# 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:** 12
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/221 "2026-06-17T03:05:54Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > 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/). Lap and shoulder belts are the best, but just lap belts are better than no seat belt at all- > **[Seat belts](https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/seat-belts)** > > Information from IIHS-HLDI on seat belts > [@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. > **[Deadly Banana Spider ... or not](https://spiders.ucr.edu/deadly-banana-spider-or-not)** > >   ### Summary for the entire page so far > 1. **If you have a large spider found in bananas from a country in Central America, it is most probably going to be a harmless species of the genus _Cupiennius_.** > 2. **If you have a large spider found in bananas from western South America (i.e., Ecuador), if it has a white moustache, it is the harmless huntsman spider, _Heteropoda venatoria._ If large but with no moustache, possibly it is _Phoneutria boliviensis,_ which is of minor medical concern but could also be one of several other non-related species.** > 3. **You can’t use the red facial hairs alone to accurately identify a large spider found in bananas.** > 4. **None of these spiders are deadly.** ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/222 "2026-06-17T05:16:32Z")
Same, my kids always wanted that tie dye ice cream at the mall. It was bright pink, blue and yellow. They never ate it. And the blue stained everything it was near. But…they did like Smurf cereal. It was blue. Could not have been good. The Boo-berry cereal they do at Halloween time. It looked a little better. Still candy in a box. IMO ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/223 "2026-06-17T07:23:07Z")
Does the one about the drugged or razor-bladed Halloween candy still go around every year? I remember hearing it as a kid in the 70’s, and I had to debunk it with the mother of one of Celtling’s friends in the 2010s. That one definitely had legs, for no reason I could ever discern. It just occasionally updated with the bugaboo of the year - one time they were putting marijuana in the snickers bars, another time they were hiding crack cocaine in the jawbreakers. Total insanity. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/224 "2026-06-17T07:30:31Z")
Speaking of things that get sent around and updated over the decades, there’s also The Bricklayer’s Lament. I first heard it as an Irish song in the 70’s. My Grandfather’s brother had it as his particular party piece and we always laughed ourselves silly at it. Years later I got a version of it in a fax machine spam joke. I’ve seen it since on websites and in spam e-mails in slightly changed forms. [The Bricklayer’s Lament](https://youtu.be/b0Kzje9nF4A) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/225 "2026-06-17T09:32:59Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > The existence of a “Permanent Record” that recounts your elementary school misdeeds, for any and all to see should it come up, is also a myth. Perpetuated by school principals, no doubt. Permanent Records were a thing when I went to school (K-13, in Ontario, where I went to school). But as we later learned, they weren’t quite as permanent as they sounded. They would be destroyed five years after we left high school. And they were always confidential. So, no potential employer, when you were 25, could find out that you were disciplined for throwing a mudball at Billy Jenkins when you were ten years old. Since I graduated high school in 1979, my not-so-permanent record went up in flames or was shredded in 1984. ---
**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, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/226 "2026-06-17T10:44:51Z")
That one got a shout-out in _Paddington 2_, where Paddington goes through a similar ordeal (minus the broken bones) while attempting to be a window washer. ---
**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, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/227 "2026-06-17T11:56:43Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Does the one about the drugged or razor-bladed Halloween candy still go around every year? Mom always made sure to inspect our Halloween candy, and the Mounds and Almond Joys were always very suspect. My sister and I caught on pretty quick, but neither of us was crazy about coconut, so it was OK. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/228 "2026-06-17T12:05:58Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Does the one about the drugged or razor-bladed Halloween candy still go around every year? This one isn’t entirely an urban myth. Just mostly one. It’s almost never strangers but family of the kids themselves. Often as a prank that goes bad. But sometimes to cover up an accident or malfeasance on their parts. As mentioned in the article, there was, however, one case of a mentally ill man back in 2000 who stuck needles in Snickers bars. Fortunately, the only injury was one teen got a small prick in his mouth. So, it has happened. But still essentially an urban myth. And there wouldn’t have been any known cases back in the 70s or earlier. > **[The Men Who Murdered Halloween](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-equation/201510/the-men-who-murdered-halloween)** > > Halloween has thrilled trick-or-treaters for years and terrified parents for just as long. Are there real boogeymen waiting for Halloween to do their evil deeds? ---
**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 17, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/229 "2026-06-17T12:13:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@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. Hot fudge on top of that primary-hued mélange of mystery flavors? I don’t even want to imagine what that would look like, let alone taste like. But hey, I’m not going to judge, glad you like it. Myself, I think I’ll take a pass. > [@P-man](#): > > I remember my daughter insisting she wanted it when she was about four. I’m not sure she got past one bite. Maybe she should have tried some hot fudge on it 😉 ---
**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 17, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/230 "2026-06-17T14:38:18Z")
Thinking of tarantulas waiting to kill you from its banana hiding spot, when I was a kid, every one of these was deadly: tarantulas scorpions black widows quicksand And it’s obvious to anyone that lived around them that none of them are. Oh, I’ve known people that got bit by a black widow, and they _wished_ they would die, but they got better. Tarantulas don’t (or can’t) bite humans unless you really piss them off, and western USA scorpion stings hurt a lot but that’s it. Does quicksand even exist as shown in the movies? At least they seemed to have gotten rattlers correct. So how did these all become the legendary death dealers we know? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/231 "2026-06-17T14:55:38Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > So how did these all become the legendary death dealers we know? Script writers need tension. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/232 "2026-06-17T15:06:22Z")
That’s a fascinating article. ---
**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, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/233 "2026-06-17T15:10:26Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > At least they seemed to have gotten rattlers correct. I can’t confirm this, but I’ve heard that a lot of rattlesnakes’ reputation for lethality comes from the practice of treating a rattlesnake bite by consuming significant quantities of alcohol. Supposedly, an untreated snakebite is only lethal in a few percent of cases (just really, really painful), but when combined with the effects of alcohol, the death rate is much, much higher. ---
**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 17, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/234 "2026-06-17T15:15:58Z")
I remember when the recommended treatment was to use your snakebite kit (you _have_ your snakebite kit, don’t you?) to make a small incision between the fang marks, and use the supplied suction cup to suck the venom out. This was better than sucking out the poison with your mouth, the previously recommended way. This view was so persistent that I carried a snakebite kit when I’d hike. Even Johnny Gage on Emergency! cut his rattler bite and pulled the venom out. Now they realize cutting into someone out in the dirty wild country can lead to more problems than the snake venom. ---
**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, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/235 "2026-06-17T15:17:09Z")
Also, the poison has probably diffused enough through the body that you’re only going to be able to get a small fraction of it out. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/236 "2026-06-17T15:20:24Z")
When they do occur, snakebite deaths tend to be away from civilization. Most of the very, very few snake bite deaths in the US tend to be associated with parks or wilderness areas. It makes sense that the worst cases occur the furthest away from civilization. Among the rest, it tends to occur with people who are handle snakes a lot (researchers and snake handlers). > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > This was “better” than sucking out the poison with your mouth, the previously recommended way. Also, our mouths aren’t exactly hygienic most of the time. Mostly, we’d make a literally bloody mess and infect the wound. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/237 "2026-06-17T15:36:04Z")
Quicksand, you say? Almost kills two people on the same trail: Very much worth the read: https://embed.reddit.com/r/CampingandHiking/comments/1pgxvt5/quicksand_trapped_me_on_the_hayduke_in_arches_np/?embed=true&ref_source=embed&ref=share ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/238 "2026-06-17T15:43:53Z")
Similar to the adulterated Halloween candy myth is the myth that stoners are putting edibles, whose packaging closely resembles a real product, into your kids’ Halloween candy. Trust me, no cannabis user is doing this. That shit’s too expensive. Not saying how I know. ---
**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 17, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/239 "2026-06-17T15:45:02Z")
The myth that we eat 8 spiders a year on average in our sleep is still around, recently mentioned in a Progressive commercial currently getting airplay. The story of the myth itself is interesting: [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com) originally posted that the myth originated in a 1993 magazine article by columnist Lisa Birgit Holst. She fabricated the statistic to demonstrate how easily misinformation could spread on the newly emerging internet. Ironic, right? Then later Snopes admitted that story itself was a hoax, and that the name ‘Lisa Birgit Holst’ is an anagram for ‘This is a big troll’. It’s myths and hoaxes all the way down! The actual origin of the ‘8 spiders’ myth is unknown. > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Also, our mouths aren’t exactly hygienic most of the time. Mostly, we’d make a literally bloody mess and infect the wound. Also, if the person doing the venom sucking has a small cut or open sore in the mouth of on the lips, now you’re both infected with snake venom. ---
**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 17, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/240 "2026-06-17T15:49:48Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Quicksand, you say? Well, that was scary, and dangerous, but that’s not classic move quicksand, where you get sucked down slowly going under until only your pith helmet remains. [![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/06/19/18/shutterstock_editorial_4598636a.jpg?quality=75&width=1368&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&auto=webp) ](https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/06/19/18/shutterstock_editorial_4598636a.jpg?quality=75&width=1368&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&auto=webp) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=13)