# 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:** 4
**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 13, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/61 "2026-06-13T15:56:57Z")
Not sure if this qualifies for this thread, but: the myth that a school near you (for me it was Rolla, MO) has put litter boxes in classrooms to accomodate kids who identify as cats. No such thing ever happened in any school in the US. (Some schools did/do have litter boxes in the classrooms to allow the kids a place to relieve themselves if they’re locked in their classrooms for an active shooter situation, but that is a long way from some liberal push to allow kids to identify as cats and piss in a litter box. And what kid is going to piss in front of God and everybody anyway?) ---
**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 13, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/62 "2026-06-13T16:04:03Z")
It’s a common enough misconception in the States to have been referenced in a _Simpsons_ joke: > 8:58. First time I’ve ever been early for work! Except for all those daylight savings days. Lousy farmers. ---
**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 13, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/63 "2026-06-13T16:11:44Z")
That’s a silly belief, because farmers don’t work by clock time, anyway. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/64 "2026-06-13T16:15:57Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > [NASA's 'Astronaut Pen' | Snopes.com](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-write-stuff/) > > Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell people this isn’t true. This is strange, as I went and read the actual story (vs. the alleged myth), and apparently the only “mythical” part is just that it was the US Govt. which invested the money in question, but I scroll down and the private inventor who actually did devise and perfect it actually did spend about a million (of his own funds) to do so. [Nowhere is it disclosed how much the government paid him to buy the patent and/or the pens themselves] I guess this entry was intended as one of those gotchas against those who are always harping about how the government is always wasting tons of money for frivolous expenses, and the false part begins and ends there. So, no, NASA didn’t develop it, per se, but a pen which worked in space _was_ invented, and it did cost a million to do so. Usually when Snopes uncovers a tidbit like this which is partially true, they’ll use the “MIXTURE” moniker for the article, not **FALSE**. Plus the rationale for doing so, to avoid issues in-flight, was also true. ---
**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 13, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/65 "2026-06-13T16:18:02Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > one of those gotchas against those who are always harping about how the government is always wasting tons of money for frivolous expenses, See also: > **[The myth of the $600 hammer](https://www.govexec.com/federal-news/1998/12/the-myth-of-the-600-hammer/5271/)** > > The myth of the $600 hammer > The military bought the hammer, Kelman explained, bundled into one bulk purchase of many different spare parts. But when the contractors allocated their engineering expenses among the individual spare parts on the list-a bookkeeping exercise that had no effect on the price the Pentagon paid overall-they simply treated every item the same. So the hammer, originally $15, picked up the same amount of research and development overhead-$420-as each of the highly technical components, recalled retired procurement official LeRoy Haugh. (Later news stories inflated the $435 figure to $600.) ---
**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:** [June 13, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/66 "2026-06-13T16:22:06Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I guess this entry was intended as one of those gotchas against those who are always harping about how the government is always wasting tons of money for frivolous expenses, and the false part begins and ends there. The other part is that the Soviets are supposedly so much more thrifty and clever because they just used pencils. Not true - a pencil in space is a bad idea. The tip breaks off, floats around in zero-G and then perhaps interferes with electronics or the air system. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/67 "2026-06-13T16:24:08Z")
Plus, the Soviets also moved to the Space Pen once it had been invented. The company was quite willing to sell them and the US government the pens for their regular price. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/68 "2026-06-13T16:24:20Z")
The “[various ridiculous high prices] for a DoD aircraft toilet seat.” stories are broadly similar. It wasn’t a seat, it was a much larger and more complex assembly. That had to be fireproof, crashworthy, lightweight, etc., just like everything else on an airplane. And had to go through the full engineering design & certification process with all the hefty one-time overhead that entails. Divided by a very small buy of parts count. Turns out that was a big number. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/69 "2026-06-13T16:56:56Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > The myth that brainstorming is an effective method for coming up with solutions to problems was proven to be false almost as soon as it was proposed. It is not only not very good it actively hinders finding good solutions. Every time one was foisted on us at work I would point this out and show people the references. Doesn’t seem to happen any more. At least not in any meeting that I am in. Goddamn yes. In the University setting there is a certain type of admin that LOVES brainstorming and “breakout group” sessions. If I’m at a meeting and they say the words “breakout groups” I pack my shit up and leave (tenure is a godsend). I don’t have time for that bullshit. ---
**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 13, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/70 "2026-06-13T17:03:07Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Spinach is good and healthy food, nonetheless. For a good sized minority of people, it can cause major problems. It has a very high level of oxalate, and can easily cause kidney stones. Before I knew I had that particular problem, I ended up in the emergency room after having eaten a spinach salad once a day for four straight days. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/71 "2026-06-13T17:11:17Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > For a good sized minority of people, it can cause major problems. I’m sorry for your condition, this must suck, but that’s true for much generally healthy and recommended food that some people react allergic or intolerant to, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/72 "2026-06-13T17:24:38Z")
I vaguely recall some myth about 2020…there was an election or something…somebody stole it or rigged it or something? Anyway, it seems to persist. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/73 "2026-06-13T17:44:24Z")
Even as I type, there is a zip-lock bag on my desk with a couple hundred aluminum can pop-tops, saved by my in-laws. They are convinced that the tops have some special benefit apart from the aluminum recycling value. Apparently their pastor told them to save the tops, and I can’t convince them otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/74 "2026-06-13T18:21:43Z")
There is no evidence that eating a lot of sugar makes kids hyper. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/75 "2026-06-13T18:41:40Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > This may be more of a misconception than what the OP intends, but to this day there are people convinced that if you earn more money, you go into a higher tax bracket and you actually lose money. Like you somehow have to game the system so that your annual income is $99,900 rather than $100,000, for tax purposes. Yeah, I have had to correct that several times. It is just barely possible, as withholding is in increments, that a small raise could result in a slightly smaller take home pay, but that just means a larger tax refund. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/76 "2026-06-14T05:01:36Z")
I asked Cecil this question and it made it into a coloum. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/77 "2026-06-14T16:43:02Z")
Every World Cup the urban legend of Nigeria paired against Germany, where the 3-character FIFA country codes are shown on the screen (the image actually came from a computer soccer game). Just in case - FIFA changed the code for Nigeria, but its old code is now for Niger (never played Germany - even in a “friendly”). ---
**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 14, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/78 "2026-06-14T16:50:01Z")
The myth of the old ‘Wild West’, where everybody was a quick-draw gunslinger, walking around in town with twin pistols in holsters on their hips. If one’s honor was insulted, showdowns at high noon were a common, almost daily occurrence. And of course, spontaneous gunfights broke out in the saloon all the time when drunken cowboys playing cards thought some cheatin’ devil had an Ace up their sleeve. That myth began pretty much in real time, when sensationalized dime novels about the ‘Wild West’ started showing up out East, and Easterners ate the stories up. Then of course Hollywood started pumping out Western movies, then TV shows, and the myth became calcified. In reality, Western towns ironically had stricter gun control laws than those same towns do today— guns were not allowed in town, so people had to drop off their weapons with the Sheriff until they left. The murder rate in Western towns was, for the most part, very low, with some exceptions here and there where, say, boomtowns sprang up chaotically and violence would break out over land claim arguments and such. But the ‘high noon shootout’ almost never happened. The reason events like ‘The Shootout at the OK Corral’ are so well remembered and retold is because they were so rare. Iconic Western details like twin pistols on the low-slung gun belt for quick draws was a Hollywood invention. Guns were for out on the range, so rifles that were more accurate at long ranges were preferred. The legacy of that myth is that now a lot of people have open-carry permits and walk around in town with twin pistols on low-slung holsters, imitating a past that never actually existed, thinking that open carrying is their birthright based on a myth. ---
**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 14, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/79 "2026-06-14T16:53:55Z")
That’d be easily enough fixed by just labeling that matchup as “Ger - Nig”. Yes, there’s probably a standard established rule for which one comes first, but they can make an exception. ---
**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 14, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/80 "2026-06-14T17:01:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’d be easily enough fixed by just labeling that matchup as “Ger - Nig”. Yes, there’s probably a standard established rule for which one comes first, Doesn’t the home team’s name always come first? By reversing the order, it would draw even more attention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=5)