added on. Real body temp in °F would be best expressed as “99-ish”. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/219 "2026-06-17T02:14:43Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > When I was a kid, and dinosaurs roamed free across the face of the Earth, I remember being told that Tarantulas hid in banana bunches, got transported into ships, traveled to America, got bagged up with said bananas, and could at any moment crawl out as you were opening the bag of bananas, to bite and kill you instantly. Was it Harry Belafonte who you heard that from 😜 ? I seem to recall hearing the same thing from him, right around the time that _Beetlejuice_ came out. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/220 "2026-06-17T02:34:47Z")
Or Stan Freberg. I don’t dig spiders, man! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=12)