# 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:** 20
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/381 "2026-06-30T18:53:08Z")
I admit to believing in and fearing drop bears well into adulthood, but I am a sheltered city dweller and suspicious of nature in general. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/382 "2026-07-02T06:24:33Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I mean, as long as the cow provided reasonably good service… Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/383 "2026-07-02T06:31:45Z")
I suspect that the OP approaches this whole subject from an inefficient angle. Because I think the answer to: > **[What Urban Myths seem to hold on for years or decades even when disproven](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852)** is pretty close to “all of them”. Might have been more efficient to ask: > “What Urban Myths seem to to have faded due to being disproven?” I suspect that would have been a much shorter thread. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/384 "2026-07-02T11:52:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Female Praying Mantis: Oh, John, I’m so excited! I _must_ have you-- Right here! Right now! > > Male Praying Mantis: No!!! Not in the lab! “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Jane. I haven’t seen Harold all day. Besides, surely you know that I would only devour my _own_ husband.” ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/385 "2026-07-13T13:35:51Z")
No, the home team is always listed on the right side of the scoreboard, or the bottom. This might be due to baseball, in which the home team always bats in the bottom of the inning, but I’m just speculating. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/386 "2026-07-13T14:15:14Z")
That’s also the way it’s typically shown in sports reports, the home team is listed second. I think it’s implied “[Visiting team] at [Home team].” ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/387 "2026-07-13T14:23:43Z")
It’s the other way around in the UK. Home teams are listed first and they would say “[home team] is at home to [visiting team].” ---
**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:** [July 13, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/388 "2026-07-13T14:27:28Z")
It can vary on betting sites. Rather than home/away, sometimes favorites on the left Certainly there are no universal rules across all countries and sports, so definitely YMMV ---
**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:** [July 13, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/389 "2026-07-13T14:35:58Z")
That’s the Football (soccer) way. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/390 "2026-07-14T02:49:56Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > Home teams are listed first Yeah. Thats the way it’s done for soccer (football), even in the US. But, if I remember correctly, it used to be home soccer teams were listed second (on the right) in the US. I don’t remember when they changed it. Maybe 15-20 years ago? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/391 "2026-07-14T03:50:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just like Lizzie Two could correctly be stated to be the Queen of England. Yes, she was queen of a lot of other places, too. But England was one of the places she was queen of. No, she wasn’t, because the “[Kingdom of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England)” no longer legally exists (and hasn’t since 1707). It was first merged into the “Kingdom of Great Britain” and ultimately into the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” It would be like saying that Trump is “President of Florida.” No, he isn’t. Just like nobody is currently King (or Queen) of England. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/392 "2026-07-14T04:40:01Z")
> [@robby](#): > > No, she wasn’t, because the “[Kingdom of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England)” no longer legally exists (and hasn’t since 1707). It was first merged into the “Kingdom of Great Britain” and ultimately into the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” _England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom_. The President is President of all the states-From Alabama to Wyoming. The president is the President of Alabama to Wyoming. And a few misc territories, and etc. The TITLE of "King of England no longer exists, but Charles is still the King of England. This comes up here time after time. Now if you were to say "Charles does not hold the _Title of King of England"_ you would be correct. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/393 "2026-07-14T08:45:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > _England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom_. The President is President of all the states-From Alabama to Wyoming. The president is the President of Alabama to Wyoming. And a few misc territories, and etc. The TITLE of "King of England no longer exists, but Charles is still the King of England. No, he isn’t. There is no King of England because there is no Kindgom of England, just as there is no President of England because there is no Republic of England, and no Grand Duke of England, because there is no Grand Duchy of England. A king requires a kingdom, a political institution of which he is the head. The “King of England” was the monarch at the head of the Kingdom of England. Since the Kingdom of England ceased to exist, there has been no King of England. And, even when it did exist, the King of England was not King of Worcestershire, King of Leamington Spa or King of 29 Acacia Avenue, Islington because there was no Kingdom of Worcestershire, Kingdom of Leamington Spa or Kingdom of 29 Acacia Avenue, Islington. By the same token Trump is not the President of Alabama. There’s a State of Alabama, but Trump does not hold any office in that State, and in any event that State has no office of President. (I suppose you _could_ say that Charles is the English king, on the basis that he’s a king and, of all the current kings in the world, he’s the only one who is English.) ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/394 "2026-07-14T12:54:24Z")
> [@UDS1](#): > > (I suppose you _could_ say that Charles is the English king, on the basis that he’s a king and, of all the current kings in the world, he’s the only one who is English.) You misspelled “German” ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/395 "2026-07-14T13:17:30Z")
If you go up to anyone in Alabama, and ask “Who’s the president?”, what will they say? If you go up to anyone in England, and ask “Who’s the king?”, what will they say? ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/396 "2026-07-14T14:16:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you go up to anyone in Alabama, and ask “Who’s the president?”, what will they say? Well, they’ll probably assume you’re talking about the President of the United States, won’t they? Most people in the US, if they hear you talking about “the President”, and you don’t say President of what, will assume that you mean the President of the US unless the context strongly suggests that you are talking about, e.g., the President of the First Bank of Alabama. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/397 "2026-07-14T14:25:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you go up to anyone in Alabama, and ask “Who’s the president?”, what will they say? “President of what?” “Alabama” “Nobody. Alabama doesn’t have a president. There is a governor, though.” ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/398 "2026-07-14T14:50:16Z")
P.S. If they answer anything else (i.e. “Trump”), it’s simply because they assumed you meant the president of the United States. But as soon as you clarify you’re actually talking about Alabama, they would go back to my previous response. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/399 "2026-07-14T17:51:15Z")
Or if they have a bumper sticker that says “trump is not my president”. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/400 "2026-07-14T18:08:24Z")
> [@robby](#): > > “Nobody. Alabama doesn’t have a president. There is a governor, though.” I hear they love him in Birmingham. (And by that I mean Birmingham in England of course 🙂 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=21)